Why does the organization of search and navigation matter as much as the search algorithm itself? Because shoppers convert when the path to the right product is short — and AI can reshape that path for each person. Adidas did exactly that and saw fast, measurable gains.
The result: Adidas achieved a 13% conversion lift and a 259% increase in average order value within one month of deploying AI-powered search and category optimization.
Navigation is part of search#
Search isn’t just the box — it’s the whole path from intent to product, including how categories and menus are organized. Adidas used AI to rearrange its mobile menu based on each shopper’s browsing history, surfacing the most frequently searched category at the top and removing clutter. That made discovery faster: shoppers reached relevant products with fewer taps, and conversion rose 13%.
Paired with smart recommendations, the streamlined navigation also grew basket size dramatically — a 259% AOV lift — because shoppers who find what they want easily are receptive to relevant additions.
How AI search works#
AI search interprets intent and ranks results by relevance, but the best implementations also personalize navigation — the categories and menus that shape discovery.
Three mechanics drove Adidas’s result. The engine personalizes navigation, reordering categories to each shopper’s behavior so the relevant path is shortest. It declutters, removing irrelevant options to reduce friction. And it pairs with recommendations, so the streamlined path also surfaces complementary products that grow the basket.
Why reducing friction lifts both metrics#
The lesson in Adidas’s numbers is that friction is a conversion killer. Every extra tap, every irrelevant menu item, every step between a shopper and the product they want costs conversions. Personalizing navigation to each shopper collapses that path — and a shorter path both converts more shoppers (13% lift) and leaves them receptive to relevant recommendations that grow order value (259% AOV lift). Search and navigation, optimized together, compound.
What this means for your store#
Any store can reduce discovery friction with AI:
- Personalize navigation and category order to each shopper’s behavior, not a fixed menu.
- Remove clutter so the path to relevant products is as short as possible.
- Pair streamlined search with recommendations to grow basket size.
The shortest path to the right product converts best. AI search and navigation build it for each shopper.
Bring AI search to your store with CartAmplify#
CartAmplify brings personalized AI search and navigation to any store — Shopify, dropshipping, or marketplace. The same approach that lifted Adidas’s conversion 13% and AOV 259%.
Related reading#
- How Adidas’s AI Discovery Surfaces Intent to Lift AOV 259%
- How Adidas Lifted AOV 259% with Recommendation AI
- How Wildberries Grew Turnover 60% with AI Search
Figures cited from the publicly reported Adidas / Insider case study. Results vary by catalog, traffic, and implementation.
