The search bar is a significant factor for e-commerce sites. What goals does the search bar help achieve, and why do online businesses need one? Research supports the need for an efficient search bar to increase sales and improve the user experience.
What is the purpose of a search bar on e-commerce websites?
Imagine that a customer is looking for a white shirt with long sleeves on the website of an online store. There are dozens of product categories on the site and there's no way to sort by shade. In other words, a potential buyer needs to go to a certain section and look for his request there. But what will the user actually do? He'll likely go to a competitor that has a search feature where he can enter his request and see a list of products that satisfy his requirements. Then, he'll make a couple of clicks on the site and place an order.
Attention! On average, 30% of users who are at the decision-making stage use the search bar to quickly navigate through the site.
The search bar is an opportunity to sell more and determine customer preferences. If the website does not have a search bar, the company can lose up to 25% of additional sales.
The purpose of using the search function
The main purpose of the search bar is to make it easier for pople to find a specific product when they already know what they're looking for. Many e-commerce businesses have already recognized the importance of this function. Major brands have started using search as a strategic tool to improve conversion and engagement.
In e-commerce, there is the concept of user experience (UX), which takes into account the user's feelings from interacting with a product, service, and resource interface. The search bar affects the UX because it helps users find a product and creates a relationship with that person. If there is no search engine, or it is configured poorly, the user leaves the site and goes elsewhere.
The search bar should be visible! However, it's not necessary for it to be in full screen. When a person gets to the site, he should notice a line or magnifying glass icon that indicates a search bar.
That's why you need to add a search bar to your site
Being able to easily navigate through the site benefits both the buyer and the company. Having a predictable and reliable search function builds customer loyalty and trust. A person then becomes a regular customer instead of seeking out competitors. If there's an autofill function, customers can find the answer to their request even faster, which saves time and encourages them to make a purchase. You should make the purchasing process as convenient as possible.
- 43% of visitors start searching for a product through the search bar as soon as they get to a site.
- The conversion rate when navigating through the search bar can be up to 50% higher than the average value.
- Visitors to websites that have search bars spend 2,5 times more.
- Customers who use the search bar generate almost 14% of the total revenue of an average website. The Screen Pages research shows that the presence of a search function increases the average conversion rate to 2.4% from a baseline of 1.7%.
- Over 70% of e-commerce sites lack the ability to fulfill customer requests due to inefficient search bars.
Moreover, the customer queries that are entered in the search box are a valuable resource for companies as well.
They help define users' interests and behavior in order to create tools for successful customer retention.If you improve your search function, you can ensure users see more relevant results and stay on the site longer. The company becomes a guide for the user by independently directing him to certain pages even before the person makes an informed decision to buy.
Having a search bar on your website is an important component of a successful e-commerce company promotion strategy.
If you haven't implemented search engine optimization on your site yet, then it's time to think about how you can improve your conversation rate and increase customer satisfaction today. Request for FREE DEMO.
