Case Study: Digital Commerce 360 achieves 96% faster page loads and streamlined database management with HawkSearch

Digital Commerce 360 - Customer Case Study

Digital Commerce 360 (formerly Internet Retailer) publishes the Top 500 Rankings, a comprehensive set of ecommerce databases used by industry leaders and consultants. As the guide expanded, DC360 faced mounting performance and usability problems: pages were taking roughly 20 seconds to load, large comparison tables were unreadable on mobile, and an outdated backend forced the team to rely on vendors for routine database updates.

DC360 implemented Hawksearch’s Elasticsearch-driven platform with guided navigation, smart autocomplete and a flexible dashboard. The change slashed average page load time by about 96%, delivered 25× faster indexing, made the site responsive for mobile and tablet users, and let the web team manage most database setup themselves. The improvements led to a 13% drop in bounce rate, a 52% increase in new users, and faster, more scalable publication of DC360’s rankings.

Digital Commerce 360

Teresa Covelli

Web Development Manager