Founded in 2023, Whilter.ai is a technology company focused on business-to-consumer (B2C) solutions, helping brands transform how they communicate with consumers, traditionally dominated by text and email.
Just as it's easy to create personalized SMS, WhatsApp, or email campaigns where each recipient receives a customized message, Whilter.ai aims to extend this level of personalization to video content.
The company leverages AI and advanced technology to enable brands to deliver customized videos that increase engagement and foster meaningful connections with their audiences.
Co-founders Pankaj Arora and Prashant Yadav, along with their team, primarily focus on various use cases involving first-party data for brands, including up-selling, cross-selling, renewals, retention, loyalty, customer satisfaction etc.
Comparing interactive video content to text and still images
Whilter.ai has worked with several brands including Myntra, Domino's, Royal Enfield, Maruti Suzuki and MotoGP Bharat to reach their target audience using video content. Yadav said that customer decisions while purchasing a product or service are often impulsive, subjective or personal rather than objective.
Talking about the importance of videos, he also said that videos help people make faster and better decisions and impact not just their cognitive centres but their entire existence.
“Video makes your voice and choices heard and the digital revolution makes you feel like you're part of a community and a bigger world. For brands, video prioritizes the consumer experience over product and price, so having an interaction that builds multiple threads of connection with the customer helps them see more products and make decisions faster,” he explains.
Video content – meaningful or flashy?
As video content becomes more important, there are growing concerns that brands will prioritize flashy visuals over substantive, meaningful engagement. While video can grab attention and convey information quickly, questions arise as to whether it lacks the depth and nuance often found in in-depth, text-based content.
As long as brands are mindful of conveying their brand message in a specific and more contextual way, the trigger will shift to more useful information, Arora said, adding that if the video is highly customized or personalized, that's what people will pay attention to.
He illustrated this statement with the example of a campaign the company ran with Myntra, which featured personalized video messages from fashion content creators. When users browsed the platform, added products to their cart but left without purchasing, the videos were displayed. The videos were specially customized for the user, suggesting that their choice was a great choice and encouraging them to complete the purchase.
“Whenever there is a video call, it grabs attention. That's what was wanted and that's why brands ran campaigns. Will the same thing happen with text? No. Also, they have to be more careful about the frequency of these campaigns. Consumers shouldn't be bombarded with all kinds of messages,” Arora said.
Yadav emphasized that hyper-customizing something makes it relevant to consumers. If someone is looking for travel upgrade options and a relevant brand suggests a taxi near the airport or a flight to board, they'll be happy to make the purchase. But if that consumer is asked to invest in the Chinese economy, something they don't know about, they'll get annoyed and view the message as spam.
“Hyper-customizing something is not just about its relevance to the individual, but also at the right moment and stage. This approach addresses the challenge of adding value rather than being perceived as spam. Currently, email and TV are saturated and social media is also approaching saturation. But the inbox, especially the WhatsApp inbox, shows high engagement. There may come a day when this channel too will be saturated, but I am convinced that new channels will emerge to reach us,” he asserts.
Arora said the company understands the importance of the system since it deals with personal data. The company takes care of every description at various levels to ensure that personalized data is handled appropriately.
“We see ourselves not just as a technology company, but as 'CreaTech' innovators, fusing creativity and technology through the ethical use of AI,” he added.
A year after launch, the company is now focused on positioning itself as a communications and experience partner to brands, rather than just providing feature-based solutions.
The company works with all available players, including developers, creatives, business service providers, communication solution providers, and advertising and marketing agencies.
