Frasers AI assistant lifts online sales conversion by 25%

Frasers Group has launched an AI shopping assistant on the FRASERS website, saying the tool has lifted sales conversion rates by up to 25% compared with traditional search.

Ask Frasers is available across the group’s premium fashion and lifestyle banner, relaunched under the FRASERS name after previously trading as House of Fraser. The assistant is designed to help shoppers find products through conversational queries rather than standard keyword searches.

The system uses Algolia’s Agentic Experience, drawing on external large language models alongside the retailer’s product data. It interprets details including product features, stock availability and real-time popularity signals to return answers tailored to individual queries.

Customers can use the tool to explore fashion and beauty ranges, compare prices and refine results by describing the type of item they want. The interface is designed to narrow options quickly and surface relevant products without requiring shoppers to navigate conventional category filters.

Retail push

The launch forms part of a broader technology drive at Frasers as retailers look for new ways to improve online product discovery and reduce friction in digital shopping journeys. Search has become an important battleground for online retailers, particularly in fashion, where shoppers often begin with broad or subjective requests rather than exact product names.

Conversational shopping tools have spread across the sector as retailers test whether AI can turn browsing into purchasing more effectively than standard site search. Frasers’ early conversion figure suggests the group is using sales outcomes as a key measure of whether the tool changes customer behaviour.

FRASERS sits within the group’s premium retail estate and carries fashion, beauty, accessories and home products. The brand traces its origins to a Glasgow flagship opened in 1849, and Frasers Group has expanded the store network in recent years to more than 10 FRASERS locations across the UK.

The online launch also follows the brand’s recent repositioning under the FRASERS name, part of a broader effort by the group to reshape the chain’s identity in the premium segment.

Search changes

Retailers have been investing in AI-led search and recommendation systems to make large catalogues easier to navigate. In sectors with frequent stock changes, seasonal trends and wide product assortments, traditional search bars can struggle when customers use open-ended phrases or seek advice rather than a specific item.

Frasers said Ask Frasers is context-aware, meaning it can process a shopper’s question in relation to product data and previous refinements within the same session. That is intended to produce more direct responses and cut the number of steps between search and checkout.

The group did not provide absolute sales figures tied to the launch, but said the conversion uplift came from early indicators since implementation. Conversion rates are a closely watched eCommerce metric because they track the share of visits that result in purchases, making them a useful gauge of whether a search or recommendation tool is influencing buying decisions.

Richard Lallo outlined the company’s view of the rollout in a statement: “At Frasers Group, we are committed to enhancing the customer journey, from discovery through to conversion, by creating innovative solutions that give shoppers a connected, relevant and efficient shopping experience. The launch of Ask Frasers marks an important step forward in this mission, enabling us to offer a faster, smarter and more seamless way to shop our premium fashion and lifestyle offering, reinforcing our belief that intelligent technology is shaping the future of retail.”

For Frasers, the test will be whether the tool can maintain those conversion gains as more shoppers use it across a broader mix of categories.