How Me2B can improve your search and discovery experience
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00:00
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Transcript: English(auto-generated)
00:07
So first of all, welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming to this presentation. And as Max said, today I'm going to talk about the B2B and how this can improve your search and discovery experience.
00:26
But before I do that, let's first start with a short overview of how commerce is done today. If you are a brand or a merchant and you want to show your products online, you basically have three options. One, you can go through a web shop.
00:40
Two, you can sell in the marketplace, for example, Amazon. Or you can sell directly through social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But in almost all markets, it's the marketplace option that's in charge. And the reason for this is that they are very good at matching offer and demand.
01:00
However, this benefit comes at a cost. First of all, a lot of data is being collected, both from the supplier and from the customer. And also, the marketplace owns the whole customer experience. So it takes away the opportunity from the retailer to build a sustainable relationship
01:21
with our customers. And in addition, especially in e-commerce, retailers face the challenge that the platform itself is also a competitor. But they have the advantage of having more data, and they don't have to pay commission fees. So let's dig a little deeper into this.
01:44
In online commerce, the challenge has always been to help people by understanding them. Because the better you understand what people want, the better you can adjust your offering. This is also what we do at Empathy every day. We try to understand what people are looking for and then help them to discover new things.
02:02
Unfortunately, this notion of understanding has been translated by many into a practice of following and tracking every step that you take online. And the idea behind this, of course, is that the more you know about someone, the better you can understand and predict his behavior.
02:21
But as you understand, this approach affects our privacy. And in our opinion, it's also not the most effective way to provide people with relevant content because what makes people click is not necessarily in their best interest. So today, I want to talk about a different approach towards understanding, one where,
02:41
instead of relying on data collection, you're relying on information that people are willing to share with us. And we will look at the opportunities that this enables and the value that is created, both for the end user as well as for the business. And also, I will talk a little bit about the challenges that we foresee in this approach and then some possible solutions.
03:09
Let's first look at the context because the better we understand the world around us, the more effective we can act on it. And looking at the context of data collection,
03:22
there are three noticeable developments. First of all, there's a decline in trust in big tech. So when companies like Facebook, Amazon, when they started to grow, initially, everybody was very positive. They became good services, great products, which were very cheap or often even for free.
03:44
But in the last couple of years, this attitude is changing. I mean, I start to see the effects of having a very small group of companies that has so much information about us that they can now willingly or unwillingly influence how we interact with each other.
04:00
I think for example, about false information that is spread around elections or about the coronavirus, but also algorithms that are designed to keep us engaged that are now promoting extreme content. And it's not that these companies intended these interactions to happen, it's rather that they don't know how to deal with them.
04:21
And of course, as an end user, as a customer, I have no idea what information they have on me and how they are using it. The second development, which I think is worth mentioning is regulation, which is of course a logical result of the first one. So in Europe, we have the GDPR,
04:41
which says which data we can collect and under what circumstances. And one of the results of these regulations is that it now becomes a liability to have so much data. Because for example, if there's a breach in your database, you are the one responsible. But also just having the data, but without the right consent,
05:02
makes you liable for a fine. And the third development we're highlighting here, which my opinion is the most interesting is Big Tech's own reaction to these previous two developments. Look for example, at Apple's latest iOS updates,
05:22
which now tells every business or every app builder now has to explicitly ask for permission to track somebody. But also companies like Google, which is known for collecting and generating lots of data.
05:41
Even Google is now saying, we're going to block third party cookies in our Chrome browser. Of course, you could question the motivation of these companies, and I think we should. But regardless of that, their decisions have a great impact on how companies will run their business.
06:01
So these developments bring, of course, many challenges, and it forces us to take a position on how we are going to deal with these changes. So next, I would like to share with you two scenarios, one where we don't act on this changing world, and one where we do.
06:24
So let's start with don't act. And when I say don't act, I don't mean we don't do anything at all, but rather it means that the focus is on complying. So we stay with our conventional way of thinking, and try to see what's possible within the limitations that are set by these regulations like these PR,
06:43
but also the limitations imposed by companies like Google and Apple. Because I believe there are always, even with these changes, there are always being ways to collect customer data, and regulations don't dictate that no data can be collected at all.
07:01
But it does mean that over time, less data will be at our disposal. And let's look at the other scenario, and this one I call act. And here, we assume that we embrace this changing world.
07:21
And in this scenario, we assume that we don't get any data, and instead, information always stays with the customer. And the data that's generated by interacting with your business is handed back to the customer as well, so it can be used in other situations. And in our conventional way of thinking, this sounds counterintuitive, because not only would you give away
07:41
a valuable asset that is this data, you also would allow people to then take this data that they've created with you, and then take it somewhere else, even to a competitor. So it feels a little bit strange. But let's have a look at what you can get in return for this.
08:01
There are four things, I think. First thing is trust. If you say to your customer, here's the data that we've generated, but it's yours, use it however you want it, it creates trust. The second thing is that the information can become much richer, because if the end user controls all their data,
08:21
and they have data from different sources, this information can then be combined, and then used to create a more holistic view of this user. And third, the data is more accurate, because the end user will take more care of the information, make sure that it's up to date. And finally, it can lead to more access to data.
08:43
And because the more control someone has over their information, the more willing they are to share this information. This is what some call the control paradox. And it's important to understand that also in this second scenario of embracing,
09:01
there's still room for collecting some data and performing analytics on how users interact with your servers or with your shop. But a clear distinction is made in what data belongs to the customer and what doesn't belong to the business. And in some cases, information belongs to both parties.
09:25
Now, we believe that this opens up new possibilities, but for this to happen, not only must people be able to own their data, they must also be able to provide access to this information. And here, decentralization comes into play. Now, what do you mean with decentralization?
09:41
Instead of storing user information into a central system, for example, a CRM tool, customers now have their own private space, and this can be a private server or a local storage like your mobile phone. And in this case, the user becomes the controller of their information
10:02
and the business can access the processor. Now, already a lot is going on in this space. I highlighted here some of the initiatives that are working on what's called, what many call bots, like personal data strategies, for example, Citizen Me, The Hub of All Things and Solid.
10:26
And we now start to see that these initiatives are being picked up by more companies and even governments. For example, Solid is doing a pilot in Belgium
10:41
where citizens in certain region get a bot to interact with our local governments. And we at Empathy, we too are exploring this space, but we keep the focus on commerce. I mean, we are looking at how this way of decentralization
11:04
can improve the experience of search and discovery. And when it comes to commerce, we believe that this enables a new way of conducting business. And this is a way of going from B2C to meter B.
11:22
And I will explain that now. So in traditional online commerce, customers connect to brands often by creating an account, which can then be used to optimize the customer experience. If you look at meter B, however, we turn things around
11:41
and we allow brands to connect to the customer. And here, they can request access to the information from the user to optimize the experience for a Photoshop or a Surface. Now, today we aren't there yet, but we dedicate a lot of our time to explore the new possibilities that are enabled
12:01
when we embrace this change. So I would like to show some of the initiatives that we are working on. And the way I'm going to do this is by walking you through the customer experience as we envision this. And please note that even though we're already experimenting with some of the solutions proposed here,
12:22
and nothing is said is certain. So any feedback that you might have is more than welcome. So let's get started. It all starts with a pod. And this is, as mentioned,
12:40
an environment that's owned by the user and it's where all the data lives, whether it's information provided by the user or data generated by interacting with a shop or a Surface. And we consider the pod as a tool for people to express themselves digitally. And in a need-to-be environment, this is key because unlike traditional marketplaces
13:05
and traditional commerce where it focuses on transactions, we focus on building relationships, which in the long run creates more value for both the merchant and the customer. And similar to relationships between humans, these relationships, they can start and they can grow
13:23
and sometimes they come to an end. So how do we engage in these relationships? Yep. Sorry, there seems to be a delay.
13:40
Yeah, apologies. So we started these relationships by connecting to a brand. And like when you meet a person in real life for the first time, you usually don't pour out your heart directly. Instead, you slowly engage and see what the other has to offer.
14:01
And here with brands, you want to first get to know the brands. But as there's little information at this point, and there's also little trust, we would like to give the user the opportunity to engage with the brands, but without revealing too much information
14:22
or any information at all. And one way that we are now trying to solve this is through feeds. A feed is a stream of information that a customer can subscribe to. And information can then be sent directly from the brand
14:40
to the product of the customer. And at this point, the customer or the visitor doesn't have to share any information. Unlike for example, with a newsletter video, if you subscribe to it, you have to already provide an email address. Let me go to the next step
15:01
because once you better know the brand, you might, you do might want to share some information in order to get a better service. Think for example, about sharing preferences or certain habits, but also interactions with other shops. For example, you can use information from previous purchases done at store A
15:23
to find complimentary products at store B. And this brings us to the next step, and that's personalization. Because from a brand's perspective, we also want to enable them to optimize experience with the information that a visitor is willing to share. And based on the level of trust,
15:41
customers will be more inclined to share more information. Of course, they have to understand that in return they get more value. And they have to know that they always seem in control over their data. And we foresee that this is how brands will compete with each other. So it will not be about who has the most data,
16:01
but it will become about who can best read the information that the customer brings to us. So, so far we've been talking about the one-on-one experience between brand and customer. But Meet2Be also enables interacting with multiple brands from a user controlled environment.
16:21
And my opinion, this is the most interesting part about this new scenario. So what does this look like? It starts with managing brands. Unlike what we are used to now, where our information lives with each individual shop and service we use, in this new situation,
16:41
the information is controlled in one's own environment. So you can see what information is shared with who. But you can also update your business and it can be shared across all brands from the single's attachment. For example, if you move to a new address, you only have to update it in your bot and it can be shared to all the connected brands.
17:08
But it also enables a new search experience. And we see two different search experience that can complement each other. And the first one is with the shop directly.
17:21
So similar as you would with shops today. The difference however is that now you can bring your own information and make it available or readable to the shop. And as this information is much richer experience, that experience can be much better. And the second experience is within the pot because as all brands connect to the user
17:42
in the central space, you can now make their catalogs searchable in this one place as well. And this should sound familiar because this is exactly what a marketplace like a marketplace like Amazon does. However, instead of having the marketplace acting as a middleman, the customer now becomes his own marketplace.
18:01
But in this marketplace, it only contains the brands that the user across and enjoys. And it allows for brands to still own the experience. And finally, as the user is always in control, the user can always decide to disconnect from a brand
18:22
and end the relationship. And that almost brings us to the end of this presentation because in the end it's all about creating value. And I hope that this presentation helped to understand
18:42
that how in this changing world where less data becomes available, that it will not automatically lead to a situation where we can create less experience and lesser experiences. I think it's rather the contrary if we embrace it much more will be possible than is possible today.
19:00
And as I said, in the end, it's all about creating value and need to be cannot succeed if the value it brings isn't greater than what is already out there today. So that's why we continue to explore these new possibilities. And we do this together with our partners and with clients because we see that by working together
19:21
we can best learn and understand how this really can be created. So as you might have said, we're very excited about this future. It's a future where privacy and decentralization are key, but in our opinion, they're never a goal in itself. These are merely concepts that help us
19:40
to create better user experiences and to create more value for our customers. And on that note, I would like to end this presentation. So are there any questions? Hi, Peter. Yeah, thank you for that presentation. It was really good. There was some chat on the side
20:00
and we have a couple of questions for you which I will ask you now. So the first one is the outstanding question is where would users data live? Storage is not free and local storage is limited to a particular device as a member. If an organization offers free storage for personal preferences,
20:22
I wonder if there are hidden interests now or in the future. And what do you think of that? Yeah, that's a good question. And it's indeed something that I left open this presentation because I think there are multiple answers to this.
20:41
And I think in the end, it's up to the user's preference on where this data can live. But one, because this is something that we've been thinking about a lot. As a customer, you're not used to pay for an account.
21:06
But I think there's a great opportunity in partnerships, for example, with banks, because they already, how do you say it, store your money.
21:21
So why couldn't they also store your data for you? And of course you trust, I suppose you trust your bank. So they could be an interesting party. It wouldn't be in their interest then to sell or reuse your data without your consent because yeah, then it hurts to trust that you have with them.
21:47
But as I said in the presentation, it can be, this is still open. It can be local storage. It can be on your phone, but yeah. So I'll just-
22:00
Okay, yeah. Great, let me read the next question for you. Are you suggesting that these pods act as a local storage on the cloud where each owner is the administrator? Does that make of the brands a kind of pod provider with less rights over these pods?
22:23
The brands, I think brands could be a provider, but not necessarily. Rather they are the ones that get access to the pods, but they don't need to be a provider themselves. They should be able to read these pods.
22:43
And this is also what we are building or are prototyping with, like giving the brands the tools to read the information from these pods without the need of storing the data themselves.
23:02
Okay, cool. And we have another question. Is what iOS 15 is doing with voice similar to this, running and resolving voice locally? Yeah, I think this is a very interesting development,
23:21
which is very much in line with the thinking behind Me2Be, where you don't just store the data in the pod, but you also process it and you only share the results with the other parts. So yeah, it's definitely in line with this thinking.
23:44
Okay, great. And we have another question. Do you see big tech providers, for example, Apple or Google turning into pod providers, creating their own shopping app in iOS and Android?
24:00
I think this is definitely a possibility that this will happen. I think looking at Apple and Google today, I think it's more in line with Apple's way of thinking and protecting the customer's data.
24:22
But I wouldn't be surprised if Google would also go into this kind of development. I don't know, I wouldn't exclude these options at all. It might be if you become a partner.
24:40
You never know, yeah. I guess, yeah, one question I had is, so if people want to follow in your footsteps and look into this stuff, do you have any recommendations for like resources or places to check out or people to get in contact with just where can people learn more about this kind of stuff?
25:01
Well, you can always contact me or company, but personally, or personally, at M3 we work a lot with Solids. It's open source, they have lots of great resources. They have every month, they have the solid worlds
25:20
where Tim Berners-Lee hosts a talk and they talk about latest developments. There's also the MyData organization, which has lots of great content and some white papers on this topic. Yeah, I have to look into this. So for the one who has a discussion,
25:42
just please send an email or, and I'm glad to help you with this. And we've had another question come through. So with more personalized search, also potentially comes tunnel bias. Have you thought about how you decrease this sort of bias?
26:03
You mean that's, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's a good question. I think that this is already happening as well in a conventional way of doing things.
26:26
But yeah, it's a good question. I have to think about it. One answer I think is that this approach allows the brands to,
26:42
each can interpret the data in their own way. So for example, you have two brands that sell shoes. They see the same information, but they can interpret it in a different way. So I think that's what, it's not a solution to this
27:01
because this is more like the tunnel bias from the customer's perspective. That's, yeah, no, good question. I have to think about it.