By leveraging Akeneo's GenAI capabilities to optimize product descriptions and cross-channel content, KARL LAGERFELD saw a 5% increase in organic SEO traffic and a 16% increase in add-to-cart rates.
Renowned designer's eponymous brand, KARL LAGERFELD, partnered with product experience company Akeneo to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, resulting in a 5% increase in organic SEO traffic to its product pages and a 16% increase in add-to-cart rates.
KARL LAGERFELD continues founder Karl Lagerfeld's iconic vision and design aesthetic, integrating it with a contemporary, forward-thinking spirit. Its signature aesthetic combines classic Parisian style with rock chic and tailored silhouettes. Its portfolio of affordable, aspirational collections includes ready-to-wear, bags and small leather goods for women, men and children. Additional collections include watches, eyewear, footwear, fragrances, candles and fashion jewelry.
KARL LAGERFELD's immersive retail experience includes more than 200 monobrand stores worldwide, with key locations in Paris, London, Munich, Moscow, New York, Dubai and Shanghai. The brand further connects with consumers through a premium wholesale distribution network across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its online platform, Karl.com, serves 33 countries in 9 languages ​​and stocks approximately 1,800 products, which are updated seasonally every six months with new collections.
KARL LAGERFELD had already been successfully leveraging Akeneo’s leading PIM solution to deliver an accurate and consistent product catalog across all shopper touchpoints, and in 2024, they began using Akeneo’s native generative AI (GenAI) capabilities to support content creation, boost SEO performance, and transcribe the language of their product description pages across international markets.
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The brand previously employed two external freelance copywriters, but after incorporating AI into its product experience workstream, KARL LAGERFELD transitioned to one content editor with a strategically modernized role that also includes fine-tuning the editorial of product content and providing feedback to continuously improve AI prompts.
The process combined talent coaching and refinement of automated elements in tandem to ensure brand equity and customer experience were maintained at all times. Yoko Fujimoto Shitar, Senior Manager of E-Commerce Trading at Karl Lagerfeld, explains: “We are Karl Lagerfeld. We represent the designer, so our tone of voice is very important to our branding. AI can sometimes struggle to fully interpret the brand's tone, and it's important not to lose that. That's why we need a human brand manager to fine-tune the product copy.”
Shitar Fujimoto explains that the shift to a hybrid human-Gen AI model has given the brand a deeper understanding of its product content creation strategy, resulting in a product content guide that encompasses its entire product experience strategy. To date, KARL LAGERFELD has seen a 5% increase in organic SEO traffic to its product pages, a 16% increase in add-to-cart rates, and a significant reduction in costs associated with translation.
Justin Thomas, VP Sales EMEA North at Akeneo, commented: “Karl Lagerfeld's embrace of the power of GenAI demonstrates the transformative nature of this technology. By automating time-consuming processes, it frees up the company's vital human resources to focus on creating a compelling brand and customer experience.”
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