A new era of business

The founders of the software company Sparkbox were convinced early on of the potential of AI – for retail and for all types of companies.

In 2018, Lindsay Fisher, Matt Wong and Kevin Blackmore founded Sparkbox, which is now trusted by global brands such as New Balance and River Island. However, Wong’s journey into the industry began back in 2015. As a retail consultant, he worked on projects related to pricing, inventory management and stock allocation. As his job evolved into a more technical role, he realised that the methods for creating demand forecasts and developing trend predictions were quite primitive and wondered how technology could improve these processes.

When Sparkbox launched, AI was still an emerging technology. Wong and his colleagues saw it as a unique opportunity to help retail teams plan their inventory management processes. However, it would be several years before AI became an integral part of Sparkbox’s business.

Galaxy AI enables Wong to use AI in everyday life

The introduction of Galaxy AI has accelerated the transition to using AI in Wong’s normal work routine. “Considering that Sparkbox specializes in machine learning and AI solutions for our clients, it’s surprising that it took us this long to introduce AI internally,” said Wong. “When we founded Sparkbox, we mainly used machine learning for our clients, but we hardly used AI internally as it was still relatively niche. As I became more familiar with Galaxy AI, I realized how my Galaxy Z Fold device could help me manage my daily routine and also my work schedule.”

For Wong, AI helps overcome some of the operational challenges that come with managing a small team with big ambitions.

“We are constantly refining our product offering, so we have to hold a lot of meetings with employees, partners and customers,” he said. “This used to be a big problem because it was so time-consuming to take minutes before compiling the notes for distribution. Now, with Transcript Assist, I can be more productive, especially when it comes to transcribing and summarizing meetings.¹“

Transcript Assist helps the Sparkbox team be even more organized and coordinated by capturing “every actionable point automatically and in real time,” Wong said.

From software to hardware, Samsung devices are the perfect solution for busy entrepreneurs

Wong serves as Sparkbox’s chief technology officer, which means he needs to stay on top of new research and technology offerings. Browsing Assist¹ is a remarkable time saver for this aspect of his role.

“Browsing Assist is great because it gives me a clear summary in a few simple bullet points. Now I don’t have to waste time browsing through tons of web pages; I get all the information I need in less than a paragraph,” Wong said. When he’s looking for new programming libraries or frameworks that the team might adopt, Browsing Assist’s summary helps him decide if it’s worth reading on.

Like many small business founders, Wong alternates between working from home and working in the office – in his case, that means splitting his time between Southampton and London. While he normally works on his computer, he found the Galaxy Z Fold’s three-sided Multi Window screen perfect for working on the go.

“I didn’t initially expect the multi-window functionality to be of much use to me, but it’s super helpful to have three windows open at once so I can multitask without having to constantly switch between apps,” Wong said.

AI technology has really optimized my everyday life

The Fold’s taskbar can hold up to eight apps at once, and the four most recently used apps remain active, so you can easily switch between the apps you use most often.

“There are many tasks I no longer need to do on the computer because I can easily do them on the Fold. For example, if I’m downstairs in the office and a colleague asks me a question, I don’t have to run back upstairs to my computer to find the answer in one of our databases. The screen is big enough for me to do smaller tasks, and I can even copy content from one side of the screen to the other, which is great.” Wong is also a big fan of the S Pen² for taking quick notes and easily dragging and dropping content between your phone’s windows.

“Crucial” technology for companies

From implementing AI solutions for her retail clients to rolling out Galaxy AI internally at Sparkbox, Wong is a champion of artificial intelligence and its ability to transform the way we work.

“AI technology has really streamlined my daily life,” said Wong. “It helps me do routine tasks that I don’t want to do, don’t have the time for, or don’t have the skills to do. Plus, AI usually does those tasks better than I could otherwise!”

Wong advocates for greater use of AI in retail and expects that entire systems will eventually be developed and operated based on AI.

“I think AI is a necessity at our current point; it’s almost existential at this point. Sparkbox recognized the potential of AI early on, and as a founder, Galaxy AI continues to prove to me how important the technology is in streamlining business processes.”

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This post was created by Insider Studios with Samsung.

¹ Samsung account sign in required. Network connection required.

² S Pen sold separately.