There are sectors where a wrong purchase is not just a return. In workwear, safety footwear, or personal protective equipment, making the wrong choice can have direct consequences: a worker without the proper certification, a product that does not meet the required jobsite regulations, or an order that has to be urgently placed again.
The customer who visits this type of online store is not looking for inspiration. They arrive with a technical question. For example, “I need comfortable boots that comply with EN ISO 20345,” or they want to know whether a specific model is suitable for surfaces with electrical hazard risk. These types of questions can now be answered thanks to conversational search, with technology such as Doofinder’s AI Assistant.
We can see this in online stores such as Iturri, a company specializing in workwear and workplace safety equipment with more than 10,000 customers worldwide. Its catalog is technical by definition: European regulations, protection levels, and materials with specific certifications. Its store, built on PrestaShop, has had Doofinder integrated since 2024.
When Iturri integrated Doofinder’s AI Assistant into its eCommerce, the goal was not to add a chatbot. The goal was for the online store to respond the way a specialized in-store technician would: by understanding the context of the query, knowing the applicable regulations, and guiding the buyer to the right product.
The difference from traditional search is clear in the very first message. A user writes: “I work in logistics, I spend many hours standing on hard floors. I need comfortable boots that comply with EN ISO 20345. What do you recommend?”
The assistant, powered by Doofinder’s artificial intelligence, does not return a list of keyword-based results. Instead, it understands the context (extended use, hard surfaces, mandatory safety regulation), filters the catalog accordingly, and suggests options with a safety toe and a sole designed for that type of workday.
Within that same conversation, the user can ask about differences between models and compare products, as well as check shipping terms or the return policy. All of this happens without leaving the search tool, opening another tab, or needing to contact customer service.
For Iturri’s team, this has a twofold impact. On the one hand, it reduces the risk of incorrect purchases in a category where mistakes carry a real cost, both for the buyer and for the online store. On the other, it eases the burden on the support team by resolving questions directly within the conversational search layer.
Every interaction with Doofinder’s AI Assistant generates data that goes beyond what was purchased: what was asked before buying or before leaving, which regulations concern buyers most, which technical features generate the most uncertainty, or which categories have latent demand that the catalog is not covering well.
That layer of intelligence is what turns AI Assistant into more than just a UX tool. It is powerful information for the eCommerce team, helping them make decisions about the catalog, product page content, and commercial strategy.
Iturri’s case is not exclusive to the workplace safety sector. The same pattern applies to any eCommerce business where the buying process requires technical judgment: specialized electronics, pharmacy, industrial supplies, or sports nutrition.
In all of these cases, the traditional search engine interprets what the customer writes, but not what the customer needs through natural language. And in technical categories, that difference comes at a cost.
If you would like to explore the topic in greater depth, the next edition of Ecommerce Talks Live will take place on May 21 at Doofinder’s offices in Madrid, co-organized with PrestaShop, Reskyt, Profileo, Alma, and Alcalink. It is an afterwork-format event where eCommerce Managers, together with other industry experts, will share what is truly working in their PrestaShop eCommerce stores. If you run an eCommerce business and want to learn from real-world experiences, this is an event you should not miss.
Photo: Doofinder
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