Interview with Mikołaj Krzemiński

“We change the pradigm of advertising from push to pull” An interview with Mikołaj Krzemiński, founder of the insbay application.

Mikołaj Krzemiński is a man who created a revolutionary solution for online shopping. As he says, the idea is old, but so far no one has figured it out. His application is called insbay and it is a mobile application where you can view inspiring interior arrangements, gardens and interesting lifestyle solutions and buy products from TV programs.

Entrepreneur – this is how I like to think about myself. A man who can make a lot of austerities to achieve success. A man who never gives up. Pragmatically, I could ask what connects successful people and there is only one denominator. Namely, that they never gave up, that they keep trying until they succeed. If not the door, then the window. If not a window, then a chimney. If not through the chimney, then through the basement and so on. After seven years of working on different solutions and pivots on three continents, can I think differently? I believe that I am closer than farther and that also drives me to action.

It is said that innovation in Poland is doing badly. A man will come up with something and then find it hard to get through? How did the insbay idea develop?

People are generally afraid of novelty. Everything new and different is frightening. I am not talking about solving the problems that we give our users, but with the implementation of technology and convincing partners that this is the way of innovation that should be taken, otherwise they will die. This direction was chosen by TVN Grupa Discovery (Discovery Inc in Poland)

However, our adventure began and first ideas appeared in 2014. At first it was a virtual wardrobe, then public virtual wardrobes, then second-hand, i.e., a platform where people could exchange clothes.

Working with influencers, we have noticed that viewers want to own the things that TV characters are wearing. The idea turned out to be successful. In 2019, we managed to start cooperation with the first tv series on Polish national television. Later, the project was carried out in South Korea and then Singapore. Due to COVID-19 we came back to Poland and started working on insbay.

When it comes to innovations on the Polish market, it is difficult to create something that will immediately catch on without much effort. Our market is quite specific in this respect. Fortunately, the problems of users, such as who is wearing what in their favorite series or what is the presenter wearing in a given program, is an international problem. And we respond to it.

What is insbay, does it have real competition in Poland and in the world?

insbay is an mobile app that is designed to facilitate the purchase of a product that was noticed while watching a TV program. Then there is no need to search for a given thing on your own in the browser, on a Facebook group or by writing directly to the program’s producers. insbay redirects you to a specific product on e-commerce website. Exactly the one used in the program, not something alike. There is nothing more frustrating than finding something similar.

The idea is very old, and many companies and startups have tried to address it. However, no one has managed to do so yet. Besides, neither do we! When we enter a dozen or so markets in the world, I will change my statement. However, real competition is yet to be seen as there are other brilliant ideas out there.

How is such app created?

Working together to get it all works out is multi-level and requires hard work and patience. Creating technology means thousands of hours of work, testing and managing errors, UX / UI creation, introducing the application to stores, uploading content, creating profiles, establishing cooperation and redirecting leads and finally executing the whole thing is just the beginning of the adventure.

We set up insbay app within 6 weeks, previously operating on the Korean market under the Clotify brand. It was a kind of a stretch that I would not like to repeat. Of course, 6 weeks was just the transfer and translation of the technology to the Polish market, uploading local content along with the new branding, which is insbay.

What does insbay shopping look like? How is it linked to what we watch on TV?

As I mentioned before, in the application we find products that we saw while watching TV programs. We enter a specific product that interests us. Then, after clicking “check the price”, the application redirects us to the product card on the website, where we can make a purchase by adding the product to the basket.

Now is the cooperation with Discovery Inc., and yet what are your further plans?

Currently, we have focused mainly on interiors and gardens. However, we want a lifestyle offer to appear in the app soon. Mainly cosmetics, accessories, and fashion. These are products that are extremely hard to brand on television. When a viewer sees FMCG products or electronics, he can easily determine what it is. When it comes to interior design, landscape architecture or fashion, it is only exceedingly difficult. However, with cosmetics, it is impossible, because how to recognize make-up on a lady? We want to change that and be the link between TV and shopping, the link that has been missing so far. Enrich the offer for advertisers who have not been able to advertise in any other way than a very invasive way for the viewer.

insbay acts on the viewer through inspiration and interest, and then gives them the opportunity to realize and acquire as wanted, right now at this very moment. This is how we change the pradigm of advertising from push to pull.

Can insbay work with media other than tv?

We once did a music video with the rising Polish pop star Saszan. In the video on the YouTube one can see while Saszan is checking a mobile app for her own stylizations from the very set. So the app showed what she was wearing while she was wearing it. It was 2018. It was still ahead of Polish national television proof of concept when we tested various solutions. To answer your question, insbay technology can be used in any video format.

Do you think the time of the epidemic is really the best thing that could happen to the e-commerce industry?

The time of the epidemic undoubtedly helped us. It was the very beginning of insbay. Since we were somewhat limited by restrictions, such as closing stores and switching to remote work, we began to introduce changes in our home environment and make more purchases via the Internet. We have recorded over 30K app downloads on the HGTV thematic channel within 10 weeks. The HGTV Poland had 0,577% SHR in September 2020 (Nielsen Audience Measurement) and Poland has 35M people. Users benefit from inspiration in the app. Seeing how the product was used, in what arrangement it was presented, they want to use it similarly in their own home.

We can calculate customer engagement very accurately. It turns out that on average we attract our users for 36 minutes with content from a given program. No linear advertisement keeps the viewer engaged for so long.

About insbay application:

insbay is a mobile application where you can browse inspiring interior arrangements, gardens and interesting lifestyle solutions and buy products from TV programs.

insbay debuted in Poland on October 10, 2020. The autumn schedule in the application offered the possibility to view and purchase products from four local HGTV formats. In spring 2021, on insbay there are 11 TV formats and 90 episodes so far.

It is a solution for fans of lifestyle programs who are looking for inspiration and interesting products used in TV productions.

The application is free, available for iOS and Android platforms and can be downloaded from GooglePlay and AppStore stores.