“Being able to rely on Searchspring’s algorithms – while making modifications to meet our requirements when we need to – has really lended to our success. Our account manager has helped a lot, she’s very hands on and always has suggestions for how we can improve performance.”

Alix Beverley
Ecommerce Manager, AuthenTEAK

The Brand

Founded in 2004 as a weekend-only business in downtown Atlanta, AuthenTEAK now has a thriving online store to complement their award-winning showroom. With an extensive range of outdoor furniture, accessories, grills, umbrellas, and fabrics on offer, customers can find everything they need to achieve a distinct outdoor style.  

“We strive to differentiate AuthenTEAK on every channel, from our website experience and functionality, to our post-purchase communication and retention,” says Ecommerce Manager, Alix Beverley. The site stocks over 80 brands, and is populated with design inspiration to help shoppers make the most of their unique outdoor space all year round, whether it’s a large garden for entertaining or a smaller backyard patio. 

The Challenges

Conversion rate optimization is the primary focus for the AuthenTEAK team when it comes to their online experience. “We do sell an expensive product, so getting the customer to convert faster, at a better rate, and with a higher cart value is our everyday challenge,” says Alix.

Because of the wide-ranging nature of the AuthenTEAK product line, search and navigation play a critical role in helping shoppers find the products they’re most likely to convert on, quickly. “We need the ability to accommodate those powerful, high-intent searches with merchandising campaigns that support our business goals.”

Having used various solutions to achieve this in the past, they decided an upgrade was needed as part of a platform migration. “When we migrated to BigCommerce, we felt the need to find a more robust solution that allowed us to have advanced technologies. We were willing to upgrade the level of support and pay for a higher quality tool as part of that,” says Alix.

The Solutions

“When researching a new solution, we considered about five other partners in varying tiers – from three times the price of Searchspring, to more cost-effective options. Ultimately, we felt that Searchspring would provide the best solution for what we were looking for. We didn’t just want another search partner, we wanted a partner that could implement the specific functionality we were looking for to meet our business requirements,” says Alix. 

AuthenTEAK now uses global merchandising rules to promote products based on a number of factors. “Our merchandising campaigns run 10-15 rules deep, and we boost results based on a combination of quantity sold, product price, quick shipping, and other criteria. If we’re running a sale or promotion, we might link shoppers to PLPs where the applicable products are boosted for a certain period of time, alongside custom banners that we implement through Searchspring.”

Looking back on the previous year’s data helps the team identify opportunities to tweak these rules, and ensure that their search results are delivering relevant products to the shopper at any time of year. “One of the things we utilize most in terms of maintenance is the reporting and analytics,” says Alix. “We use Searchspring to analyze monthly searches and to create merchandising campaigns based on common drop-off points.”

Site navigation is also customized based on the attributes that shoppers are most likely to interact with in a given product category. “We look at the overall assortment of filters in each parent category and determine which features our customers are looking for – whether it’s brand, dimensions, or how many people a table can accommodate. We then customize those filters within each category, from outdoor furniture and patio umbrellas, to grills and planters.”  

The Results

“Something that we consistently see month over month is an improvement in our overall conversion rate. Search is driving major revenue gains for us and it’s becoming a higher percentage of revenue than ever before,” says Alix.