Nordic electronics retailer Elkjøp is revolutionizing its digital customer journey by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered experience analytics from Contentsquare, enabling the company to shift from reactive to predictive, data-driven customer engagement strategies.
Julia Paulsen, Elkjøp's Director of eCommerce, reports that her team's integration of weekly feedback from over 21,000 customers with advanced AI tools, comprehensive business data, and detailed website usage insights has transformed the online shopping experience, making it faster, easier, and more personalized for visitors. Paulsen explains:
We're capturing real-time behavioral data, which we need to because every click, every bounce, and every scroll tells a story we need to pay attention to.
Using data and now AI also means we're not guessing anymore; we're listening. That means we personalize experiences in the moment - offering relevant products, content, and promotions based on actual user actions.
The data-driven approach delivers immediate results during last year's crucial November shopping period. By implementing a new urgency messaging feature and optimizing the checkout experience, Elkjøp achieves remarkable outcomes:
The team also identifies previously hidden checkout process issues through user frustration data analysis and direct customer feedback. Addressing these problems, particularly for mobile users, results in a six percent conversion increase within a week.
This success represents the beginning of a broader cultural shift across Elkjøp's eCommerce operations, moving away from assumption-based decisions toward data-driven strategies. Paulsen emphasizes:
This is not a project but a continuous way of working to improve the website and, ultimately, Elkjøp as a business.
Elkjøp -- a combination of 'electronics' and the Norwegian verb for 'shop' -- is the largest consumer electronics retailer in the Nordic countries. The company has been part of UK electronic retailer Currys' portfolio since 1999, with Paulsen joining the organization in 2021.
Her mission focuses on helping the online/e-commerce division develop stronger customer connections through digital channels. She notes:
In stores, it's easy -- you ask questions and get insights. Online, it's different -- but we don't think it has to be. We are actually very lucky because customers are clicking, bouncing, they are telling us what they like, what they don't like; we just need to understand those signals and make improvements that help both sides.
Paulsen's background includes experience at European online fashion brand Zalando, where she developed a strong conviction about data analytics' power. This led her to search for a customer experience platform that can provide deep insights into user issues across shopping channels.
The search culminates in adopting Contentsquare, which delivers detailed insights into customer frustration incidents and abandoned shopping journeys - crucial for balancing the company's strong in-store experience with digital excellence. Paulsen explains:
We are an omni-channel player; we have over 400 stores and the biggest website when it comes to retail in the Nordics. But translating all that excellence and physical interaction with customers to online can present some challenges.
While Elkjøp previously had measurement tools, they are too complex for widespread adoption across the organization. Paulsen comments:
It has to be about everyone having access and understanding of data - not only having data but having the insight and understanding what it means so that everyone speaks the same language.
Contentsquare was implemented alongside a website refresh four years ago. Today, everyone from UX designers to product owners and country content managers can easily access real-time site performance data and identify emerging issues.
The platform provides what Paulsen calls "chewy" and usable data:
Now, my best people start their day with this - they grab their coffee, open the dashboards, read the AI summaries, and know exactly what needs attention.
Teams apply these insights through testing partnerships with Dynamic Yield (now part of Mastercard), ensuring that proposed solutions are validated against actual user behavior rather than assumptions.
One early revelation challenges fundamental assumptions: while the team focused heavily on the homepage, analysis reveals that 44 percent of visits actually go directly to individual product pages. This insight prompts a strategic reprioritization of site optimization efforts.
The next evolution involved implementing Contentsquare's SensePilot AI, which analyzes website user session videos at scale to identify trends that human reviewers might miss. Paulsen reports:
It's transformed how we work. Previously, staff had to sift through hours of screen recordings to spot issues and instead of us sitting through 20 videos, the AI just tells us what the biggest issues are.
However, she emphasizes that AI isn't a silver bullet:
If your master data isn't in order, AI can't help you. You need to fix the fundamentals before you can fly.
Elkjøp is currently optimizing search functionality and merchandising capabilities to enhance AI recommendation relevance. The ultimate goal is making online interactions as trusted and valuable as in-store consultations. Paulsen states:
For the online side of the business to become a trusted advisor online comes from understanding what customers are actually looking for -- not just pushing offers we think are good for them.
That means we need to use data and AI to shift from 'Here's what we want to sell you' to 'Here's what you're actually looking for,' based on your behavior, clicks, and signals.
Paulsen's key learning emphasizes that data collection must serve a clear purpose and drive meaningful change. She concludes:
