Midwest Distributor Enhances B2B Buying Experience with HawkSearch by Bridgeline

Rhea-AI Summary

Bridgeline Digital (NASDAQ:BLIN) announced on January 6, 2026 that a major Midwest wholesale distributor using the Optimizely eCommerce platform has implemented HawkSearch to improve B2B product discovery and the online buying experience.

The deployment uses the HawkSearch connector for Optimizely, Xngage Xconnect, and includes features such as Autocomplete, Measurement Conversion, and a planned rollout of AI-powered Recommendations to streamline purchasing for customers in construction, industrial, plumbing, and HVAC.

Market Reality Check

$0.8428 Last Close

Volume Volume 185,785 vs 20-day avg 116,458 (relative volume 1.6x ahead of this release). high

Technical Price $0.8352 is trading below the 200-day MA $1.39 and far under the $2.80 52-week high.

Peers on Argus 1 Up 1 Down

Peers showed mixed moves with DTSS +18.57% and MSAI +16.49% up, while BNAI -6.46%, FAAS -8.30%, and OLB -1.47% were down, indicating no unified sector trend around this news.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 30	Customer win	Positive	+13.3%	Specialty lighting and power distributor went live on HawkSearch.
Dec 24	Customer win	Positive	+0.2%	National closeout retailer chose HawkSearch for search and personalization.
Dec 22	Partnership news	Positive	+3.0%	HawkSearch became an Allied Partner of NAED to support distributors.
Dec 16	Earnings timing	Neutral	+0.3%	Planned release date and call for Q4 fiscal 2025 results.
Dec 03	Customer win	Positive	+7.3%	Major international material handling provider selected HawkSearch.

Pattern Detected

Recent HawkSearch customer wins and partnership announcements have generally been followed by modestly positive price reactions.

Recent Company History

Over the past month, Bridgeline has repeatedly highlighted HawkSearch adoption across distributors and retailers. Announcements on Dec 3, Dec 22, Dec 24, and Dec 30, 2025 all featured new HawkSearch customers or alliances and saw post-news moves from +0.22% to +13.3%. An earnings-date notice on Dec 16, 2025 drew a small positive reaction. Today’s announcement of another major distributor implementation fits this pattern of commercial traction in B2B search and eCommerce.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement adds another large Midwest wholesale distributor on the Optimizely platform to Bridgeline’s HawkSearch customer base, emphasizing features like Autocomplete, Measurement Conversion, and AI-powered recommendations. Recent history shows multiple distributor and retailer wins over the past months, underscoring HawkSearch as a core growth driver. Investors may watch for how this customer traction translates into revenue growth and margin improvement in upcoming reports, especially given previously reported operating losses and ongoing R&D investment.

Key Terms

b2b technical

"Midwest Distributor Enhances B2B Buying Experience with HawkSearch"

Business-to-business (B2B) describes companies that sell products or services to other businesses rather than to individual consumers. For investors, B2B models often mean larger, repeatable contracts and revenue tied to corporate budgets, which can produce steadier, more predictable cash flow; think of a parts supplier selling regular batches to a factory rather than a shop selling single items to walk-in customers, so customer concentration and contract length matter.

ecommerce platform technical

"using the Optimizely eCommerce platform.The distributor"

An ecommerce platform is the software and services that let businesses set up online stores, list products, take payments, manage orders and handle shipping — think of it as a digital mall and checkout system rolled into one. Investors care because the platform’s reach, fees, scalability and customer data determine how fast sellers can grow, how predictable revenue and margins are, and whether the business can attract more users and transactions over time.

data integration technical

"to provide seamless data integration and an intuitive front-end experience."

Combining information from different systems and sources into a single, consistent view so decision-makers can analyze it reliably; think of merging multiple spreadsheets into one clean dashboard. For investors, strong data integration means faster, clearer insight into sales, costs, risks and trends, reducing mistakes and enabling timelier decisions about buying, holding or selling a stock.

front-end technical

"data integration and an intuitive front-end experience."

The front-end is the part of a product or service that customers interact with directly—think of it as the storefront, menus and displays you see when using a website, app or kiosk. For investors, front-end quality matters because it shapes user experience, adoption and retention: a clear, fast and intuitive front-end can drive more users and revenue, while a confusing or slow one can raise customer churn and increase marketing or support costs.

ai-powered recommendations technical

"and a planned rollout of AI-powered Recommendations designed to streamline"

AI-powered recommendations are investment suggestions generated or assisted by computer systems that learn patterns from large amounts of market, company and user data. Think of them as a smart GPS for investing that can suggest stocks, timing or portfolio moves faster and more personally than a human, which matters because they can help scale research and spot opportunities — but they can also reflect data gaps or mistakes in the underlying models.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

WOBURN, MA / ACCESS Newswire / January 6, 2026 / Bridgeline Digital, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLIN), a leader in AI-powered marketing technology, announced the launch of HawkSearch for a major Midwest-based wholesale distributor using the Optimizely eCommerce platform.

The distributor, a recognized industry leader with a large network of distribution centers and retail showrooms across multiple states, selected HawkSearch to elevate its online product discovery, and deliver an exceptional digital experience to its customers in the construction, industrial, plumbing, and HVAC industries.

The new implementation leverages the HawkSearch connector for Optimizely, called Xngage Xconnect, to provide seamless data integration and an intuitive front-end experience. Key features include Autocomplete, Measurement Conversion, and a planned rollout of AI-powered Recommendations designed to streamline the buying process and improve customer engagement.

"Partnering with innovative distributors like this reinforces our mission to make every search smarter and every customer interaction more meaningful," said Ari Kahn, President and CEO of Bridgeline Digital. "HawkSearch continues to empower businesses to deliver accurate, relevant, and personalized results that drive stronger customer relationships and measurable growth."

About Bridgeline
Bridgeline helps companies grow online revenue by increasing traffic, conversion rates, and average order value. To learn more, visit www.bridgeline.com.

Contact:
Jeremy LaDuque
SVP of Marketing
Bridgeline Digital
press@bridgeline.com

SOURCE: Bridgeline Digital

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

What did Bridgeline (BLIN) announce on January 6, 2026 about HawkSearch?

Bridgeline announced a Midwest wholesale distributor on Optimizely implemented HawkSearch to improve B2B product discovery and customer experience.

How does the HawkSearch Xngage Xconnect connector help Optimizely merchants for BLIN customers?

Xngage Xconnect provides seamless data integration between HawkSearch and the Optimizely storefront to enable search and front-end features.

Which HawkSearch features were included in Bridgeline's January 6, 2026 deployment?

The deployment includes Autocomplete, Measurement Conversion, and a planned rollout of AI-powered Recommendations.

Which industries does the new HawkSearch implementation target for the distributor working with BLIN?

The implementation focuses on customers in construction, industrial, plumbing, and HVAC sectors.

What customer benefits did Bridgeline cite for the HawkSearch rollout announced January 6, 2026?

Bridgeline said the rollout aims to elevate online product discovery, streamline buying, and improve customer engagement.

Will Bridgeline (BLIN) add AI features to HawkSearch for this distributor, and when?

The announcement notes a planned rollout of AI-powered Recommendations, but did not specify exact timing.