Klevu vs Valen: on-site search and storefront compared
Klevu and Valen compared: search, merchandising and personalization on one side, an agentic storefront with conversational search on the other.
What Klevu is and which category it belongs to
Klevu is a search, merchandising and personalization solution for ecommerce, now presented as part of Athos Commerce. Its official website and documentation describe on-site search, category merchandising, personalization and product recommendations. The core of the product is the search box and what follows from it: results, ranking and category pages managed by the team. That puts it in the site search and product discovery category, where result quality and merchandising control are the main variables.
What Valen is
Valen is the agentic storefront that adapts your ecommerce in real time to what each customer is looking for. Valen lets shoppers search the catalog and ask questions about products within a conversation, as demonstrated on a demo store. The other Valen capabilities mentioned on this page have also been demonstrated on a demo store.
Two approaches: a dedicated tool or a layer on the storefront
An on-site search engine starts from the query: the shopper types keywords, the engine returns ranked results and the team tunes relevance, synonyms and priorities. It works well when visitors already know what they want and need to find it quickly. A storefront layer starts from conversation and behavior: the shopper can describe a need in their own words, ask questions, and the interface changes in response. That helps when the search is still vague, such as "a gift for someone who runs" rather than a product name.
What Valen adapts along the buying journey
These are the capabilities related to search and product discovery.
- Valen lets shoppers search the catalog and ask product questions within the conversation.
- Valen offers a results page that a store can enable for its visitors.
- Shoppers can speak their requests instead of typing them.
- Shoppers can open a quick view of a product while browsing.
- Shoppers can move between the product preview and the chat and back again without losing the product they were viewing.
- Valen offers recommendations while keeping the catalog browsable.
- Valen completes and enriches the attributes of catalog product listings.
When Klevu may make sense
Klevu is a solid choice when on-site search is the main problem and you want a dedicated tool for results, ranking and merchandising. It makes sense for large catalogs where the team wants to decide which products rise to the top of searches and categories. It also suits teams that want personalization and recommendations built around search, within one ecosystem.
When Valen may make sense
Valen may make sense if your shoppers arrive with questions rather than keywords, since it lets them search and ask about products in conversation. It also helps when you want shoppers to explore without losing their place: Valen keeps the product open as they move between preview and chat. If your product listings have incomplete attributes, Valen enriches them, as demonstrated on a demo store.
Can they be used together?
Yes: keyword search and conversational search cover different intents. The search box can stay with Klevu and its merchandising rules. Valen's conversation can serve shoppers who prefer to describe a need or ask a question about a product. Decide which tool owns the results page, so the same search does not lead to two different experiences.
How to choose
- How your shoppers search: precise keywords, or descriptive requests and questions?
- Merchandising control: how much do you need to set result order by hand?
- Catalog quality: are listing attributes complete, or do they need enriching?
- Input channels: do you want shoppers to be able to speak instead of type?
- Platform: Valen integrates into the store's Shopify theme.
Frequently asked questions
Are Klevu and Valen both search engines?
Not in the same sense. Klevu presents itself as a search, merchandising and personalization solution. Valen is the agentic storefront that adapts your ecommerce in real time to what each customer is looking for, and it includes catalog search inside the conversation.
Does Valen have a results page?
Yes: Valen offers a results page that a store can enable, as demonstrated on a demo store.
Can shoppers search by voice with Valen?
Shoppers can speak their requests instead of typing them, as demonstrated on a demo store.
Is Klevu part of Athos Commerce?
Yes, Klevu's official website now presents the product as part of Athos Commerce.