Why does reading intent — not just history — make discovery so much more effective? Because what a shopper wants right now matters more than what they wanted last month. Adidas tuned its discovery to user intent and saw average order value more than triple in a single month.
The result: Adidas’s AI-powered product discovery achieved a 259% increase in average order value and a 13% conversion lift within one month by surfacing the most relevant products based on user intent.
Intent is the sharpest signal#
Past purchases tell you what a shopper liked before; intent tells you what they want now — and now is when they buy. Adidas’s discovery reads in-session behavior to infer current intent and surfaces the most relevant products accordingly, adapting to new visitors, frequent browsers, and recent buyers differently. That focus on present intent is what drove a 259% AOV lift in a month: the right products, surfaced at the moment of highest relevance.
How discovery AI works#
Discovery AI personalizes what each shopper sees based on behavior, especially while they explore. The most effective versions weight current intent heavily, not just historical preference.
Three mechanics drove Adidas’s result. The engine infers intent from in-session behavior, so discovery reflects what the shopper wants right now. It surfaces the most relevant products for that intent, reducing the friction between interest and purchase. And it adapts by shopper type, tailoring discovery to new, browsing, and returning shoppers.
Why intent-driven discovery lifts order value#
A 259% AOV lift from intent-driven discovery comes down to timing and relevance. When the products surfaced match what the shopper actually wants in the moment, they’re not only more likely to buy — they’re more receptive to relevant complements that grow the basket. Discovery tuned to current intent both converts the shopper and expands the order, because every suggestion lands when it’s most welcome. History-based discovery alone can’t match that, because it answers yesterday’s question.
What this means for your store#
Any store can shift discovery toward present intent:
- Read in-session behavior to infer current intent, not just historical preference.
- Surface the most relevant products for what the shopper wants right now.
- Adapt discovery to shopper type — new, browsing, returning — for sharper relevance.
What a shopper wants now is the signal that converts. Intent-driven discovery captures it.
Bring discovery AI to your store with CartAmplify#
CartAmplify brings intent-driven discovery AI to any store — Shopify, dropshipping, or marketplace. Surface what each shopper wants now, the way Adidas lifted AOV 259%.
Related reading#
- How Adidas Used AI Search to Lift Conversion 13%
- How Adidas Lifted AOV 259% with Recommendation AI
- How Zalando’s AI Powers Discovery in 25 EU Markets
Figures cited from the publicly reported Adidas / Insider case study. Results vary by catalog, traffic, and implementation.
