Started Yaw AI 6 months ago to help people make better purchasing decisions. The system now analyzes millions of product reviews and finds alternatives in real-time. Happy to share technical details, user insights, or anything else.
Quick stats:
- 15K+ active users
- Processing 2M+ reviews monthly
- 4.8/5 Chrome store rating
- $8,400 MRR
Most interesting technical challenge: Product similarity matching. Training an AI to understand that two visually different products serve the same function is surprisingly complex.
Weirdest user behavior discovery: 23% of users find a cheaper alternative but still buy the original expensive item. Analysis suggests it's about brand confidence vs saving money.
Consumer psychology insights:
People don't read reviews, they scan them
- Average time spent reading: 12 seconds
- Focus on star ratings and negative review summaries
- Skip positive reviews almost entirely
Price anchoring is incredibly strong
- Users shown a $200 "sale" price for $300 item rate it higher than identical $150 regular-price item
- Discount percentages matter more than absolute savings
Brand loyalty overrides logic
- Users will pay 40%+ premium for familiar brands
- But will try unknown brands if savings exceed 60%
Questions I get most:
- "How does the AI avoid suggesting random products?" (Semantic similarity models + user feedback loops)
- "Why do you sometimes recommend more expensive alternatives?" (Quality/durability scores from review analysis)
- "How do you make money without affiliate links?" (Freemium SaaS model)
Biggest surprise: The system finds better products, not just cheaper ones. Users discover higher-quality alternatives they never would have considered.
Current limitations:
- Struggles with very new products (no reviews to analyze)
- Cultural context in reviews can confuse the AI
- Works better for objective products vs subjective ones (tools vs art)
What's next: Mobile app, integration with price tracking, partnerships with sustainable brands.
Ask me anything about AI in e-commerce, consumer behavior patterns, or building shopping tools!
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