Why do fashion platforms invest so heavily in search and discovery as they scale? Because a growing catalog only converts if shoppers can navigate it, and search is the fastest path from intent to purchase. Lamoda, a leading Russian fashion platform, paired AI search and personalization with strong growth.
The result: Lamoda’s AI-powered product discovery and personalization helped drive sales of clothing, shoes, and accessories to 169.5 billion rubles in 2024 — roughly a 32% increase year-over-year (its Q3 turnover grew ~31.8%).
Growth makes search harder, not easier#
As a fashion platform adds brands and SKUs — Lamoda welcomed hundreds of new brand partners in 2024 — the catalog gets richer but also harder to navigate. More choice is only an advantage if shoppers can find what suits them quickly. A search that can’t handle natural queries or rank by relevance turns abundance into frustration, and frustration into lost sales.
Lamoda leaned on AI search and personalization to keep discovery sharp as it scaled, helping fuel ~32% sales growth. The bigger the catalog, the more the matching engine matters.
How AI search works#
AI search interprets what shoppers mean rather than matching keywords, and ranks results by relevance and likelihood to convert — personalized to each shopper.
Three capabilities drive the impact. Semantic understanding maps natural, varied queries (and typos) to the right products. Personalized ranking orders results around each shopper’s taste and behavior. And recommendation integration turns vague or zero-result queries into curated suggestions instead of dead ends.
Why search scales with the catalog#
The strategic point is that search and discovery are what let a catalog keep converting as it grows. Add thousands of products without improving the matching engine, and shoppers get lost; improve the engine, and every new product becomes findable by the shoppers who want it. That’s why a platform adding brands and a platform improving search go hand in hand — the two have to scale together.
What this means for your store#
Whether your catalog is growing or already large, the principle holds:
- Use semantic AI search so shoppers find products even when their words don’t match your listings.
- Personalize result ranking to each shopper’s taste and behavior.
- Pair search with recommendations so no query dead-ends.
A bigger catalog only pays off if shoppers can navigate it. AI search is how you keep discovery sharp as you grow.
Bring AI search to your store with CartAmplify#
CartAmplify brings AI-powered search and personalization to any store — Shopify, dropshipping, or marketplace. Semantic, personalized search that keeps converting as your catalog grows.
Related reading#
- How Lamoda’s AI Browsing Drove 32% Sales Growth
- How Walmart Uses AI Across Search and Forecasting
- How Zalando Cut Content Costs 90% with Generative AI
Sales figures cited from publicly reported Lamoda data; the ~32% growth aligns with reported Q3 2024 turnover growth of ~31.8%. Results vary by catalog, traffic, and implementation.
