Background: Rackhams’ Storied Legacy in Birmingham
Rackhams has been a cornerstone of Birmingham’s retail scene for decades. Originating as a local draper’s shop in the mid-19th century, it grew steadily to become one of the city’s premier department stores. Over the years, Rackhams’ reputation for quality merchandise and exceptional customer service helped it evolve into an iconic destination in the West Midlands. Even as the retail landscape shifted, Rackhams remained committed to blending traditional values with modern trends.
The Online Transition
Recognising the need to expand beyond its brick-and-mortar success, Rackhams launched its online store last year, bringing a heritage name into the digital era. This new e-commerce platform quickly grew to list over 100,000 products, ranging from fashion and beauty to homeware and specialty gifts.
With this rapid expansion, Rackhams soon encountered a key challenge: How to ensure customers could quickly find relevant and exciting products without spending hours scrolling?
The Challenge: A Seamless Gift-Shopping Experience
Rackhams.com wants to become the destination on the internet for gifts. However, they found that conventional search tools weren’t sophisticated enough to handle customer friendly queries like “gifts for tech-savvy teens” or “luxury skincare set for her.”
With an enormous inventory, boasting over 100,000 SKUs that required precise categorisation and retrieval, the complexity of customer queries meant that simple keyword matches were no longer sufficient—shoppers expected intelligent, context-aware recommendations that truly understood their needs. In this fiercely competitive online landscape, where every retailer is striving to capture attention, Rackhams recognised the urgent need to create a truly standout, user-centric experience.
Partnering with Bytesized Search
To address these challenges, Rackhams partnered with Bytesized Search, a leader in semantic AI search solutions. By leveraging advanced semantic AI, Bytesized Search empowered Rackhams to refine the on-site search. You can try the search engine by visiting rackhams-gifts.com.
Results: Boosting Engagement, Revenue, and Partnerships
After integrating Bytesized Search, Rackhams observed significant improvements in user satisfaction and sales metrics:
- Higher Engagement: Shoppers spend more time on the site’s Gifts section, exploring a variety of relevant suggestions.
- Increased Conversion Rates: Fewer abandoned carts and more completed purchases due to more accurate product matches.
- Revenue Growth: Streamlined discovery processes correlate with an uptick in sales, especially during peak gifting seasons.
- Expanded Partnerships: The platform's scalable nature has allowed Rackhams to onboard more partner brands, diversifying and enriching its product range.
Executive Perspective
“AI technology sits at the heart of making e-commerce truly frictionless. By adopting Bytesized Search’s semantic engine, we’ve given our customers a faster, more intuitive way to discover products they’ll love. This new technology has given Rackhams a competitive advantage that sets us apart from other online retailers.”
— Mark Jordan, CEO of Rackhams
Looking Ahead
By continuing to innovate, Rackhams ensures that each customer interaction, whether on the website or other digital channels, reflects the heritage brand's longstanding commitment to exceptional customer experiences.
Interested in learning more?
Contact us if you’d like to
discuss how semantic AI can transform your e-commerce platform.