What Does It Take to Profit in Ecommerce? – Interview With Startups of the Year Nominee, Mason

Hey Hackers,

We’re excited that Mason, our Bangalore-Toronto-Palo Alto hybrid is nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startup of the Year awards!

Do show some love: https://hackernoon.com/startups/asia/asia-bangalore-ka-india

Quick context: Mason is an AI-powered Shopping Engine. Started by Barada Sahu, a seasoned founder who exited his last startup to the Walmart group, mason’s AI-powered solutions are reshaping the future of commerce. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re backed by a marquee VC like Accel, raising $7.5Mn in seed just last year, and today powering more than 1000+ global customers.

So let’s dive in under the hood & see what makes Mason tick!

Meet mason

If you’re like me you’ve often wondered, “What does it take to make money off an e-commerce brand?”

For context, eCommerce is a $16Tr industry. And yet, even today, 98 out of every 100 shoppers drop off online stores without buying. Even though it’s getting easier to sell online, growth is still a big challenge.

That’s where mason is transforming the game. From dynamic product bundles to hyper-personal cart recovery, mason powers online shopping for global online brands.

✅ Engaging shoppers with generative fit-finders, deal hunters, and more

✅ Knowing what shoppers want, like, need - and exactly when

✅ Boosting sales at every touchpoint with real-time personalized drops across channels

My Role

I’m Riya, and I lead community building at Mason. From the day I joined, I dived into getting our product out to the warm & supportive worldwide community of product builders - leading our product hunt launch and subsequent Golden Kitty win in 2021, growing our AI+commerce podcast Shelf, and more.

Personally, I love being at the confluence of people, products & brands :)

How We're Disrupting/Improving the AI/ML Industry

Tiktokification of Commerce & Mason’s AI Shopping Engine

Online commerce is rapidly evolving into “instant commerce.” From TikTok to Instagram, we’re shopping when we see it.

This rapid shift from Search based shopping to Discovery based shopping is possible today because of AI. With AI, one can predict shopper behavior AND generate engaging experiences on the fly to convert that shopper at any point of inspiration.

💡 Mason has emerged from this insight. Using predictive & generative models, mason can help shoppers buy anywhere, anytime - becoming a true Shopping Copilot working with eCommerce Founders.

AI is often touted as a big enabler. With Copilots, that promise jumps 100x by giving one single individual the power of 100 people. Over the next year, we’re going to launch the Shopping Copilot platform for other enablers & product builders so that they can also create solutions to power the 100x eCommerce Founder.

Standing Out from The Crowd

Commerce is all about the Shopper.

But today’s shopper is omni channel, shopping anytime, anywhere.

Mason’s predictive model helps understand shopper behavior and engagement patterns across today’s complex buying funnel. Then it predicts what will make the shopper buy at that moment in time.

Now -it’s one thing to know what will make the shopper buy, and a whole different game to now create the right experience on the fly and deliver it to the right shopper at the right channel, isn’t it?

That’s where mason’s industry-specific generative engines come into play. With strong generative capabilities & AI-powered pricing and upsell models, mason makes end-to-end realtime shopping a reality for brands.

This power is what experts in the commerce industry are about →

Our Predictions/Thoughts on the AI Industry in 2023

What major events do you think have shaped or will shape the industry in 2023 and 2024?

Today work is divided into specialized tasks because tools are specialized. However, AI agents serve as a bridge, providing a unified Natural Language Interface and the ability to comprehend, execute, and even create their own tools. This untapped potential of Agents presents an extraordinary opportunity for the software ecosystem as we know it.

How has ChatGPT affected the industry?

eCommerce is a lot about communication & experiences. Chat GPT is a game-changer for e-commerce marketers.

However, the future has to be about interactivity, experience, and discovery powered by AI and not just textual content —since these levers play a major role in the creation of delightful and engaging shopping experiences.

What jobs will AI take first in the next 5 years?

What industry can AI help/improve the most right now?

AI’s reach is world-changing. But if you step back and look at what powers the world economy - it is founders & entrepreneurs.

When entrepreneurs succeed, it leads to -

✔ better distribution of power & resources

✔ profound positive impact on communities

✔ a culture of creating positive change

So when you look at what application of AI will have the largest impact, it is when AI is applied to making entrepreneurs & founders successful.

How reliant is AI development on training data in 2023?

What should people in the AI industry be most worried about in 2023 and beyond?]

In 2023 and beyond, the impact of AI on the future of the planet is most important to keep in mind. How do we constantly ensure that the AI we build does not inherit our biases or baggages and is as ethical & accountable as the best of humanity -or even better?

How reliant is AI development on training data in 2023?

General-purpose AI is not helpful for anyone. Hence the right data is more important than more data - specifically if you want to keep it as unbiased as possible.

One word defines the state of AI in 2023?

Pivotal

Why we decided to participate in HackerNoon's Startup of the Year awards

Winning or even being nominated for an esteemed award by Hackernoon is a testament to the team’s efforts in building a valuable product for the community.

In just about 2 years of operations, Mason’s AI shopping engine has powered 10,000+ eCommerce brands & 1000+ customers worldwide to run profitable stores- and it’s a significant milestone for us.

From winning Product Hunt Golden Kitty in 2021 to being featured by Forbes, and TechCrunch in 2021 & now Axios, Mason has also been globally recognized (..and loved) by the AI & tech community.

Our rapid growth is a clear indicator of the surging interest and demand we have garnered over the last few months. We're stoked to join the HackerNoon community and share our journey and future achievements with all of you!

Final Thoughts

The future of shopping is realtime, engaging, and fun. At mason, the team is building out this future with generative experiences for every shopper, no matter where they are.

And that’s not all - they’re geared to open up this powerful platform for other building to build on top on. Imagine a world of experts building better AI software for the 100x entrepreneur!

Exciting, isn’t it?

So join in this future - and build the Copilot for Founders with Mason!