Summary of Key Points
Trooly.AI is an AI-based deep-interview platform that has been in operation for less than a year. Its founder shifted from developing C-side (consumer-facing) AI companionship products to B-side (business-oriented) solutions, aiming to address the inefficiency in communication between brands and their users. By utilizing AI technology, Trooly.AI eliminates users' defensive barriers and explores the underlying motivations behind their purchasing behaviors—such as personal experiences and emotions—helping brands, especially those expanding overseas, gain a precise understanding of consumer needs. To date, the platform has conducted 13,000 interviews, with 70% of its clients coming from the cross-border market. It has raised funds in three rounds, and investors recognize the value of its approach in solving the real problem of brands not being able to hear the genuine voices of their users.
1. The Business Turnaround: From “AI Chatting Companion” to “Helping Brands Listen to Users” – Why the Change?
The founder previously developed C-side AI products that received 3,000 user feedbacks daily, which could be quickly analyzed and used for product iteration with the help of interns. However, after interviewing product managers and entrepreneurs from platforms like REDnote, they realized that many small companies didn’t even have access to user feedback, let alone use it to improve their products. Therefore, they decided to focus on addressing the issue of providing users’ voices—using AI to help brands connect with their target audience and encourage them to speak honestly. Given the team’s expertise in AI interactions (they have been researching how to make users open up to AI since 2023) and their experience in conducting interviews, they decided to create an AI user research platform.
2. The Power of AI Interviews: Encouraging Users to Speak Honestly
When facing human interviewers, people often feel social pressure and fear that sharing their true feelings might affect their image. AI, on the other hand, doesn’t have this issue:
- No Judgment: AI does not evaluate users’ statements, allowing them to share sensitive information freely (e.g., about a gift from a deceased father or childhood traumas).
- Multimodal Capture: Cameras capture facial expressions, and ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) identifies dialects, enabling a more accurate understanding of emotions. AI can even better determine when additional questions are needed.
- Avoiding Fake Respondents: Models are used to filter out fake users who are only interested in receiving compensation, ensuring the authenticity of the interviews.
For example, a user might give a 1-star rating but provide a lengthy explanation, mentioning that the 1 star was associated with a crying face and that they cried during the conversation—a type of genuine emotion that is difficult to obtain through human interviews.
3. Interviews Are Not About Verifying Facts: They’re Like “Cave Explorations” to Dig Deep
Traditional surveys are like group tours, where questions follow a fixed format, leading to superficial responses (e.g., “What color do you like?”). Trooly.AI’s interviews are more like “cave explorations”:
- Open-Minded Approach: No preconceived answers; the conversation is guided by the user’s responses, with follow-up questions based on what they say (e.g., if a user mentions a gift from their father, the interviewer might ask, “How did that gift influence your choices?”).
- Exploring Underlying Reasons: For instance, whether a user buys luxury goods may be related to unmet needs in their childhood. If a clothing brand wants to understand users’ wardrobe habits, Trooly.AI asks them to record a Vlog, providing more detailed information than traditional surveys (which would require on-site visits in the early morning).
As a result, users often talk for longer than expected (interviews sometimes last from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours), and they even ask if they can have another conversation.
4. A Essential Tool for Overseas Brands: Breaking Down Cultural Barriers
70% of Trooly.AI’s clients are cross-border brands in industries such as consumer electronics, fast fashion, and gaming. Their biggest challenge is understanding the real habits of overseas consumers:
- For example, French users prefer to touch products before making a purchase, but AI interviews help brands quickly identify this need and adjust their sales strategies (e.g., by opening physical stores).
- Beauty brands want to know about users’ morning makeup routines; using Vlogs recorded by users provides 10 times more accurate information than traditional surveys.
AI interviews solve the problem of cross-cultural research: there’s no need to send people overseas, as users can record videos on their phones without any resistance.
5. Why Do Investors Show Interest? – Solving Real Problems + A Reliable Team
Investors are attracted by these factors:
- Solving a Real Problem: Brands have long wanted to hear users’ honest opinions, but traditional research methods are slow, expensive, and unreliable. Trooly.AI uses AI to efficiently address this issue.
- Strong Team Execution: The team has conducted 13,000 interviews in less than a year and responds quickly to clients’ needs (e.g., providing results for a French market study within two days).
- Right Philosophy: They believe that AI is just a tool; the ultimate goal is to serve real users, which aligns with fundamental business principles (whoever serves users better wins).
In the founder’s words: “AI is the means; talent is the end goal.” This philosophy is also recognized by investors as a long-term value.
In One Sentence
Trooly.AI uses AI as a “translator” to help brands understand their users’ true feelings, especially for overseas companies, enabling them to grasp the real needs of their global customers. This is the reason behind its rapid success.