With over two billion cups consumed globally each day, coffee is a cherished daily ritual for many — the magic elixir that fuels the world. In recent years, the way we brew coffee at home has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to pioneers like Nestlé Nespresso.
Since its breakthrough domestic coffee machine was launched in 1996, Nespresso has elevated home brewing to a barista-quality experience, allowing coffee lovers to enjoy premium, café-style beverages whenever they want, from the comfort of their own homes. Not only has its iconic capsule system changed the way we drink espresso, the company continues to push the boundaries of fine coffee experiences through innovations in sustainability, personalized blends, and its brewing technology.
Beyond the cup, Nespresso’s focus on customer-centric innovation and its digital journey are equally impressive. Central to this journey is the integration of SAP Commerce Cloud and Coveo’s AI-powered search and product discovery platform, creating personalized, efficient experiences for coffee lovers worldwide.
Coveo Serves Up Impactful Search and Product Discovery
Coveo plays a pivotal role in Nespresso’s ecommerce strategy, enabling personalized search and recommendations. With Coveo’s AI-driven search platform layered on top of SAP Commerce Cloud, Nespresso offers more than just a catalog search — customers can explore educational articles, recipes, FAQs, and machine assistance pages all in one place.
“Coveo is powering the search experience on our site in a powerful and impactful way. We provide search for not only our product catalog but also relevant articles like recipes or machine assistance pages and our FAQs are searchable as well. These capabilities really help guide the customers no matter what their intent.”
Ian Bennett, Digital Commerce Optimization Lead, Nespresso USA
Thanks to Coveo, customers who land on the Nespresso website with a specific intent, can now find products and information much more efficiently than scrolling through categories or multiple menus and landing pages. As Bennett explains, “We’ve been able to leverage specific searches with customized messages, so we’re providing the customer with the latest information and news at the right time and right place.”
For example, when customers started searching for iced coconut at the beginning of this summer, Nespresso was easily able to recognize the early excitement for this seasonal favorite. “As soon as we noticed the spike in search queries, we responded with a playful yet reassuring message to let customers know to stay tuned for limited edition flavors, acknowledging their interest and offering a teaser for what’s ahead.”
Driving Engagement and Revenue
Since implementing Coveo’s AI-powered search, Nespresso Austria for example, has seen significant improvements across key performance indicators, underscoring its impact on both user experience and business outcomes.
These figures clearly illustrate that with a little encouragement, customers are not only finding what they’re looking for but are also open to exploring and purchasing new products, further enhancing the shopping experience and driving sales.
Global Search, Local Flavors: Catering to Coffee Lovers Worldwide
Nespresso’s global footprint requires a deep understanding of customer preferences across different regions. Through Coveo’s advanced analytics, Nespresso is able to track search behaviors, identify trends, and respond quickly with personalized content that resonates with local audiences.
“Implementing Coveo AI search was a game-changer. Its transformative power enhances usability, boosts conversions, and drives revenue. We’re excited to keep leveraging Coveo’s insights to optimize our localized sites around the world and exceed customer expectations.”
Daniela Kulunshic, National Ecommerce Manager, Nespresso Austria
Daniela recently shared compelling examples of how Coveo is drastically reducing zero-result searches while enhancing the visibility of the entire product catalog.
Misspellings
If a customer misspells a product name, the AI still delivers the correct results. This feature is especially valuable since names like “Volluto,” “Capriccio,” or “Aeroccino” can be challenging for some users, making it easier for them to find what they’re looking for.
Undecided Customers
Coveo’s AI helps guide customers through product options. When searching for “kaffeemaschine” (coffee machine), smart filtering options help narrow down and refine their search. This feature allows Nespresso to showcase its entire machine range, with best-sellers shown first. Additionally, the search rankings can be easily adjusted by merchandisers to promote specific machine types or highlight special editions.
Content Search
For more informal searches, such as “Melange,” a popular Viennese coffee, customers are directed to recipes or product descriptions. The AI also shines in machine-related queries, where users seeking help with usage or maintenance, like descaling instructions for the “Essenza Mini,” can easily access both product details and relevant service pages in one convenient search.
Product Recommendations
These have seen a notable boost following the use of Coveo AI. Many customers reorder the same products, but the AI suggests similar items that might pique their interest, leading to a potential increase in sales and a richer browsing experience for coffee lovers.
The efficiency gains extend to Nespresso’s internal operations as well. The implementation of Coveo AI has kept the team’s workload manageable while delivering actionable insights through its analytics tools. This has enabled Nespresso to continuously optimize their product offerings and improve the overall customer experience based on real-time data.
Richer Business Insights Boost Sales
Implementing Coveo has been a win-win for Nespresso, benefiting both customers and the company. The search functionality not only enhances the customer experience but also provides Nespresso with immediate insights into customer intent. “Thanks to Coveo, we gain direct insight into visitor intent when they arrive on our site, revealing more than just a basic list of searched terms.” Bennett noted. This has led to surprising discoveries, such as customers frequently searching for specific product names rather than generic terms.
One standout example is when its iced coffee tumbler went viral on TikTok, instantly becoming the top search term. Nespresso was able to respond swiftly with targeted messaging, capitalizing on the surge in interest. Similarly, coffee recipes of the month often surge to the top of search queries, allowing the company to adjust its merchandising strategies based on consistent trends in product and coffee attribute searches.
Another unexpected insight from Coveo’s search tool involved Nespresso’s descaling kit on its Austrian site. “Descaling” had long been identified as a term that received a lot of search queries but zero conversions from blog and service pages. Within just seven days of implementing Coveo, Nespresso identified that one of the top user queries was actually “descaling kit” and it became clear that customers were struggling to find the product on the site. In response, Nespresso improved the kit’s visibility by adding direct links in the submenu and optimizing call-to-action buttons in related blog articles, leading to an 82% increase in add-to-cart actions and a 144% revenue boost from the blog article.
These examples highlight how Coveo’s search data not only enhances usability but also drives conversions and revenue. By leveraging these insights, Nespresso continues to refine its product offerings and optimize customer experiences.
Composable Commerce Paves the Way for Agile Future
A key trend in ecommerce today is composable commerce — a modular, flexible approach to building and managing digital solutions. Bennett and his team are currently evaluating this approach against headless ecommerce and traditional monolithic tech stacks.
“We are leaning into a composable ecommerce experience as we reassess and evolve our technology architecture,”Bennett explained.“This approach offers us the flexibility to tailor our tools for each market, rather than being locked into a one-size-fits-all solution.” Bennett emphasized that this flexibility is crucial for a global brand like Nespresso, where a single solution often falls short, especially in the dynamic ecommerce industry.
For Nespresso, the priority in selecting an ecommerce solution is finding technology that delivers incremental value, is usable across multiple markets, and allows for independent localization and optimization. These factors are essential for achieving the company’s digital optimization goals.