Hello Retail vs Klevu
Search and discovery suite, or complete personalization platform?
Klevu is a strong AI search and discovery product with a Shopify-native heritage. Hello Retail covers the same ground and adds email personalization, Retail Media, and audience, all driven by one Product Intelligence engine. Both work. The right choice depends on how broad your roadmap is.
Two different scopes for ecommerce personalization
Klevu specializes in AI search and discovery. Hello Retail covers search and discovery alongside email, Retail Media, and audience, all sharing one Product Intelligence engine. Here's how they compare.
Complete personalization platform covering Search, Recommendations, Email, Retail Media, Pages, and Audience
AI search and discovery suite covering Search, Recommendations, and Category Merchandising
Merchandisers run the dashboard day-to-day. Developers use the API when needed.
Merchandisers configure search and discovery from the dashboard. Frontend integration is JS-led.
Search, Recommendations, Email, Retail Media, Pages, Audience in one platform
Search, Recommendations, and Category Merchandising. No email personalization or Retail Media.
Two layers: Product Intelligence analyzes 250M+ products across the network, combined with behavioral data from each shopper's live activity. Both feed every product.
Self-learning models trained on shopper behavior across its search, recommendations, and category merchandising.
Subscription pricing scaled to your catalog and traffic
Subscription pricing scaled to catalog and traffic
Product by product
Klevu focuses on the search and discovery surface. Hello Retail covers the full personalization stack. Here's what that means in practice.
Search
Learn moreAI-powered, personalized from day one. Merchandisers control business rules, pin products, and boost categories from the dashboard, or go deeper with the Search API.
AI search is Klevu's flagship product. Self-learning ranking, natural language understanding, and merchandiser controls for synonyms, redirects, and pinning.
The question to ask: Do you want search as part of a unified personalization platform, or a dedicated search and discovery product?
Recommendations
Learn morePart of the same platform and dashboard as search, powered by Product Intelligence. Pre-built algorithms work out of the box. Merchandisers configure and launch without developer involvement.
Smart Recommendations available as part of the discovery suite. Configurable from the Merchant Center, with placement rules and recommendation strategies.
The question to ask: Do you want recommendations that share one engine with email, Retail Media, and pages, or recommendations as part of a dedicated search and discovery suite?
Email personalization
Learn moreDedicated email product with Klaviyo integration. Personalized product blocks, price drops, and replenishment emails powered by Product Intelligence.
No email personalization product. Recommendations can be pulled into email tools via API, but the integration is on your team.
The question to ask: Is email personalization part of your roadmap?
Retail Media
Learn moreBuilt-in. Brands promote products within your search results and recommendation placements. A revenue stream from day one.
Not available as a native product. Sponsored placements would need to be built outside the Klevu suite.
The question to ask: Is monetizing your product placements a priority?
Merchandising pages
Learn morePersonalized category and brand pages built in. Merchandisers configure sorting, boosts, and overrides from the dashboard.
Smart Category Merchandising provides AI-ranked category pages with merchandiser controls for pinning, boosting, and visual merchandising. A core part of the Klevu suite.
The question to ask: Do you want category pages as part of a complete personalization platform, or as part of a search and discovery suite?
Implementation and onboarding
Both products launch quickly on major ecommerce platforms. The difference shows up later, when search performance plateaus and you need email, Retail Media, or audience to keep growing.
Hello Retail
One platform, one intelligence engine
Pre-built integrations for Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and more. Product Intelligence eliminates cold start, and the same engine powers Search, Recommendations, Email, Retail Media, and Pages, so each product you add extends the same intelligence rather than adding a separate tool.
Klevu
Strong AI search and discovery
Polished Shopify-native experience and merchandiser-friendly controls. The AI search and category merchandising are well-regarded in the Shopify ecosystem. For email personalization or Retail Media, you'll need a separate vendor.
6-8 weeks with pre-built integrations for major platforms
Weeks. The JS library installs cleanly on Shopify and other major platforms. Theme customization can extend the timeline.
Hello Retail, an agency, or your in-house developers handle the initial integration. Day-to-day is merchandiser-led from the dashboard, with developers using the API for deeper customization.
Implementation centers on installing the JS library and integrating it into your storefront theme, typically front-end developer or agency work. Merchandisers then manage search and discovery from the Merchant Center.
No cold start. Product Intelligence works from the first visitor.
AI ranking and personalization improve as shopper behavior data accumulates.
Pre-built for Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Shopware, Prestashop, Norce
Pre-built for Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Strong Shopify-native experience.
Merchandiser dashboard for configuration, analytics, personalized insights, and business rules. Full REST, GraphQL, and JS SDK for developers.
Merchant Center dashboard for search rules, banners, synonyms, and category merchandising. APIs for advanced use cases.
Which approach is right for you?
Both are strong products. The right choice depends on whether you need a dedicated search and discovery suite, or a complete personalization platform with email and Retail Media included.
Choose Hello Retail if
- You need more than search and discovery. Email personalization, Retail Media, and audience all live in one platform sharing one intelligence engine.
- You want intelligence to compound across products. Behavioral data from search informs email, and Retail Media decisions feed back into recommendations.
- You want predictable pricing. One vendor, one contract, no surprises as you grow.
- You want to launch fast. Pre-built integrations, no cold start, live in weeks.
Choose Klevu if
- Your only need is search and discovery. If email personalization and Retail Media are not on your roadmap, a dedicated suite can be a clean fit.
- You're a Shopify store looking for a polished, native AI search experience with strong merchandiser controls out of the box.
- You already have an email and Retail Media stack and don't need them to share an intelligence layer with search.
See the platform in action
The best way to understand the difference is to see Hello Retail working with your own product catalog. Book a personalized demo to see how Product Intelligence applies to your specific store.
Editorial note. Comparison based on publicly available information. Last reviewed: June 17, 2026. Features, pricing, and timelines change, for current details see each vendor's website.