How Zox Used AI to Solve Decision Paralysis for 50,000 Shoppers

Zox was founded in 2011 by Brandon Kuipers and his brothers. Their journey began with a simple idea: to create collectible wristbands, bracelets, and watchbands from recycled water bottles, each embedded with inspirational messages to uplift and inspire customers.

Zox has now sold almost 10 million products.

With a mission centered around environmental sustainability and personal motivation, Zox has carved out a unique niche in the accessory market. Their commitment to recycling and positive affirmations helps customers feel good about both their purchases and their personal journeys.

But as Zox added hundreds of products, they ran into a problem: it got harder for customers to figure out which product was right for them.

The customers were getting lost.

So they figured out how to use AI to fix it, and they told us all about it!

Let's dive in.

The Challenge: Overcoming Customer Indecision with a Growing Inventory

As Zox's product variety expanded, so did the challenge for customers to find the perfect item that resonated with their individual stories. This decision paralysis not only impacted customer satisfaction but also posed a significant barrier to sales conversion.

The Solution: Personalized Shopping with AI-Powered Quizzes 😉

To address this, Zox introduced an innovative solution—an Octane AI smart quiz integrated into their Shopify store. This smart quiz guides customers through a personalized journey to discover products that align with their current life chapters and goals, using AI to generate tailored messages and recommendations based on their responses.

One of the big reasons Zox chose to use the AI quiz is because it can automatically update itself every time a new product is added to the store. So even if Zox adds new products every day, their quiz doesn't have to be changed at all, the AI will take care of everything on it's own.

“Honestly, one of the most important pieces for it, one of our struggles even going into it is like we've wanted to do a quiz for forever, but the issue is, is like, as we're always selling out of new designs and adding new ones to the site, it's like, how do you keep that experience personalized and up to date without it just requiring a ton of like legwork on somebody's end.” 

 

Brandon Kuipers, Co-Founder of Zox

They were also able to make the entire quiz in under 5 hours while on vacation, and 3 hours of that was just thinking about what questions should be in the quiz.

Here's how the quiz works.

First it asks a multiple choice question.

And then a series of open ended text questions.

AI then looks at the shopper's answers, looks at all of the products on Zox, and then crafts a hand written note that recommends products that have affirmations that best resonate with this specific shopper.

Every single person who takes the Zox smart quiz gets a completely one of a kind note and recommendations.

Brandon told us he would have had to hire 5 full time employees to do the same work as their Octane AI quiz.

“We've gotten a ton of great feedback on it. People were blown away at how great it was. They're like, the team must have spent so much time on this. Honestly, was kind of laughing because I was like, I didn't spend that much time on this.” 

 

Brandon Kuipers, Co-Founder of Zox

Results

Since implementing the AI-powered quiz, Zox has seen remarkable engagement:

-    50,000 unique completions, highlighting the quiz’s effectiveness and user appeal.

-    Increased product discovery, especially for items that aren't top sellers but hold significant personal value for customers.

-    Positive feedback has been overwhelming, with many appreciating the personalized approach and the ease of finding products tailored to their needs.

In a nutshell, Zox's winning strategy is this:

1. Prompt new site visitors to take their smart quiz
2. Email new subscribers to take their smart quiz
3. The smart quiz learns what each shopper's goals are this year
4. The smart quiz writes an inspiring message just for that shopper and recommends products with AI that the shopper is most likely to resonate with

Looking Forward: Continuous Improvement and Expansion

As Zox continues to refine and expand their quiz, they aim to further personalize the shopping experience, making every visit a new discovery. "Our goal is to keep enhancing the AI to ensure it stays as relevant and helpful as possible, adapting not only to our evolving product line but also to the evolving stories of our customers," says Kuipers.