A Nuneaton start-up harnessing the power of AI could transform how easily e-commerce businesses can analyse sales and marketing data with the release of its new software.
Founded by David Patrykowski, Backona has developed tools that allow users to easily interact with their marketing data, request custom charts and diagrams directly from Google Analytics software, and harness the power of AI for insightful analysis and strategic decision-making.
With the support of the business support program “Business Ready,” the company received valuable assistance in obtaining accurate feedback from customers and communicating suggestions during the product development stage, and is scheduled to launch the product next month.
David founded Backona after taking the time to comb through data about his business practices, finding the right solutions, and saving his previous company from bankruptcy.
He said: “Google Analytics is used by many e-commerce businesses to understand sales and other data, but it can be a difficult piece of software to use, depending on what you’re trying to get out of it.
“With our system, you can ask a question like, 'What was my revenue last year?' and get an answer right away. You can also ask to see data like, 'Can I see this data in a bar graph?' and it will show you within seconds.”
“AI can also be used to predict what a business should do next to maximize a particular metric, like revenue or click-throughs, based on the data it has already collected.
“Unlike other AI systems that typically rely on generic data sources, our system excels by allowing users to directly interact with their own data. This unique capability ensures more accurate and customized insights, minimizing bias while providing business owners with valuable guidance on their next strategic moves.”
“The software is currently in beta to a select group and is undergoing rigorous testing by a team of 10 people. The goal is to expand this user base to 50 by the end of May, with a formal release in July.”
“Truly understanding an organization's data allows for more informed decision-making, which is something I experienced in my previous business, and I hope that once Backona is released, it will enable many other companies to do the same.”
Steve Tipson, a business support adviser from Business Ready, advised David on his previous business and continued to mentor him after he began developing Backona.
He said: “We've been helping David take the right steps to ensure Backona is all set to be successful at launch, including figuring out how much testing should be done up front and making sure the marketing plan is clear.”
“Real-world testing is essential to developing a working product, so we helped David build a strategy for getting real customer feedback on Backona, rather than guessing what customers might want from software.
“I introduced David to several people in my network who were happy to be Buckna’s guinea pigs, and I was able to use their feedback to help me fine-tune the product and Buckna’s pitch to potential investors.”
Councillor Martin Watson, Warwickshire County Council's member for the economy, said: “I am pleased that the Business Ready programme has been able to support Buckna in this stage of its development.
“Supporting Warwickshire businesses is a key priority and the Business Ready programme will enable us to provide businesses that need support with free tailored advice, expertise, business workshops and more to help them grow and develop.”
