Cyber 5 2024: The Role of AI Ecommerce Search and Discovery in Driving Record Sales

This extended Cyber 5 season, we didn’t just celebrate another year of record-breaking sales (though a few of our clients did surpass $1 billion in sales, which we love to see). We witnessed a shift in how ecommerce search is reshaping the holiday shopping experience.

Cyber 5 has never just been about discounts—it’s about delivering a better shopping journey. Yes, shoppers want good deals. They also want to find what they’re looking for quickly, easily, and with recommendations so spot-on they feel handpicked.

The Shopping Experience Starts Early—And It Paid Off in AOV, Revenue

For millions of shoppers, Cyber 5 2024 kicked off well before Black Friday. At 10 PM on Thanksgiving Eve (the day before Thanksgiving), one of our top retail clients saw search activity surge to its peak—demonstrating that retailers aren’t waiting for the traditional sale days to start their sales events. And consumers are all in.

This same retailer went on to achieve:

• More than $1.3 billion in sales over Cyber 5, with search driving an estimated $1 billion of that revenue.
• A notable increase in average order value (AOV)—driven in part by AI-powered personalized recommendations that surfaced the right products at the right time. In fact, compared to an average week, this retailer saw a 41% increase in search-attributed add-to-carts, a 60% increase in search-attributed conversions, and a 31% increase in search-attributed AOV during Cyber 5.

60% more conversions? Yeah, understanding intent is kind of a big deal.

Why Ecommerce Search and Discovery Is the Heart of the Experience

For retailers, search is no longer just about a search bar—it’s the key to curating a personalized customer journey. It’s about helping shoppers find exactly what they need, and inspiring them with products and content they didn’t even know they wanted. If your search and discovery solution isn’t up to par, customers will find what they want elsewhere.

Take this data point: our platform processed a jaw-dropping 301,000 peak search queries per minute during the Cyber 5 peak. Overall, we saw a 20% increase in total search queries during Cyber 5 2024 across all retail clients compared to Cyber 5 2023.

What Shoppers Expect from Ecommerce Search

Today’s shoppers want an experience that feels personalized, intuitive, and seamless. Here are some scenarios retailers need their ecommerce search and discovery platforms to handle:

• Understands natural language and customer intent: “Blue winter coat under $100” shouldn’t throw results for blankets or ski pants. And it should probably still include the coat that costs $101. 
• Personalizes in real-time: A returning customer should see relevant suggestions that align with their past preferences.
• Supports multiple languages: A global audience needs search to feel intuitive, no matter their native language.
• Scales during peak traffic: Downtime or slow responses during a shopping blitz? Unacceptable.
• Supply chain integration: Tracking inventory and returns in real-time ensures customers get exactly what they want, when they want it. 

Making Ecommerce Search a Shopping Companion

Modern ecommerce search understands intent, solves problems, and delivers what customers want… before they even know they want it.

For example, a shopper looking for a specific gadget as a gift shouldn’t end their search there. An intelligent ecommerce search experience might recommend complementary items like cases, chargers, or gift wrapping—all while surfacing stock availability in real-time.

I should say: this isn’t just the future. Retailers today are embracing these capabilities, turning their search bar into a shopping companion and turning blah shopping experiences into great ones.

Is Your Ecommerce Search Ready for the Next Wave?

Search and discovery helps shoppers not only find products but also discover complementary items, compare options, and feel confident in their purchases.

If your ecommerce search strategy isn’t living up to today’s expectations, now’s the time to change that. Let’s chat about how we can help you transform your ecommerce experience and keep pace with consumer demands.