Rosu Jacob, Manager, Search & Browse, Fossil

Fossil, a global leader in watches and fashion accessories, identified its internal on-site search as an effective yet overlooked channel within their e-commerce strategy. Despite operating in major markets like the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK, their search suggestions experience lacked personalization, offered minimal suggestions, and required manual configuration.

One of the standout aspects of Fossil’s journey with Wandz.ai was the collaboration between multiple departments including search, analytics, and merchandising. Each department brought its expertise to the table:

• Search & Browse focused on improving functionality and relevance, and that the search experience aligned with Fossil’s branding and product 
• Global Analytics & Optimization spearheaded the integration and measurement, ensuring alignment with broader business goals to refine and validate the Adaptive CX strategy

Since partnering with Wandz.ai, Fossil has leveraged Adaptive CX to enhance customer journeys and elevate key performance metrics, including product-detail-page (PDP) views After Search, add-to-cart (ATC) After Search, and conversion rate (CVR) After Search.

The Problem: Uncovering Untapped Potential in Fossil’s On-Site Search

Fossil’s existing search suggestions were limited and had to be manually set for each term, which made scalability across global markets unfeasible. The absence of personalization in Search Suggestions meant that all online visitors were presented with generic search suggestions (If available), reducing engagement and discoverability of products most relevant to the particular user. This inefficiency not only made it difficult for customers to find what they were looking for but also strained internal resources with time-consuming processes.

Rosu Jacob, Manager, Search & Browse, recognized the untapped potential of on-site search and believed that optimizing this functionality could significantly improve customer engagement and boost critical business metrics.

We saw on-site search as an underperforming yet critical section of the website. Improving it was key to engaging customers and driving conversions.

The Solution: Personalized Search Suggestions for Scalable E-commerce Success

To address these challenges, Rosu and the Fossil team partnered with Wandz.ai to A/B test the impact of Adaptive Search across three English language domains, a solution that dynamically personalizes search suggestions based on visitor behavior and product affinities.

Wandz.ai’s Adaptive Search eliminated the need for manual configuration by leveraging real-time visitor data to generate tailored recommendations. This replaced the static approach with a dynamic, scalable solution. The Wandz.ai team worked closely with Fossil’s analytics and digital teams to develop a rigorous testing plan, ensuring that the impact of Adaptive Search on search engagement, PDP views After Search, ATC After Search, and CVR After Search were measurable and actionable.

The integration with Google Analytics (GA4) allowed Fossil to validate the results independently, providing granular insights into how Adaptive Search was influencing user behavior and business outcomes. The collaboration between Fossil and Wandz.ai ensured a smooth onboarding process, with the Wandz.ai team supporting every stage of the implementation and validation process.

Wandz.ai’s Adaptive Search fit perfectly into our strategy. It provided a scalable, personalized solution that was quick to implement and aligned with our KPIs.The team’s flexibility and expertise allowed us to integrate quickly and validate results internally with confidence. They supported us through every stage of the process.

The onboarding process was seamless, with Wandz.ai’s team accommodating Fossil’s testing requirements and providing hands-on support to troubleshoot issues as they arose.

The Business Impact: Driving Engagement and Boosting CVR After Search with Adaptive Search

Fossil’s A/B testing revealed significant improvements in key performance metrics, underscoring the effectiveness of Wandz.ai’s Adaptive Search solution. Search engagement increased as more users transitioned from search sessions to product views, demonstrating the enhanced relevance and interaction driven by personalized suggestions.

Conversion rates also saw a measurable boost with a +12% increase in CVR After Search across all test markets. Following these results, Fossil expanded the Adaptive Search experience to their entire audience across three test domains.

This transformation not only improved the on-site search experience but also demonstrated the broader potential of personalization to drive meaningful business outcomes. The success of Adaptive Search positioned Fossil to continue exploring new opportunities for optimizing customer search engagement and scaling personalization within Search suggestions across different regions and languages.

The results exceeded our expectations. Adaptive Search drove a significant lift of +16% in PDP views After Search and +12% lift in CVR After Search, proving its value across multiple markets.

Conclusion: Empowering E-commerce Growth with Adaptive CX Innovations

With Wandz.ai’s Adaptive CX platform, Fossil successfully turned Search suggestions from a static, underperforming search feature into a dynamic, personalized experience. This collaboration enhanced user engagement, boosted key business metrics, and provided a scalable solution that required no internal development resources.

Wandz.ai has been a true partner in our journey to enhance on-site search. Their ability to deliver personalized, scalable solutions without requiring internal resources has been invaluable.

Building on this success, Fossil is actively exploring further opportunities to refine the Adaptive Search experience and personalized search suggestion efforts to all regions including non-English locales. Wandz.ai’s ability to deliver impactful results with quick implementation and minimal resource demands has established them as a trusted partner in Fossil’s ongoing journey to enhance customer experiences and drive business growth.