Customer experience as a competitive advantage

Recognising individual needs in the masses

For Thomann, Europe's leading online retailer of musical instruments, customer experience is the key differentiator. But with over 120,000 products and millions of customers, how can you offer advice that feels as personal as in a brick-and-mortar store?

The challenge lay in the extreme variance of customer journeys: while a professional musician regularly needs small parts, a beginner is looking for comprehensive guidance when buying their first guitar. The old, rule-based system was no longer able to differentiate between these individual needs. The goal was to transfer the ‘music shop romance’, i.e. the feeling of being understood and individually advised by experts, to the digital platform.

A platform for personalised experiences

With the support of adesso, Thomann first transformed its data infrastructure into a high-performance Google Cloud environment. This technological modernisation served a clear purpose: to create a 360-degree view of the customer in order to guarantee relevance at every touchpoint.

The new recommendation system was developed in-house by the Thomann.io Data Division with support from the adesso Google Cloud team. Using Vertex AI Recommendations, an engine was implemented that understands user behaviour in real time. adesso created the necessary data foundation (state-of-the-art data platform) to ensure that recommendations not only work technically, but also reflect the customer's intention.

A particular focus was placed on responsible AI: intelligent filtering distinguishes between curiosity clicks on extremely expensive collector's items and genuine purchase intentions, for example, so as not to frustrate customers with irrelevant suggestions.

Hyper-personalisation that inspires

The new solution translates the human expertise of specialist advisors into a scalable algorithm. The result is hyper-personalisation that meets customers exactly where they are in their musical development. Whether in the newsletter, in the app or in the web shop, the recommendations feel organic and helpful rather than intrusive.

By combining technical precision with a deep understanding of the music community, Thomann has redefined the bar for digital customer experience in specialist retail. And the journey continues: future generative AI solutions will further blur the line between personal sales and digital expert advice.

• Increased relevance: Customers find what they are really looking for faster – the conversion rate rose by 3%.
• Inspiring shopping experience: Thanks to tailored cross-selling suggestions, the number of items in the shopping basket rose by 13%.
• Higher appreciation: Personalisation led to an increase in the average order value of 24%.
• Data protection as an anchor of trust: GDPR-compliant personalisation strengthens customer trust and long-term loyalty.
• Seamless journey: Consistent experiences across all devices (web, app, newsletter).