SAN FRANCISCO – January 9, 2024 –  Algolia, the world's only end-to-end AI Search and Discovery platform, announces its implementation by Zenni Optical, the world's leading online eyewear retailer with more than 50 million frames sold worldwide, across its digital properties. Zenni chose the Algolia AI Search platform to revolutionize its customer experience and elevate its position as a leading destination for online prescription eyewear.

Zenni transitioned away from two legacy search platforms. The decision to migrate to Algolia’s secure, cloud-hosted search and discovery platform has not only streamlined the storage of customer data, but also significantly improved Zenni’s search functionality. With Algolia’s advanced AI Search platform, Zenni ensures not only a seamless browsing experience for its eyewear catalog, but also prioritizes the protection of sensitive customer data.

David Ting, CTO and General Manager at Zenni Optical, expressed his enthusiasm for the selection: “Once we went into full production with Algolia, we saw Zenni's search revenue increase by 34%. Equally importantly, our average order value (AOV) grew by 16% with a 9% uptick in conversion rates. ”

As a top destination for online prescription eyewear, Zenni provides 1 in 5 of all glasses sold in the U.S. and, through its global distribution, sells more than 20,000 eyewear frames every day. David Ting added that “maintaining this massive scale and staying true to our mission of delivering affordable and accessible eyewear requires continuous innovation around our products and service. Algolia enables us to offer an unparalleled shopping experience for our customers, connecting them to the perfect eyewear frame swiftly and efficiently.”

Zenni is pushing the boundaries of search innovation and leveraging all the capabilities of Algolia’s AI Search platform and especially the AI Synonyms feature. David Ting noted that “our customers use their own vocabulary, phrases and language to find the frame they want. Guessing and creating every synonym for different customer’s needs at scale is a major challenge, if not impossible, especially if you support multiple languages. Algolia’s AI Search platform understands and simplifies these synonyms and improves results automatically”

Michelle Adams, Chief Revenue Officer, Algolia said: “Zenni Optical has experienced a transformative impact with Algolia’s AI Search platform, serving as a catalyst to enhance their customer experience and drive significant business results. The remarkable 34% surge in search revenue stands as clear evidence of the platform’s ability to address the dynamic business requirements of modern ecommerce enterprises.”

David Ting, CTO and General Manager at Zenni Optical, will be delivering a presentation on the topic of ‘Improving customer experiences with search’ on the Algolia booth at the NRF 2024 Big Show in NYC (Jan 14 to 16, 2024), more information: https://www.algolia.com/lp/event-nrf-2024/ . 

To learn more about how Algolia’s powerful search technology helps Zenni revolutionize its customer experience, read the case study here. To explore Algolia's AI Search Platform, visit algolia.com. 

Editor’s Note
Algolia will be at NRF 2024: Retail Big Show – Booth #4146. Additionally, join Bernadette Nixon (Algolia CEO), Josh Platt (Rue Gilt Groupe, title), and Michael Klein (Klein4Retail) for a keynote (in the River Pavilion, goTRG stage), in which they discuss how artificial intelligence will actually humanize the digital experience and enable more immersive shopping journeys than ever before. David Ting, CTO and General Manager at Zenni Optical will also be attending NRF at the Algolia booth #4146.

About Algolia 
Algolia is the world's only end-to-end AI search and discovery platform. Our engineers invented a breakthrough use of AI to create exponentially better search & discovery. Algolia's proprietary NeuralSearch tech combines vector-based natural language processing & keyword matching in a single API. Algolia powers 1.75 trillion search requests a year or more than 30 billion a week enabling more than 17,000 customers in 150+ countries to build blazing-fast and relevant search and discovery experiences for their in-app users and/or online visitors using any web, mobile or voice device – by surfacing the desired content instantly and at scale. www.algolia.com.

About Zenni
Zenni pioneered the online eyewear industry in 2003 with a mission to make prescription eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zenni offers adults and children the freedom to express their personal style through high-quality prescription and protective eyewear curated with a sense of fashion and incredible selection. To date, Zenni has worked alongside its nonprofit partners to distribute more than 1.5 million glasses. With complete prescription pairs starting at just $6.95, and averaging just over $40, the company has brought massive price disruption to the traditional retail model. With over 51 million frames sold worldwide, Zenni is proud to be the Official Eyewear of the San Francisco 49ers, Columbus Crew, Boston Celtics, and the Chicago Bulls. Zenni has worked with designers and tastemakers on curations and collections, including Keke Palmer, Iris Apfel, Cynthia Rowley, Sam Cassell, and George and Claire Kittle. For more information, please visit zennioptical.com/press.