Meet the inspiring and successful Blair Du, a member of our BWB Community. Blair is the founder of Koala View (koalaview.com.au), working at the intersection of commercial decision-making and technology, with a focus on how businesses can improve outcomes through better customer experiences.
Her background in business banking, advising business owners on capital structure and risk within evolving commercial environments, shaped a commercially grounded perspective that extends beyond transactions to broader strategic outcomes.
With a CPA background, Blair brings a structured, analytical approach to interpreting financial performance, cash flow, and risk within real commercial contexts.
Her leadership experience as Treasurer at Abundant Water has further strengthened her commercial judgement and strategic thinking, shaping an approach that looks beyond individual transactions to the broader direction of a business.
We recently enjoyed interviewing her.
Q. Your career moved from business banking and capital advisory to working at the intersection of commerce and technology. What was the turning point that drew you toward customer experience and tech-driven solutions?
A. The turning point came from spending years speaking with business owners across different industries.
Whether I was reviewing financial statements, discussing growth plans, or helping businesses access capital, I kept hearing the same challenge: “How do we grow revenue sustainably?”
What became increasingly clear was that many businesses were spending more to acquire customers, yet a significant portion of those customers never completed a purchase. The issue wasn’t always product quality or traffic volume. Often, customers simply lacked the confidence to make a decision.
That observation led me to become fascinated by customer experience. I started exploring how technology, particularly AI, could reduce uncertainty and help customers make decisions with greater confidence.
KoalaView was born from that idea: using AI to bridge the gap between customer interest and customer action.
Q. How does your accounting and financial analysis background shape the way you approach customer experience? Do you think most businesses undervalue the financial case for investing in CX?
A. My financial background has probably made me more disciplined in how I think about customer experience.
A lot of businesses view CX as a branding initiative or a marketing expense. I tend to see it as a revenue and efficiency lever.
When I look at customer experience, I’m asking questions such as:
Does it improve conversion rates?
Does it increase average order value?
Does it reduce customer acquisition costs over time?
Does it improve customer lifetime value?
Those are ultimately financial outcomes.
I do think many businesses still underestimate the financial impact of CX because the benefits are often spread across multiple metrics. But when customers feel more confident, they buy faster, buy more frequently, and return more often. The financial impact can be significant.
In my view, great customer experience isn’t just good service, it’s a growth strategy.
Q. What gap in the market did you identify that led you to found Koala View, and what problem are you most passionate about solving for your clients?
The gap was surprisingly simple.
Online shopping gives customers access to endless products, but it doesn’t always help them answer the most important question:
“How will this look in my life?”
For furniture, that might be:
“Will this sofa actually suit my living room?”
For fashion:
“Will this outfit suit me?”
For homewares:
“Will this fit the style I’m trying to create?”
Traditional product photos are excellent at showing the product, but they’re often not enough to help customers imagine ownership.
At KoalaView, we’re helping retailers solve that visualization gap. By combining a customer’s real room photo or personal image with the retailer’s product catalogue, we generate personalised visuals that help customers picture the product in their own context.
The problem I’m most passionate about solving is reducing purchase hesitation. When customers can confidently visualise a product becoming part of their lives, better purchasing decisions naturally follow.
Q. As Treasurer at Abundant Water, you have applied your commercial thinking to a purpose-driven organisation. How has that experience influenced your perspective on what “good business” really looks like?
A. That experience reinforced a lesson that I think applies to both nonprofits and commercial organisations.
Good business isn’t just about generating revenue. It’s about creating value that is sustainable and meaningful.
At Abundant Water, every financial decision ultimately came back to impact. Resources were limited, so every dollar had to be allocated thoughtfully. That discipline taught me that success isn’t measured solely by financial performance, but by whether you’re creating outcomes that genuinely matter to people.
It also showed me that purpose and commercial thinking aren’t opposites. In fact, the strongest organisations often combine both.
For me, good business means building something that creates value for customers, supports stakeholders, operates responsibly, and remains financially sustainable over the long term.
When those elements are aligned, businesses don’t just grow, they endure.
Business With Balance 