Total Increase In Operating Profit

Evidence and data. Interviewees noted that Algolia turned search from a passive utility into a strategic growth driver. By improving relevance, reducing null results, and enabling dynamic merchandising, interviewees reported that more visitors converted and average order values increased. Their teams leveraged Algolia’s intuitive controls to promote high-margin products and seasonal campaigns without developer bottlenecks, ensuring faster execution during critical trading windows. Better product discovery also unlocked upsell and cross-sell opportunities that were previously missed, creating a more personalized and frictionless experience for shoppers.

A product manager of digital factory of a packaging supplies company shared: “We saw a notable increase in revenue after implementing Algolia driven by improved search functionality and enhancements to the overall user experience. While higher raw material costs and subsequent price adjustments contributed to the revenue growth, the uplift was also supported by better product discovery and usability improvements. A significant portion of the gains came from the Algolia search engine itself, which is a critical feature for users.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite has annual revenue of $600 million.

• The composite sees a 2% increase in revenue, which is worth $12 million, due to Algolia.

• A 10% profit margin is applied to revenue.

Risks. Results may not be representative of all experiences, and the benefit will vary depending on the following:

• Total revenue.

• Increase in total revenue.

• Profit margin.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $2.5 million.

Improved Efficiency For Commerce Teams

Evidence and data. Interviewees reported that Algolia’s implementation transformed operational efficiency across multiple business functions. Their merchandising teams moved from manual ranking and spreadsheet-driven workflows to dynamic, AI-powered automation, saving hundreds of hours annually and enabling strategic focus on campaign planning rather than repetitive tasks. Interviewees noted their customer service representatives resolved inquiries faster due to accurate, typo-tolerant search that reduced call durations and minimized escalations, improving both employee productivity and customer satisfaction.

Sales teams at the interviewees’ organizations also leveraged Algolia’s instant, relevant results during client interactions, accelerating quote generation and boosting conversion opportunities. Their marketing teams benefited from intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces and real-time control over product visibility, eliminating cumbersome back-office processes and freeing time for creative initiatives. Collectively, these improvements not only reduced operational overhead but also unlocked new capacity for growth-oriented projects, positioning the interviewees’ organizations to scale efficiently while delivering superior customer experiences.

• A senior director of commerce technology at a metal goods company commented: “Our merchandising team has seen significant benefits from Algolia’s automation. Instead of manually managing product rankings, they can rely on Algolia to continuously optimize sort order based on performance and relevance. This hands-off approach not only simplifies operations but also ensures that customers see the most compelling products, driving higher engagement and revenue. It’s a major improvement in efficiency and a welcome change for the organization.”

• A product manager of digital factory at a packaging supplies company shared: “Our call center team now uses the e-commerce site’s search engine to quickly locate products thanks to significantly improved result relevance. This enhancement saves time, reduces the duration of customer calls, and improves the quality of responses. Agents no longer need to navigate multiple back-office systems to find answers, allowing them to resolve inquiries faster and deliver a more seamless customer experience.”

• An e-commerce manager at an automotive organization noted: “We haven’t reduced headcount in customer service — our company is growing — but enhanced site search and robust FAQs have significantly cut the time agents spend helping customers locate products. Today, both customers and agents can quickly find items on their own, reducing friction across calls and chats. As a result, approximately 85% of inquiries no longer require agent-led product searches, while only about 15% still do. Although we don’t have precise call duration metrics, the qualitative impact is clear: fewer frustrations for customers and a smoother experience for employees.”

• The product manager of digital factory at a packaging supplies company commented: “Marketers have seen significant efficiency gains, saving time on merchandising tasks. Rather than spending hours on manual processes, they now reallocate that time to more strategic initiatives, improving both productivity and the quality of their work. Algolia’s intuitive tools have streamlined workflows, enabling teams to focus on creativity and campaign optimization instead of repetitive operational tasks.”

• This interviewee continued: “Our sales team also leverages the website and Algolia’s search capabilities to showcase products to new customers. Given that we manage numerous large accounts with negotiated pricing, sales representatives often need to present tailored options during discussions. Using Algolia on their tablets enables them to quickly locate and display the right products, streamlining conversations and improving efficiency.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite has 18 marketing FTEs that save 23% of their time due to Algolia.

• The composite has 30 customer service FTEs that save 10% of their time due to Algolia.

• The composite has 56 sales FTEs that save 12% of their time due to Algolia.

• The composite has three merchandising FTEs that save 35% of their time due to Algolia.

• The fully burdened hourly rate for each FTE is $48. 

• The team members see a productivity recapture rate of 50%.

Risks. Results may not be representative of all experiences, and the benefit will vary depending on the following:

• Total number of marketing, customer service, sales and merchandising team sizes.

• Total time marketing, customer service, sales and merchandising FTEs save.

• Fully burdened hourly rates.

• Productivity recapture rate.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $1.6 million.

Redeployed Developer Savings

Evidence and data. By adopting Algolia, interviewees’ organizations gained operational agility. Interviewees noted that previously, their teams were bogged down maintaining rigid, in-house or legacy search systems that demanded heavy developer involvement for even minor refinements. Algolia’s cloud-native SaaS and turnkey capabilities eliminated that burden, enabling companies to cut dedicated search engineering time and reduce reliance on external agencies. Freed from repetitive maintenance, developers were reallocated to high-impact initiatives, such as enhancing user experience, accelerating feature rollouts, and driving innovation across e-commerce platforms.

• A product manager of digital factory at a packaging supplies company shared: “Previously, we needed two developers to work on the search engine, but now only one is required. This efficiency allows us to reallocate developer time toward improving the user experience. Before, there were only limited efforts focused on the search engine, but now, thanks to the time saved in development, we can dedicate more resources to enhancing the overall user experience.”

• The product manager of e-commerce of a home improvement company said: “Recently, we’ve reduced the developer workload significantly. Previously, we needed multiple developers to refine the search functionality, but that’s no longer necessary. Now, commercial teams can use Algolia to make refinements as they see fit, while we focus on other development priorities.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite reassigns 1.5 developers.

• The fully burdened annual salary for a developer is $125,000.

Risks. Results may not be representative of all experiences, and the benefit will vary depending on the following:

• Total number of developers reassigned.

• The fully burdened annual salary for a developer.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $396,000.

Unquantified Benefits

Interviewees mentioned the following additional benefits that their organizations experienced but were not able to quantify:

• Improved customer experience and brand perception. Interviewees felt that Algolia elevated their customer experience, making product discovery faster, more intuitive, and error tolerant. Features like typo tolerance, instant search, and intelligent ranking created a seamless journey for their organizations’ customers, reducing frustration and increasing satisfaction. Interviewees said their customers praised the ease of finding relevant products, even when using natural language or imperfect queries, which strengthened trust and loyalty. This improvement translated into positive feedback, reinforcing the perception of these brands as leaders in digital experience. By delivering a modern, responsive search interface, interviewees said their organizations positioned themselves as innovative and customer-centric, which they viewed as critical for staying ahead in competitive markets.
  An e-commerce manager at an automotive company commented: “We’ve received both positive and critical feedback throughout this process. When we first launched Algolia’s search functionality, we conducted a survey within the first week. At that point, we were still figuring things out, so some critical feedback was expected. However, in our most recent survey, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Users praised how easy it is to find what they’re looking for. They highlighted features like typo tolerance, which we didn’t have before. Now, even if they make a typo, the system understands their intent and delivers accurate results. Overall, Algolia has had a very positive impact on the customer experience. That’s what matters most to us — continuously improving and staying ahead by delivering solutions that make a real difference.”
  A product manager of e-commerce for a home improvement company shared: “People see us as a top-of-mind brand for home improvement. When they visit our site and can’t find what they need, they often go elsewhere which impacts our brand image. Improving search has changed that significantly. Previously, app store reviews were full of complaints like ‘I searched for A and only saw B,’ and users would uninstall the app. Now, those same reviews are positive, praising the improved search experience. Our average ratings in [app stores] have gone up, and customers are clearly happier with the results.”

• Improved organizational agility. Algolia reduced technical bottlenecks and accelerated time to market for new initiatives at the interviewees’ organizations, increasing their agility. Interviewees reported that the platform’s cloud-native SaaS architecture and intuitive tools allowed them to implement changes quickly without relying heavily on developers. This flexibility empowered their business users to manage merchandising, boost or bury products, and adapt search experiences in real time, especially during high-stakes events like seasonal campaigns or unexpected demand shifts. Interviewees highlighted that Algolia unlocked opportunities for innovation, such as deploying advanced filtering, multilanguage search, and AI-driven features, without complex custom builds. Overall, the ability to pivot rapidly and scale across regions strengthened the interviewees’ organizations’ operational responsiveness and supported strategic growth.
  The product manager of digital factory at a packaging supplies company shared: “We can now make changes directly in production, whereas previously we had to modify things in preproduction and wait until the next day for overnight replication. For marketing operations like Black Friday, if there were mistakes or adjustments needed, we had to wait until the following day. Now, we can easily make those changes in real time.”

• Faster innovation, time to market, and scalability across regions. According to interviewees, Algolia removed technical bottlenecks and simplified implementation, which allowed their organizations to accelerate the rollout of new features and product launches. Algolia’s API-first architecture and prebuilt components allowed their teams to quickly deploy advanced capabilities, such as instant search, dynamic filtering, and merchandising, without lengthy development cycles. Interviewees reported that initiatives that previously took weeks or months could now be executed in days, enabling rapid adaptation during seasonal campaigns and high-demand periods. This speed also supported the interviewees’ organizations’ global expansion, with new regions and localized experiences launched far faster than before. Algolia’s platform enabled seamless scalability across multiple languages, allowing teams to deliver effective search experiences in true multilingual environments.
  A senior director of commerce technology at a metal goods company commented: “A lot of the process has become very turnkey. For example, rolling it out to the UK wasn’t a major engineering effort — it wasn’t tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of development time. Instead, it was as simple as deciding to enable the UK, which took about two days of an engineer’s time, plus some training for the UK team to use Algolia.” The interviewee went onto to say, “We leveraged Algolia’s APIs to create new experiences quickly — things like improved filtering and predictive search would have taken thousands of hours to build from scratch.”
  This interviewee also noted: “We’ll soon be launching our European site and having search that works effectively in a true multilanguage environment is a major advantage. The platform’s capabilities — how we integrate it and the level of customization we can offer — play a big role in delivering an exceptional customer experience. That flexibility is a key part of the value we gain from this solution.”

• Enhanced employee productivity, satisfaction, and collaboration. Interviewees noted that implementing Algolia improved internal workflows and reduced friction for the teams that managed search and merchandising. Employees no longer had to spend excessive time manually sorting products or troubleshooting poor search results, which freed up their time and allowed them to focus on higher-value tasks like strategic initiatives and customer experience improvements. Interviewees explained that Algolia’s intuitive interface and automation capabilities made routine tasks faster and less frustrating, while making cross-team collaboration smoother. This shift eliminated repetitive, error-prone processes and empowered teams with better tools, increasing the interviewees’ organizations’ operation efficiency and boosting employee satisfaction.
  The e-commerce manager at an automotive company noted: “We are growing because we’ve been able to eliminate unnecessary tasks that previously consumed employees’ time. Now, they can work more efficiently and, more importantly, focus on strategic initiatives that drive the next phase of growth. Every team member has their own goals, and this shift creates opportunities for employees to step up and advance to the next level.”
  The product manager of digital factory for a packaging supplies company shared: “Previously, updating products and influencing search results was a complicated process. It required creating [spreadsheet] files and importing them into a non-user-friendly back office. Now, thanks to Algolia, teams can easily sort products using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Before, the process was so complex and tedious that people often avoided doing it. Now, with an intuitive interface, they’re happy to spend time on these tasks. As a result, they work faster and more efficiently — and enjoy the process.”

• Increased confidence in data and search accuracy. Interviewees emphasized that Algolia improved trust in search results and data accuracy compared to previous solutions. Before Algolia, users often encountered irrelevant or null results, creating frustration and uncertainty about product availability. With Algolia’s capabilities, such as typo tolerance, synonym handling, and dynamic ranking, teams now felt assured that customers and internal users could reliably find the right products quickly. Interviewees noted this confidence extended to merchandising and operational teams, who no longer needed to second-guess search performance or manually intervene as frequently.
  The e-commerce manager at an automotive company highlighted: “I know for a fact that customers are finding products faster and adding more items to their carts more quickly. That’s exactly what we aim for — creating a smooth, efficient checkout experience for everyone.”

• Enhanced support and guidance. Interviewees noted that Algolia delivered exceptional customer service that went beyond basic support. They praised Algolia’s responsiveness and willingness to collaborate on unique requirements, noting that the team actively listened and incorporated feedback into solutions. Interviewees appreciated Algolia’s proactive approach, including submitting tickets on their behalf and finding creative solutions.
  An e-commerce manager at an automotive company shared: “As part of our contract, we have ongoing idea sessions and regular meetings with their team — typically weekly, though not always every week. We’ve been fortunate to work with an amazing representative who consistently finds solutions for us. If she doesn’t have an immediate answer, she reaches out to her technical team and even submits tickets on our behalf to address issues. We often have unique requests, and being one of their first large B2B customers has allowed us to help influence their direction. Since most search platforms primarily serve B2C, we push the boundaries by requesting features outside the standard offering. We collaborate closely with their team and our own developers to make these enhancements work for our site.”

Flexibility

The value of flexibility is unique to each customer. There are multiple scenarios in which a customer might implement Algolia and later realize additional uses and business opportunities, including:

• Analytics driven catalog expansion. Interviewees noted that search analytics from Algolia revealed unmet demand. These insights allowed sourcing teams to add new products using a data-driven approach.

A product manager of digital factory for a packaging supplies company shared: “We wanted to leverage analytics to gather insights because it’s a great way to understand what users need. By sharing this information with the sourcing department, they can identify opportunities to add new products to the catalog when demand appears relevant.”

Flexibility would also be quantified when evaluated as part of a specific project (described in more detail in Total Economic Impact Approach).