MarTech Interview with Zhenbin Xu, Chief Product Officer @ Pacvue

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Zhenbin Xu, Chief Product Officer at Pacvue chats about the latest digital commerce trends and technologies driving shifts in the industry:

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Tell us about yourself, Zhenbin and a little about Pacvue. How has the platform evolved over the years?

I am the Chief Product Officer at Pacvue, where I head the R&D team. My background is in technology, product management and AI. I’ve dedicated my career to developing solutions that drive business growth and efficiency. Prior to Pacvue, I was senior director of AI and research at Microsoft, where I had been since the late 90’s. My passion lies in creating products that not only meet market needs but also anticipate future trends.

Pacvue is a global commerce acceleration platform that empowers brands, sellers, and agencies to win on Amazon, Walmart, and other marketplaces. Since its inception, Pacvue has evolved significantly, expanding our suite of tools to include advanced advertising automation, retail analytics, and competitive intelligence. We’ve leveraged AI and machine learning to enhance our platform’s capabilities, allowing our clients to make data-driven decisions with greater precision and speed.

Over the years, our platform has transformed from a focus on basic advertising solutions to a comprehensive suite that covers the entire spectrum of eCommerce needs. This evolution is driven by our commitment to innovation and our deep understanding of the dynamic eCommerce landscape. Our goal is to provide a one-stop solution that helps our clients optimize their online presence, maximize ROI, and stay ahead in a competitive market.

We’d love the top highlights on Pacvue’s latest AI enhancements and how they enable end users?

Pacvue’s latest AI innovations are aimed at bringing together siloed data sources and improving team efficiency and the resulting cost savings, as well as the ability to manage the complexities of the industry with consistent manual intervention. Our newest AI integrations include:

• Pacvue Copilot: Pacvue’s AI commerce companion follows advertisers through the Pacvue platform to provide real-time analysis, simplified reporting and streamlined workflows. Advertisers can use natural language prompts to quickly pull insights, gain intelligent recommendations based on campaign goals and seamlessly leverage and execute with our full suite of automation tools.
• Pacvue Generative Content: In addition to generative item listings, the new tool enables product image generation using advanced AI technology. This allows effortless creation, customization and fine-tuning of high-quality brand-aligned product images.
• Pacvue AI Review: Using AI-powered analysis, Pacvue AI Review shows how a product ranks against its competition. Brands and agencies can use Pacvue AI Review to understand the distribution of positive and negative reviews for any product. The tool makes it easy to identify customer trends for similar products ahead of activation.
• Pacvue AI Insights: Pacvue has integrated AI into its measurement and reporting capabilities to generate insights when they are needed most. For example, it can generate insights from Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) query results with intelligent guidance on what next steps should be taken. Pacvue customers can use this tool to uncover nuanced patterns, allowing for dynamic strategies and improved performance, without the need for manual analysis.

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What would you comment about today’s state of digital commerce and the trends and technologies driving change here?

Today’s world of commerce is experiencing a cascade of radical technological advances not so unlike those that followed the release of the iPhone – emerging technologies are giving us all new ways to use the internet and new ways to use information to improve how we connect, how we shop, how we work and how we care for each other. Commerce is about to connect the dots better than ever before, and we are all part of that. I want, and everyone at Pacvue wants to drive the innovations that create truly connected commerce, and ultimately create a shopping experience where consumers feel more heard, more seen and more connected.

Why are AI powered assistants and AI powered commerce platforms now gaining more attention: what challenges do you often see B2B teams make when implementing and deploying new AI tools?

Our ability to experience the world is based on how we process information. AI has the ability to ramp up our ability to process information and derive insights. AI-powered assistants have the potential to be that Jiminy Cricket on any marketer’s shoulder – helping them process all the inputs and make wise decisions across their entire digital shelf.

With regard to the challenges faced, I’d have to say that first and foremost, deploying AI generally puts a spotlight on the weaknesses of your data. The insights you derive can only be valuable if they are based on sound, well-structured data assets. What many marketers are learning right now is that  zero and first party data needs to be mindfully collected, protected and maintained in order to be a foundation for good AI. They are also learning how to tap into data collaborations in order to drive transformative insights.

Next, I’d say that lack of imagination is the second big challenge to tackle. Yes, AI needs guard rails – but that’s no reason not to think big when creating a data plan for your organization. We don’t have to give AI free reign, but having it by your side as a tool should multiply your possibilities and your return on investment.

For B2B teams still at nascent stages of implementing new age AI to power their commerce cycles: what top tips come to mind?

First, pay attention to the startups deploying AI for your industry or space – if you know who the leading tech companies and platforms are, you can stay ahead on the adoption curve.

Look for copilots in the tech solutions you employ, they are going to become the hallmark feature of a truly valuable AI enabled solution.

Understand the different types of AI (predictive, generative, etc) and take the time to understand the data these models are built on. You owe it to your brand to do your due diligence to protect yourself and your customers from the repercussions of bad decision-making based on bad data.

Finally, pay attention to how AI impacts your industry and be open to it. You can’t stop it. And you will be left behind. Semantic search is a perfect example of this. Companies that recognize its role and value and adjust their activations accordingly are going to benefit. Those that resist will simply get left behind.

If you had to comment on the future of AI and digital commerce: what would you leave our audience with before we wrap up?

The future of AI and digital commerce is incredibly promising. We’re on the brink of an era where AI, particularly generative AI and large language models, will revolutionize how businesses operate. These technologies will enable hyper-personalized customer experiences, automate complex tasks, and provide deeper, real-time insights. As AI continues to evolve, it will not only enhance efficiency but also unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth in digital commerce. Embracing these advancements will be crucial for businesses to stay competitive and meet the ever-changing demands of the market.

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