Why does any website need an intelligent search platform? What are the mandatory features a search engine should have? Read about the top 3 types of searches that allow you to provide relevant results, regardless of how a customer enters their query.
Website Search and Meeting Customer Expectations
A site search function is an essential part of the online shopping experience. As search engines become more common in everyday life, customers will have higher expectations. Everyone wants their online shopping experience to be as simple, fast, and easy as possible.
All owners of online stores should to know that there are two categories of customers who are looking for products on the internet:
- The 1st category: They know what they want and immediately type a query into the search bar.
- The 2nd category: These shoppers use the search on the site when they can't find the right product in relevant site categories.
In the first case, customers may try to enter the search query several times. In the second case, the person will close the site as soon as the first search query turns out to be null or doesn't correspond to their desired product.
Regardless of the category, the site search should provide relevant results. For this, you need to choose the correct type of search engine to meet your customers' needs. Even if there is no relevant product on the site, the customer will still have a positive feeling about the interface.
Quick descriptive search
Everyone has had a situation when you need to buy a product, but you don't know what it's called. In offline stores, that problem can be solved with the help of employees. Based on a brief description, the employee can offer options or suggest the right term for the item.
Online stores may also have similar functions. Smart search bars can reliably recognize customer descriptions.
For example, imagine that a person is looking for a tile with multi-colored inserts. He enters the phrase “multi-colored insert tiles" in the search bar. Your smart search engine offers him products from the category “tiles with a geometric pattern." The customer sees what he's looking for among the other options. As a result, he makes a purchase, and you turn a profit.
To create a smart search, you need to regularly analyze site trends and customer interactions with your existing search function. This should involve studying customers' queries and the most popular search terms on your site. This way, you can customize the search by adding synonyms and easily respond to unusual or inaccurate customer requests.
Smart search — the best way for common queries
The search function can be similar to a filter in a catalog on the website. In this case, you can find products by category through the search bar. If your site sells thousands of different products, divide them into appropriate sections and allow the person to filter the search results.
If the client needs shampoo specifically for colored hair, guide them to the “shampoo" category instead of a general list of products.
This search format will allow you to get closer to your customers. After all, they will feel that they are understood from even half a word.
Search queries that are not related to a specific product
Imagine that a person has thin and weakened hair. He goes to a brick-and-mortar store and asks the consultant to give him a product that will help solve this problem (request). The employee quickly selects the right products from the assortment, and the buyer leaves satisfied.
It is more difficult to do this in an online store. No one is going to waste time by writing to the manager for help. If a person enters “shampoo for dry hair" in the search bar, the result may be zero. The products that solve such a problem have a different name.
If you want customers to find the right products even for the most unusual queries, study the data on search behavior. This way, you will understand what customers are looking for.
After analyzing trends, upgrade your search platform and implement new filters. Create separate pages that will the client to the desired product.
Why you should use Evinent Search
By implementing an intelligent search solution in your online store, you will increase the chances of becoming a favorite shopping location for customers. The most important step is to find an effective tool that will allow you to fully implement the best possible search engine for your site.
Our intelligent search engine, Evinent Search, analyzes customer behavior in order to provide value and generate relevant query results. You can review all of the functions and features of our program here. Start testing search capabilities on your own website for free and build customer loyalty.
