The biggest challenge for “IRL” will be the event recommendation algorithm
As the coronavirus spreads further in the United States, local lifestyle products will be forced to change their positioning to meet the needs of users in the home scene. “IRL” is an online schedule app established in 2017. The main users are aged 13 to 25. The company’s headquarters is located in Silicon Valley, USA. By April 2020, it has completed a total of 2 US $ 11 million in financing. , Currently ranked first in downloads of similar apps in the Apple App Store.
During the epidemic, “IRL” redesigned the content of the “Discovery” page, focusing on recommending virtual activities that people can participate in at home, such as games, podcasts, television and education, and music, food, lifestyle and more. Each event can be added to a calendar synced with Google Cal, allowing sharing to Instagram Story or other social applications.
In sports, “IRL” recommends exercise, meditation, and other sports programs. The APP supports private event mode and invite friend mode. By setting, you can invite people to participate in calendar events together. If the schedule is temporarily ambiguous, sponsors and participants can collaborate remotely to plan events.
From a technical perspective, the biggest challenge facing “IRL” will be the event recommendation algorithm. In the past, the indicators considered by the algorithm include: event distance, how much it cost, and so on; but as the recommended activities transition to remote, global events are now available for everyone, and because most events are free, the “IRL” algorithm design needs Becomes more complicated. The current “IRL” algorithm is recommended based on the proportion of time users spend on their home screens. The company plans to further enhance the understanding of user interests, such as working with Spotify to obtain data on music products.
In terms of monetization, the revenue source of “IRL” is mainly through the application to sell event tickets, or to collect promotional fees from local enterprises. However, “IRL” is currently establishing a deeper connection with event and content publishers, and the company’s product owner believes that providing an app for free to businesses can quickly enrich the app ecosystem.
The founder of the company said, “The concept of online schedules must have a long life. Although it takes some time to educate the market,” IRL “will continue to promote the popularization of products. Facebook launched an independent calendar application, Events, in 2016, but later weakened the calendar function and integrated it with food recommendation functions. We have patient investors, so we have the confidence to do long-term cultivation. “