The new haircare imperative: Personalized, AI-driven discovery

In the world of haircare ecommerce, product discovery isn’t just about on-site search; it’s about building trust, creating confidence, and driving conversion. Today’s discerning shoppers aren’t simply typing “shampoo” into a search bar. They’re looking for solutions like “sulfate-free, volumizing shampoo for fine, color-treated hair that works in humidity.”

Meeting this level of precise, ingredient-aware intent is no longer a competitive edge—it’s a baseline requirement.

To thrive in this high-intent, deeply personal category, brands must evolve beyond static filters and legacy site search.

The solution?

AI-powered discovery and enriched product catalogs. These technologies decode complex shopper behavior, offer real-time personalization, and help bridge the sensory gap inherent in online beauty shopping.

Why generic product discovery doesn’t work for haircare

1. Haircare is inherently nuanced

Hair types, concerns, preferences, and ingredient sensitivities create a complex matrix of needs. Generic search tools often miss the mark with:

• Irrelevant results for queries like “pregnancy-safe shampoo”

• Failure to identify product variants (e.g., “anti-frizz for thick curly hair”)

• Inability to understand colloquial beauty phrases like “glass-hair look”

2. The hidden cost of getting it wrong

Poor search = lost sales, frustrated customers, and high return rates. In haircare, where returns can’t always be restocked due to hygiene concerns, this eats into profits. Every wrong product shipped increases operational costs and erodes trust.

3. Consumers want to be understood, not just sold to

Search that can’t recognize the “beauty language” of your customer breaks the shopping experience. Customers want expert-level support—even from a digital interface.

AI-powered product discovery: The confidence engine

AI-powered product discovery goes far beyond keyword matching—it interprets intent with remarkable precision. For instance, when a shopper searches for “vegan shampoo for oily scalp with citrus scent,” the system understands and returns exactly that. These tools dynamically personalize search results based on real-time, in-session behavior—even for first-time visitors—making each experience feel tailored and intuitive. More than just matching products, they proactively suggest complete routines rather than single SKUs, helping shoppers build confidence while increasing cart value.

Conversational AI agents further elevate this experience by acting as 24/7 digital stylists. Trained specifically on haircare-related queries, they answer nuanced customer questions, recommend full routines, and guide decision-making across the buying journey with empathy, expertise, and precision. This not only reduces decision fatigue but also fosters trust by replicating the experience of an in-store advisor.

Benefits of catalog enrichment for haircare brands

However, even the smartest AI is only as effective as the data it works with. That’s where catalog enrichment comes in—the essential foundation for intelligent discovery. A richly enriched catalog ensures that each product listing speaks the shopper’s language, offering detailed ingredient lists (like sulfate-free or paraben-free), hair type and concern tags, certifications (vegan, cruelty-free, dermatologist-tested), fragrance descriptions, application tips, and user-generated reviews.

The business impact is significant. Enhanced product data leads to better search accuracy and more relevant results, while strong filters help customers easily narrow down options. Transparency builds trust and increases purchase confidence. Accurate matches reduce returns, and a smoother discovery experience translates into higher conversions. Together, AI and catalog enrichment form a powerful engine for revenue growth and customer satisfaction in haircare ecommerce.

What haircare brands need to look for in a product discovery solution

When selecting an AI-powered discovery solution for your haircare brand, look for these key capabilities that ensure both precision and personalization in the shopping experience:

Ingredient-aware semantic search

Accurately interprets complex queries by recognizing ingredient-specific terms and product attributes—e.g., “frizz-free, sulfate-free hair mask for curls”—to deliver highly relevant results.

Named-entity recognition (NER) for beauty language

Understands and maps colloquial, descriptive beauty phrases like “voluminous bounce” or “glass-hair finish” to the correct product attributes, ensuring results feel intuitive and on-brand.

Real-time personalization

Dynamically adjusts product suggestions based on live shopper behavior—such as clicks, filters, and browsing patterns—rather than relying solely on past purchase history.

No-code merchandising tools

Enables marketers and merchandisers to easily customize search results, control product rankings, and fine-tune recommendation logic without needing technical expertise.

Conversational AI agents

Act as scalable digital advisors that guide shoppers through their journey, offering expert-level assistance, personalized routines, and instant answers to product-related queries.

Deborah Lipmann: A Netcore Unbxd success story

Netcore Unbxd replaced Deborah Lippmann’s Magento search with a comprehensive product-discovery platform that understood shopper intent, corrected spelling errors, and recognised colour-specific and long-tail queries. The upgrade introduced predictive autocomplete, highly relevant results, and a 1-to-1 recommendation engine that facilitated upselling and cross-selling. Deborah Lipmann could now launch occasion-based landing pages and promotional banners through an intuitive dashboard—no IT tickets required—and the implementation was completed in just two weeks. Since going live, Deborah Lipmann has recorded a 45% increase in orders, a 40% rise in conversion rate, 30% more click-throughs, and a 28.6% uplift in revenue, underscoring how more intelligent search and personalized recommendations can directly accelerate growth for beauty brands.

Conclusion: It's time to level up your digital shelf

In haircare, purchase confidence is everything. Without the ability to touch, smell, or sample, online shoppers rely entirely on how intelligently your store communicates. That’s where AI steps in.

Investing in AI-powered product discovery and catalog enrichment transforms your ecommerce experience from static to strategic. It turns your site into a trusted advisor, boosts revenue, lowers returns, and builds lasting loyalty.

Ready to make your store as smart and intuitive as your best sales associate? It starts with enriching your catalog and empowering discovery with AI.

Explore our solutions!