The Brand

RUDIS is a U.S. based sports brand that focuses on wrestling shoes and apparel. Founded in 2013 in Marysville, Ohio, its range includes wrestling shoes, training and competition apparel, custom team gear, and casual lifestyle clothing, all aimed at athletes from grassroots level through to top competitors. The brand also supports the wrestling community through athlete partnerships, grassroots initiatives, and live events.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer–first brand, with its ecommerce site serving as the primary platform for sales and storytelling. At the same time, RUDIS maintains a strong real-world presence through athlete partnerships, team programs, and live events, allowing the brand to build meaningful connections both online and on the mat.

RUDIS stands out by concentrating on a very specific niche rather than trying to compete with global, mass-market brands. After more than a decade in operation, the company has grown by combining a strong digital presence with a deep understanding of the wrestling community, using ecommerce as the main driver of both reach and scale.

The Challenge

As a digitally led brand, RUDIS relies on its online store as a core driver of growth. Following their migration to Shopify, the team focused on optimizing ecommerce performance through cost-effective improvements, with on-site search emerging as a key area of opportunity. To enhance product discovery and streamline the path to purchase, RUDIS partnered with Athos Commerce to refine search relevancy and elevate the overall shopping experience.

The Solution

In mid-2023, RUDIS onboarded the Athos search and discovery platform, seamlessly integrating it with their Shopify store in collaboration with their agency, CQL. Performance over time demonstrated the exceptional efficiency of the implementation. By 2025, analysis revealed that while standard browsers converted at a steady baseline, shoppers utilizing site search converted at a rate of 13.06%—4x higher than non-search users. This optimization turned a small segment of high-intent traffic into a primary revenue engine: although search users comprised only 4% of total shoppers, they drove 22% of total revenue. Ultimately, the enhanced search experience created a segment of shoppers that was 5.5x more valuable than the average visitor.

These results were further amplified through a close partnership with Athos’ Customer Success team. By acting on strategic recommendations from their dedicated Customer Success Manager, ranging from search optimization to ongoing performance tuning, RUDIS was able to continuously refine the experience. This collaborative approach not only maximized the value of the platform but also translated insights into measurable, sustained growth.

Heat mapping revealed how customers interacted with the site, highlighting what worked and where improvements were needed. Using these insights, RUDIS rolled out targeted enhancements and personalization strategies to help shoppers discover products that truly resonated. Automated merchandising reduced what was a highly manual and tedious merchandising process, and streamlined operations. With rules-based setups and A/B testing, products are dynamically optimized based on real customer behavior, creating a more personalized, engaging shopping experience and driving measurable growth.

The Results

RUDIS is actively enhancing its customer journey by utilizing specific Athos’ merchandising tools to showcase the right products at the right time. They pinned key items, scheduled campaigns for peak events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and used dynamic badges to spotlight promotions, new arrivals, and top sellers. 

For BFCM specifically, algorithm-driven personalization ensured each shopper saw the products most relevant to them, boosting engagement and conversions. 

• +18% conversion rate lift on high-traffic collections using Athos merchandising rules
• –22% bounce rate on zero-results pages after adding Athos recommendations
• +12% AOV driven by personalized recommendations across key product categories
• +25% revenue boost on wrestling shoes via A/B tested merchandising vs. default rules
• +15–20% forecasted CTR lift from algorithm-driven personalization

Looking ahead, RUDIS is focused on taking their search experience to the next level. Their long-term goals center on maximizing personalization and customer attributes to deliver more relevant product recommendations and content. They also plan to leverage trending searches and, longer term, introduce image-driven search to make discovery faster, smarter, and more intuitive. By embracing these innovations, RUDIS aims to continue delighting customers, boosting engagement, and driving even stronger growth.

Great search doesn’t just return results, it delivers revenue.

Partner with Athos Commerce to transform your ecommerce store. With proven tools and expertise in search and merchandising, we empower businesses to achieve measurable growth. Contact us today to start optimizing your store for success.