Efficient search optimization, without replacing what already works.
hagebau connect extended its novomind iSHOP with searchHub: 2.5 million search terms optimized in seven months, click-through up 25% — and the proven system underneath untouched.
A strong brand — from bike helmets to 30-kilo bags of mortar.
If it says hagebau online shop on the outside, hagebau connect is behind it: the group’s independent digital commerce company, on a mission to bring a true omnichannel shopping experience to a catalog that runs from dishwashers to cylinder head bolts.
hagebau itself has stood for reliability and variety in the DIY, home-improvement and garden segment since 1964 — a cooperative network of independent mid-sized companies with a leading role in the sector’s future.
High maintenance, complex data — and a system worth keeping.
The integrated novomind iSHOP search gave hagebau connect a solid foundation — but the long-tail told a different story: thousands of unique queries, each with its own purchase potential, going untapped. Inconsistent spellings across product data and search terms, alphanumeric model numbers, typos, and 400 to 500 manually maintained redirects added up to a maintenance load no team could keep pace with.
The stakes were high: roughly one-third of online revenue comes in through search. Replacing the system was not an option — automating on top of it was.
Guesswork and dead ends, solved on top of novomind iSHOP — manual control preserved.
searchHub enhances the existing search with intelligent automation while the team keeps its proven manual controls. Synonym management and intent clustering run on their own; the team focuses on high-impact optimizations.
Raw search data turned into strategic knowledge: precise revenue attribution per keyword and deep insight into how customers actually search — so the team optimizes where it counts, instead of guessing.
Every variation with the same purchase intent — typos, alternate spellings, even complex queries with numeric values — now reliably leads to relevant products. And before customers finish typing, a digital sales assistant guides them there, showing only high-converting suggestions fed by insight data.
Integration took record time. “We’ve never integrated a search tool this quickly and smoothly,” says Christopher Anker-Ladefoged. “What’s most impressive is how much manual work the system saves us.” The investment: one-fifth to one-sixth the cost of comparable solutions.
470,000 “unoptimizable” queries became conversion drivers.
In seven months, searchHub automatically optimized 2.5 million search terms — a task that would take a dedicated team decades by hand. Click-through rose 20–25%, add-to-cart on searches rose 10%, and zero-result searches dropped by 2–3 percentage points. Occasional fine-tuning replaced constant adjustment.
“We didn’t just introduce a new discovery technology; we uncovered the hidden purchase intent behind 470,000 long-tail queries — precisely where others only see data errors,” says Mathias Duda, Co-Founder & CSO at searchHub.
Search analysis beyond top queries and zero results: pre-built reports, revenue attribution, and clear priorities.
How we solve itGroups long-tail keywords into purchase-intent clusters; only the strongest query per cluster reaches the engine. Suggestions become data-driven: the most relevant parts of the assortment in minimal space — accurate, meaningful, duplicate-free.
How we solve it