Shoe Carnival Leverages Algolia and Amplience for Composable, Headless Commerce Strategy

Shoe Carnival has integrated Algolia's AI-powered search and Amplience's Commerce Experience platform to redefine its digital shopping experience. The retailer, with over 400 locations and a vast online presence, sought to improve speed and agility in updating product assortments and dropping new styles. Algolia and Amplience have enabled Shoe Carnival to streamline processes, improve revenue, conversion rates, and team productivity, with over one million assets stored in Amplience's Content Hub.

Shoe Carnival, a leading family footwear retailer with over 400 locations and a robust online presence, has integrated Algolia's AI-powered search and Amplience's Commerce Experience platform to revolutionize its digital shopping experience. The retailer's goal is to improve speed and agility in updating product assortments and dropping new styles, aiming to deliver a seamless and personalized shopping experience to its customers.

By combining Algolia's AI-powered Search & Discovery platform with Amplience's Commerce Experience Platform, which includes a content management system (CMS) and digital asset management (DAM), Shoe Carnival has significantly enhanced both agility and efficiency. This approach has empowered the merchandising team to experiment and apply changes swiftly using Algolia's Merchandising Studio, without the need for developer intervention. This streamlined process has enabled rapid response to market dynamics, resulting in exceptional growth in revenue, conversion rates, and team productivity.

The implementation of these technologies has allowed Shoe Carnival to store over one million assets in Amplience's Content Hub, enabling them to index, search, and find assets almost instantly using Algolia's AI Search. This eliminates the manual work involved in re-ranking and delivers tailored search results to customers through natural language processing and automation, simplifying workflows.

Ned Moore, Director of eCommerce and Product Technology at Shoe Carnival, noted the impact of Algolia's features on the retailer's ecommerce site, stating, "Before Algolia, we struggled to get big ideas off the ground. Thanks to Algolia's ease of use, the changes we dream up can be on the website in just the blink of an eye. This has doubled the productivity of our team and provided the automation needed to enact changes for high-peak shopping. Algolia provides unparalleled speed and personalization across our massive product catalog – ensuring our customers can find exactly what they're looking for instantly."

During the first Cyber Weekend post-implementation, conversion rates rose by 4.5%. Additionally, Dynamic Re-Ranking boosted a key shoe style, helping it sell out in just 48 hours. These capabilities proved invaluable during other peak campaigns, such as the back-to-school season, when shoes are at the top of the list for 94% of shoppers.

Courtney Grishman, Director of eCommerce at Shoe Carnival, emphasized the value of Algolia's analytics, stating, "With insights from Algolia's analytics, we have more granular control over our campaigns and can make smarter, data-driven decisions to drive impactful results and achieve our business goals. Algolia AI Search has empowered us to learn more about our customers' needs, what is resonating with them, and what converts them."

The integration of Algolia and Amplience has positioned Shoe Carnival to create even more impactful and personalized experiences for its customers, driving growth and satisfaction across all its brands.

References:
[1] https://www.silicon.co.uk/press-release/shoe-carnival-revolutionizing-retail-using-a-new-composable-headless-commerce-strategy-with-algolia-and-amplience
[2] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250721933156/en/Shoe-Carnival-Revolutionizing-retail-using-a-new-composable-headless-commerce-strategy-with-Algolia-and-Amplience