I Was Ready to Buy. Then the Search Got in the Way ðŸ§
How AI is Transforming Product Discovery and Boosting Conversions
So, I was looking for a knit shirt. I visited my favorite brands, but they didn’t have it. I Googled it, and by then, my Instagram was flooded with ads, I followed. I ended up checking out about 20 different brands and spent almost two hours, but end up buying nothing.
Finding the shirt I wanted wasn’t as straightforward as I thought. Sometimes my size wasn’t available, other times there were no color options. A few times, I landed on generic collection pages that didn’t even feature the shirt I was looking for.
With the brands that had large collections, the search didn’t help, and the filters didn’t make it any easier. It felt like I was wasting time just trying to find a shirt.
Being a DTC marketer, I got curious and decided to check out if others are facing similar issues or experiences. Turns out, I'm not the only one frustrated.
(read this and many other threads on reddit, X and other similar forums).
If so many people are searching for products and still frustrated, what’s the real issue? I realized…
It’s Not About The Product — It’s About The on site Discovery
The problem wasn’t product availability. It wasn’t about brand discovery either. The real issue was product discovery and the on-site experience. So, I did some research and found that I wasn’t alone in this.
In fact 69% of online shoppers go straight to the search bar on ecommerce sites, but 80% leave due to a poor experience.
So how are brands solving this?
Once I started thinking about how tricky product discovery can be, I began looking for brands that are already ahead of the curve and checking out how AI is helping solve this problem. Some of these brands are actually making shopping easier and more intuitive for their customers.
Sephora
In categories like skincare and beauty, shoppers often don’t know what product they need — they just know the outcome they want.
Sephora uses predictive AI to recommend products based on your browsing history, past purchases, and preferences. The system adapts quickly, ensuring the suggestions make sense.
✅ Result: A 30% increase in conversion rates thanks to AI-driven personalization across their email, app, and website interactions.
TaylorMade Golf
TaylorMade’s 3D AI product configurator lets customers see golf gear in 3D before it’s delivered, giving them a clear visual of their choices. This visual experience helps customers make more confident decisions, reducing returns and ultimately improving satisfaction.
✅ Result: Within six weeks of launching the new club personalization tool, TaylorMade saw double the expected website visits and reached their 3-month sales target in just 30 days.
Zara
Zara’s app lets customers upload a photo of a product they like and find similar items in stock. It’s a familiar feature, but Zara’s integration into everyday browsing makes it seamless, especially for shoppers who know what they want visually but don’t know how to describe it.
✅ Result: Faster discovery, higher engagement on mobile, and better product matching.
Tools that can make it happen (not sponsored)
If you’re thinking about improving your product discovery experience and making shopping easier for your customers, here are a few tools you can explore (I discovered them during research; these are not sponsored):
Threekit helps brands like TaylorMade with 3D product configurators and visualization tools. It's especially useful for mid-market to enterprise-level brands, providing a premium experience that allows customers to visualize and customize products before making a purchase.
Pixyle uses automated tagging and visual recognition to clean up product catalogs, making search and recommendations more relevant. This tool is particularly valuable for fashion and home décor brands with large inventories.
Algolia powers AI-driven search engines to improve intent-based search and deliver personalized recommendations. This tool integrates seamlessly into modern e-commerce stacks, making product discovery faster and more intuitive for customers.
Final Thoughts
The key takeaway is simple – it’s not about having the right product, it’s about making the experience smooth and easy for people.
AI is already transforming the shopping experience by making discovery smarter and more intuitive. If you want to improve your site, start with one part of the discovery journey — whether it's search, recommendations, or product display — and see how it makes a difference in conversions.
AI can make the shopping process easier for your customers and help improve your brand’s performance.
If you want to chat about how AI can improve your product discovery flow, just hit reply. I’d be happy to help!
This week In the Retail World:
Here’s what’s happening in the world of AI and eCommerce this week:
Google Search Gets a Major AI Boost with Multimodal Lens Image Recognition. Read more on The Verge
Amazon’s New AI Agent Will Shop Third-Party Stores for You. Read more on TechCrunch
OpenAI Launches Program to Design New Domain-Specific AI Benchmarks. Read more on TechCrunch
Catch you next Sunday,
Sid
Actually it may be more relevant here https://ajithakoduri.substack.com/p/beyond-search-bars-the-multimodal