Bellerose implemented an AI Website Concierge for their premium lingerie site, reducing bounce rates by 64% and increasing conversions by 32% through personalized shopping assistance and discreet customer support.
Client
Bellarose
Industry
E-commerce
Solution
AI website agent
Impact
32% conversion increase
Project overview
After implementing AI solutions across various e-commerce platforms, Bellerose London presented a fascinating challenge in the luxury retail space. Their exquisitely designed website showcased premium lingerie collections but struggled with high bounce rates and low conversion — a common issue for high-ticket intimate apparel sold online (and one I've seen plague even the most visually stunning e-commerce sites).
What made this project particularly compelling was the opportunity to bridge the gap between digital browsing and the personalised boutique experience that typically drives luxury purchases — essentially giving a sophisticated voice to an otherwise silent website.
The problem
High bounce rates and abandoned carts
Bellerose London was experiencing a concerning 64% bounce rate, with visitors spending less than two minutes on the site before leaving. Even when customers engaged enough to add items to their cart, the abandonment rate reached 78% — significantly higher than industry averages for luxury retail (which typically hover around 60-65%).
Missing the personal touch
The brand's physical boutique in London consistently outperformed their online store in conversion rate and average order value. Exit surveys revealed customers lacked confidence making intimate apparel purchases without personalised guidance and discreet assistance... precisely the elements that made their boutique experience so effective.
The challenge
Creating a sophisticated digital presence
The AI solution needed to embody Bellerose's refined brand voice — knowledgeable, elegant, and discreet. A standard chatbot would have undermined the premium shopping experience rather than enhanced it (I've seen far too many luxury brands diminished by clunky, generic chatbots that feel distinctly out of place).
Handling sensitive product inquiries
Lingerie shopping involves personal questions about fit, style, and suitability that many customers feel uncomfortable asking. The AI needed to navigate these conversations with appropriate tact while providing genuinely helpful guidance — no small feat for an automated system dealing with such nuanced human concerns.
Our solution
AI website concierge system
We developed a sophisticated AI Concierge that went far beyond standard e-commerce chatbots, creating a truly personalised shopping experience that mirrored the brand's in-boutique service.
The AI Concierge we designed:
Proactively engages visitors based on browsing patterns and hesitation signals
Provides personalised product recommendations based on style preferences
Offers discrete guidance on sizing, fit, and material questions (the sorts of queries that often go unasked on standard websites)
Assists with gift selections using thoughtful, sophisticated language
Backend integration suite
The front-end experience was supported by powerful backend systems that ensured the AI had access to real-time inventory data, customer histories (for returning shoppers), and detailed product specifications to inform recommendations. After all, even the most charming concierge is only as good as the information they can access...
Our approach
Voice and personality development
We conducted extensive interviews with Bellerose's top boutique associates (the ones with queues of loyal customers)
Created detailed conversation flows that captured their expertise and approach — including their rather brilliant way of making customers feel at ease when discussing intimate apparel
Designed a distinctive concierge personality that embodied the brand values whilst avoiding the uncanny valley effect that plagues many AI assistants
Behavioural trigger implementation
Implemented browse pattern analysis to identify customer confusion or hesitation (those moments when they're clearly interested but something is holding them back)
Developed cart abandonment intervention protocols for timely assistance
Created tailored entry points for first-time visitors versus returning customers, because there's nothing worse than treating your regulars like strangers, is there?
Progressive enhancement strategy
Launched with core product recommendation capabilities
Added fit guidance functionality after initial success
Integrated personalisation features based on returning customer data, building a system that gets cleverer with each interaction
Impact & results
Transformed online shopping experience
After implementing our AI Website Concierge, Bellerose London saw an immediate reduction in bounce rates and a steady improvement in engagement metrics across the site.
32 percent increase in conversion rates
The personalised assistance led to a remarkable improvement in conversion, bringing online performance significantly closer to in-boutique standards — proof that the human touch can indeed be captured in digital form (with the right approach, of course).
Key performance indicators:
Bounce rate reduced from 64% to 27% within 60 days
Average time on site increased by 3.5 minutes (a lifetime in e-commerce terms)
Cart abandonment decreased from 78% to 43%
Average order value increased by 21% through accessory recommendations
Customer confidence enhancement
The AI Concierge successfully overcame the hesitation barrier that previously prevented online sales, creating a comfortable environment for customers to ask questions they might have felt uncomfortable raising with human assistants. Particularly interesting was the number of late-night shopping sessions — clearly, many customers prefer the discretion of a digital assistant when shopping for intimate items!
Impact Metric | Result | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
Conversion Rate | 32% increase | First 90 days |
Return Customer Rate | 41% improvement | Within 60 days |
Customer Support Tickets | 58% reduction | Measured after 30 days |
Post-launch evolution
Following initial success, Bellerose expanded the AI Concierge's capabilities to include personalised email follow-ups and style recommendations based on previous purchases, further enhancing customer loyalty and repeat business. The system continues to learn and improve... much like the rest of us, only perhaps a bit more efficiently.
Client testimonial
"Our boutique experience has always been central to our brand, and we were sceptical about whether an AI solution could truly capture that essence online. The AI Concierge has proven us wrong — it's transformed our digital presence by adding a genuinely helpful voice to our website. Our customers receive the attentive, discreet assistance they need when making intimate apparel decisions, and our sales figures reflect that improved experience. It's as though we've been able to scale the personal touch that makes our London boutique special."
— Victoria Harrington, Digital Director, Bellerose London
