Lyst launches French version of its fashion search engine following LVMH investment

Lyst, the online search engine for fashion, has launched a French version of its site following an investment in its business by Paris-based luxury conglomerate LVMH in May.

The French site has just gone live and features the inventories of brands and retailers, such as 24 Sèvres (LVMH's luxury online platform), Monniers Frères, Galeries Lafayette, Gucci, Vanessa Bruno, Acne Studios, Christian Louboutin, Maison Margiela and Moncler.

"Our ambition is to integrate the best French luxury brands to respond to the demands of our French customers," said Lyst VP international Clara Chappaz. Further international launches are set to follow on from the French version.

Founded in London in 2010 by former investor and entrepreneur Chris Morton, Lyst achieved 45% growth between 2017 and 2018. Its platform is used by 70 million consumers and enables them to search more than 5 million products.

Machine learning is used to sort and classify the products and to personalise the results for the customer based on their behaviours and preferences. Some 850 partner e-commerce sites make their inventories available to be searched through the engine. Lyst receives a commission (the amount of which is not known) for each sale it generates for its partners.

The news comes as LVMH announced a 10% increase in revenues reaching €33.1bn in the first nine months of 2018. Third quarter revenues were also up 10%. Its Fashion & Leather Goods business group, which includes houses such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Celine and Fendi, achieved organic revenue growth of 14% in the nine-month period.