Case study · Lenehans
What 10,000+ conversations looked like
Lenehans, a 160-year-old Dublin hardware business, does 80% of its trade online. In-store they had expert staff on hand; online they didn't. Here's how a digital member of staff filled the gap.
- 3.6x
- higher conversion than any other tracked channel
- +60%
- larger average basket
- 132 hrs
- of estimated staff time saved on customer service
- 1 in 4
- conversations surfaced a follow-up worth acting on
March – August 2026
The problem
The questions a product page can't answer
Lenehans had built a strong online presence, but they kept losing customers at the same point: when someone had a question their product page couldn't answer.
“Will this paint cover a dark wall?” “Which drill bits work on concrete blocks?” “What fixings do I need to hang shelves safely?”
Product pages show the price and basic specs. They don't answer real questions. Customers don't call. They don't email. They leave.
“We used to have a guy who worked here years ago called Liam, who knew everything about everything. But this knows even more.”
The solution
An assistant that reads the whole catalogue
In August 2025, Lenehans embedded the AI Shop Assistant on their website. It sits on every page, answers questions in plain language, and searches their entire catalogue in real time using live stock data.
A customer asks “I'm painting over a dark navy wall, how many coats of this white will I need?” and gets an actual answer — not a product listing, not a vague description, but guidance based on the specific product and their situation.
- Product discovery for customers who don't know exactly what they need
- Compatibility questions — will this work with what I already have?
- Usage advice — how much do I need, how do I install it?
- Support questions — delivery times, returns, stock availability
Every conversation is automatically analysed, so Lenehans can see what customers are asking, where they're getting stuck, and which products are confusing people.
The results
Their best-performing sales channel
Shoppers who used the assistant converted at 3.6x the rate of Lenehans' next-best tracked channel, making it their best-performing sales channel. Their average baskets were 60% larger than the site average.
It has also saved Lenehans' team an estimated 132 hrs of customer-service time, while roughly 1 in 4 conversations surfaces something worth acting on — from products customers could not find to friction the team had not spotted.
“I can see the money flowing in that's fully attributable to the AI.”
“We've seen thousands of customer chats with the AI, with some pinch points in our checkout system identified as a direct result of those AI chats. We've tweaked purchase funnels in the checkout as a result of people flagging issues.”
The unexpected benefit
Their own staff started using it
Within weeks of going live, something unexpected happened. Lenehans' staff started using the assistant themselves — on the shop floor, during in-store customer conversations.
A customer asks about a product the staff member isn't familiar with. Instead of walking to the stockroom or guessing, they pull up the assistant on their phone, get the answer instantly, and help the customer make a confident decision.
It's become an onboarding tool for new hires and a knowledge base for the entire team. For a hardware store with thousands of SKUs across power tools, plumbing, paint and building materials, it's like having an expert on every product category available 24/7.
“It does a great job guiding customers through product 'how-tos', breaking down features step by step, and giving clear, helpful advice that makes everything easy to understand. When I look back at the chat transcripts, it's amazing how natural the conversations feel, so much so that a lot of people think they're chatting with a real person. The addition of product pictures in the replies has been a big plus, making it simple for customers to spot the right item and compare options. It's honestly become a really important part of our team and plays a big role in delivering a great customer experience.”
Industry recognition
Covered nationally and in the trade press
Lenehans' early adoption of AI in retail has attracted attention from both national and industry media.
What this means for other retailers
What it could do for your store
Lenehans shows what an AI shop assistant can do when customers need help choosing products and answering questions before they buy.
Think of it as a digital member of staff: it handles routine questions, supports product discovery and turns conversations into information the retailer can act on.
Tell us your website and your traffic and we'll come back with a fixed price, plus a free demo to judge it on your own catalogue before deciding whether to go live.
Next step
Get your price for your store
Fixed monthly pricing, no setup fees, no volume limits. Tell us your website and traffic and we'll come back with your price, plus a free working demo on your actual catalogue.