Rackhams doubles sales and invests in AI search

Rackhams, the online marketplace, has launched a new AI-powered search experience on its website, developed in partnership with search specialist Luigi’s Box. The upgrade goes live ahead of the busiest trading weeks of the year, and is designed to help customers find the products they want more quickly and to surface more of the range from Rackhams’ sellers.

The launch follows a year of exceptional growth. Rackhams’ October sales were more than double those of the same month last year (up 113%), and the product catalogue has grown to more than 350,000 products from over 1,000 sellers. With choice on that scale, helping customers navigate the range matters more than ever.

Smarter, more personal results The new search uses AI learning, site performance data and personalisation to understand what customers are looking for and show the most relevant results first.

A search for “trainers”, for example, can take customers straight to the right category, filtering out products that don’t suit their size or gender so they reach the right options sooner. The search can also highlight popular products, promote buying guides and show what other customers are searching for.

That last feature is useful in gifting periods, giving shoppers a view of what’s popular on site and a source of gift inspiration. Early results Since the search was enabled in October, Rackhams has already seen an 8% uplift in daily revenue compared with September, with volume of orders per day up 11%.

Rackhams is confident the new search will drive further growth through November and December. We’re always striving to make our website a better experience for our customers, and search is at the heart of that. With over 350,000 products on site, we want shoppers to find what they’re looking for quickly and to discover things they didn’t know they needed.

A better experience for customers means a more thriving marketplace for our sellers, and that’s what this partnership is about. – Mike Hart, Head of Marketing, Rackhams We’re really happy to be working with Rackhams.

With 350,000 products on the site, it can be hard for shoppers to find what they actually came for, and that’s where our Search & Discovery Suite comes in. It’s great to see the early results already showing a clear daily uplift, and the timing couldn’t be better, with peak season just around the corner.

– Marianna Szarkova, Senior Partnerships & Expansion Manager, Luigi’s Box