How MPHOnline Boosted AOV by 15% with AI-Powered Search and Seamless Online Discovery

Ellie Ho

May 21, 2025

May 28, 2025

•

3 min read

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MPH Bookstores Sdn. Bhd. has long stood as one of Malaysia’s most recognized and respected names in book retail, with a legacy that stretches back to 1890. For over a century, the store inspired generations to read, learn, and grow. That mission continued into the digital age through MPHOnline.com - an eCommerce platform offering a wide-ranging catalog of books, educational materials, and literature from both local and international publishers.

Their aim was to make book discovery as seamless and enjoyable as possible for every customer, while also increasing sales and elevating their digital presence. Boost AI Search & Discovery was proud to support MPHOnline in delivering on that vision.

In this case study, we explore how MPHOnline, with the support of Boost, brought the joy of reading closer to its audience, transforming online discovery into a more intuitive, personalized experience. The result: significant increases in both conversion rates (CR) and average order value (AOV), driven by smarter search, scalable performance, and a streamlined customer journey.

In just weeks, MPHOnline achieved:

15% increase in AOV
12% boost in CR
18% reduction in bounce rate on search pages

The Challenge: Making a Vast Catalog Discoverable

MPHOnline faced a common but critical eCommerce challenge: an extensive and growing book catalog that was difficult for customers to navigate. With thousands of titles spanning genres, authors, and formats, shoppers often struggled to find what they needed.

Their existing Shopify search solution lacked the capability to interpret nuanced queries, manage synonyms, or correct misspellings. As a result, many users encountered dead-end searches, irrelevant results, and a frustrating user experience. This led to increased bounce rates, lower session durations, and missed revenue opportunities.

Moreover, the legacy search tool lacked advanced filtering options. Readers seeking books by format, language, author, or topic had to sift through pages of results, often giving up before finding what they needed. These limitations became more pronounced as the store expanded its digital catalog.

Why Boost? A Strategic Choice for Smarter Online Discovery

Key advantages included:
- Real-time typo correction and smart filtering
- Behavior-based ranking
- Context-aware, relevant results that convert

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When evaluating search and filter solutions, SM Faizal, E-Commerce Manager at MPHOnline, explored several options on the Shopify App Store. But none offered the combination of scalability, intelligence, and usability that Boost delivered.

The key differentiator? Boost AI is able to think like a shopper.

The system adapts to how users type, browse, and search - interpreting intent, handling misspellings, and delivering relevant results in real time. This shopper-centric intelligence transformed search from a static utility into a dynamic, conversion-driving experience

Unlike other apps that struggled with large catalogs, Boost effortlessly handled MPHOnline's extensive inventory, ensuring fast and accurate search results. This scalability was crucial, allowing them to confidently expand their online offerings without compromising discovery or speed.

Beyond scalability, Boost offered a compelling combination of features that aligned perfectly with their goals: advanced filters, real-time personalization, and actionable analytics.

“Boost’s robust analytics and product recommendation engine stand out from other apps by providing deeper insights and more accurate, real-time suggestions, ultimately leading to better conversion rates and increased customer engagement.” — SM Faizal, MPHOnline

Smarter Search: Mimicking How Readers Think and Search

Boost's AI-powered search engine goes beyond keyword matching. It understands the context and intent behind search queries, handling misspellings and synonyms with ease. Customers can now search by author, genre, category, or even format. It interprets context, intent, and user behavior - enabling MPHOnline customers to search more naturally, whether by author, genre, format, or theme.

Even vague or misspelled queries return accurate, relevant results. For example, if a customer searches for “Harry Poter” or “selfhelp book,” Boost can interpret the intent and deliver spot-on suggestions.
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Misspelt search terms are no problem for Boost’s intelligent search engine.

Where previous searches may have ended in a dead end, Boost’s intelligent engine offers a way forward. It automatically suggests popular terms and trending titles, helping to extend time on site and reduce bounce rates..

The advanced filtering options allowed customers to effortlessly narrow their searches by genre, author, format, and other relevant criteria.

Dedicated filters for each collection with a search bar to search bar to look for products within the specific collection.

Personalized Merchandising: Bigger Baskets, Happier Readers

With thousands of titles to browse, MPHOnline needed a way to surface relevant, high-converting products without overwhelming shoppers.

Boost's personalized recommendation engine made this possible. By analyzing real-time customer behavior, the platform suggests titles tailored to individual interests - boosting cross-sell opportunities and increasing average order value (AOV).

The merchandising features with various rules like Pin, Boost, Demote, and Hide products allowed MPHOnline to strategically highlight new releases, bestsellers, and other key products, maximizing visibility and driving sales.

Intuitive merchandising rules like Pin, Boost, Demote, and Hide can be used to:

Highlight new releases and seasonal picks
Push bestselling and high-margin titles
Down-rank less relevant or out-of-stock items
Tailor visibility based on real-time shopper behavior

This level of control enabled the store to create a more curated and conversion-driven shopping experience, ensuring that the right titles reached the right readers at the right time.

Seamless Setup, Zero Hassles

Another key factor in MPHOnline’s successful rollout was the exceptional support provided by the Boost team. Faizal noted that the team’s responsiveness, technical expertise, and collaborative approach ensured a smooth, low-effort integration, with no disruption to site performance -underscoring Boost's commitment to partnering with its clients for success.

Boost’s team provided hands-on support from day one, helping MPHOnline:

Sync product data effortlessly
Customize search filters for book-specific categories
Maintain fast site performance, even as the catalogue scaled

The Results: Conversion-Focused Commerce, Powered by Boost

MPHOnline didn’t just notice the difference - they measured it. Since implementing Boost AI Search & Discovery, their online performance has significantly improved:

Metric	Change
Conversion Rate	Increased by 12%
Average Order Value	Rose by 15%
Bounce Rate on Search Pages	Dropped by 18%

+ 12% increase in conversion rate

More relevant search results and personalized recommendations directly translated into a higher percentage of visitors converting into customers.

+ 15% increase in average order value (AOV)

Smart bundling and tailored suggestions encouraged customers to add more to their baskets - significantly increasing AOV.

- 18% decrease in bounce rate on search pages
With accurate, intent-driven results delivered instantly, users found what they needed faster and stayed longer - turning more sessions into meaningful shopping experiences.

The Most Valuable Feature: Smart Search and Advanced Filters

For MPHOnline, the most impactful feature was Boost’s combination of smart search and advanced filtering. With thousands of titles available, the ability to help customers quickly refine results by genre, author, format, or language proved essential to both user satisfaction and conversion performance.

Even when users entered vague or misspelled queries, Boost delivered accurate and relevant results in real time, removing common roadblocks in the discovery process and guiding more shoppers toward purchase.

This level of search intelligence didn’t just improve usability - it transformed the way customers interacted with the site.

Addressing Initial Reservations: Built for Shopify, Ready for Global Scale

MPHOnline initially had reservations about Boost's ability to handle their large and dynamic catalog while maintaining speed and accuracy. They needed a solution that could integrate cleanly with their Shopify theme and checkout without slowing down site performance. With thousands of SKUs and a mix of collections, the technical demands were high.

However, these concerns were quickly alleviated. The integration process was seamless, and Boost's performance exceeded expectations, proving to be both scalable and reliable.

Boost met these requirements and more:

Full compatibility with Shopify Markets and localization tools
Seamless support for multiple languages, currencies, and stores
Real-time sync of product data and collections
No need for developer time or complex customizations

The Verdict: Enterprise Power, Mid-Market Price

With Boost, MPHOnline gained access to enterprise-grade product discovery - without the complexity, custom contracts, or overhead typically associated with high-end solutions. The app scaled effortlessly to meet the demands of a growing catalog and an increasingly discerning customer base.

“The app’s performance, reliability, and outstanding support have exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Boost to any retailer looking to streamline product discovery and boost sales, especially those with large or complex collections like ours.” — SM Faizal, E-Commerce Manager, MPHOnline

A Winning Formula for Digital Transformation

MPHOnline’s success story is a clear example of how AI-powered discovery tools can transform the online shopping experience. From intent-based search and advanced filters to personalized merchandising and scalable infrastructure, Boost helped the store to:

Delight shoppers with faster product discovery
Increase conversions and revenue
Future-proof their storefront with scalable, Shopify-native tools

If you're a merchant managing a large or complex product catalog and want to enhance customer experience while driving growth, MPHOnline’s story makes one thing clear: Boost isn’t just a search app; it’s a growth engine.

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Ellie Ho

•

Content Marketing Specialist

May 21, 2025

•

3 min read

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