What are eCommerce search solutions, and why is site search so important for online sales? How can you find the best eCommerce search solution and eCommerce product search algorithm? Discover best practices for eCommerce search that will help you make the right choice.
Site search is a necessary function for online sales that allows you to better interact with customers. It is very important for business owners on the internet to pay attention to choosing the right eCommerce search solutions. This is just one way to provide new opportunities to expand your company.
Ecommerce site search solutions are search engines that can be embedded or integrated into an online store. The main function of the systems is to search for products that a person is looking for on the site by matching a key query with products on the online storefront.
The best eCommerce search solution should provide relevant search results that users expect. If the search function helps people easily and quickly find what they need, then it's effective and accomplishing its purpose. By delivering value, you can achieve an increase in conversion rates.
It's not always easy to understand which eCommerce site search solutions are right for your business. In that case, it's important to take into account several factors, as well as to familiarize yourself with different types of solutions.
Top 5 Reasons to Embed Site Ecommerce Search Solutions
It's always worth remembering that site search is one of the favorite functions of modern users. According to research, about 43 percent of site visitors actively use the search bar. This is a significant amount, so you should strongly consider implementing eCommerce site search solutions to streamline that process.
Site search is a powerful selling tool for any online store that, with the right settings, will provide the right information to visitors and answer their questions with suggestions or recommendations.
There are other advantages of users being able to search on your site, including the following benefits:
- Increased conversion rate: If your site responds correctly to user requests and provides the expected results, the probability of conversion increases.
- Reduced bounce rates: The search tool allows users to quickly find what they need and helps eliminate situations when a person leaves the site because they aren't able to find an answer to their request.
- Analysis of user behavior: A competent eCommerce site search solution will have search analytics. Thanks to this, the owner of an online resource will easily be able to determine which queries users enter most often, what they are looking for, and how they explain their needs. Based on the information from analytics, it will be possible to draw conclusions, improve services, add products to inventory, and improve conversion.
Customers expect maximum convenience as well as quick and easy results. If the search function does not satisfy them, then a competitor is likely to secure a conversion and the resulting profit. You should assume that competitors will have a competent eCommerce site search solution.
3 Types of Ecommerce Search Solutions
For an eCommerce site, you can choose one of four types of solutions. The choice will depend entirely on you.
- Embedded solution in modern content-management systems: This is suitable for brands with up to 100 products in their catalogs because these systems often provide disorganized results. The biggest disadvantage is the lack of personalization and machine learning.
- Modules or widgets: This is an alternative to a built-in eCommerce search solution, which is suitable for small and medium-sized business owners. This option offers auto-correction and spell checking. For large sites, the value of modules or widgets may be limited. In addition, the eCommerce platform you use may not be compatible with the widget you want.
- API SaaS solutions: These can be easily integrated into a site and customized to the appearance of the platform. They handle long keywords well and take into account past purchases and search queries. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to personalize search results and get the most meaningful information from the received data. These eCommerce search solutions use artificial intelligence and machine learning, which are most effective in providing relevant search results.
Questions When Choosing an Ecommerce Site Search Solutions Provider
There are many providers of search services for eCommerce sites, which makes the choice much more complicated. Answering these basic questions will help you make the right decision:
- Do you want an internal development team to oversee the search, or would it be better if it remains the responsibility of the owner of the solution?
- Do you want to implement a search only by products, or do you also want to include a blog or content pages?
- Do you want to offer your site visitors advanced search functions using filters?
- Do you want to automatically display certain products in the top results?
- Do you want to have a system that will read queries with spelling errors, typos, and synonyms?
- Would you like to have an autofill function and transliteration?
- Do you want a potential eCommerce search solution to offer search analytics to track popular queries?
Recommendations for Choosing Ecommerce Search Solutions
The eCommerce product search algorithm should be simple, clear, and effective. This will ensure that people will find what they need. In addition, the eCommerce search solution for a website provide relevant results. If you are considering a search that cannot provide this, it's better to explore other solutions.
A few more important recommendations for choosing eCommerce search best practices are:
- The right choice for eCommerce site search solutions should provide personalization. It should provide the results that a particular user expects to see. Remember that personalization is a very important factor for potential customers who are uating a business on the internet.
- The site search function should be fast. If, after entering a query, the results load for longer than 3 seconds, people leave. They are disappointed and go to competitors.
- The search solution should be simple in terms of implementation and maintenance. It's better if the company provides its professional assistance in this matter. The system should be simple enough that your developers will be able to solve any issues on their own.
- The search must be flexible and scalable. Now, the scale of your business may not be large, but in six months or a year, it will grow. The search function should not limit your capabilities. The best eCommerce search solution is always flexible and customizable.
Think about the security of the users who entrust their data to your resource. When choosing eCommerce search solutions, the right tool should offer functions to mask the personal data of customers or not save it at all.
If you want the search on your site to stimulate sales, then consider eCommerce search solutions with the following functions:
- Intelligent autofill
- Natural language processing
- Custom filters
- Personalized product recommendations
Before choosing the best eCommerce search solution, be sure to study the features of a particular platform, try a demo version, or contact experts for a deeper study of the solution's functions. Think about where the search bar will be located on the site and how it should look. Visitors should not need to search for it.
Consider Ecommerce Search Solutions Through Evinent
If you are looking for a powerful solution for your site, consider the Evinent eCommerce search solution. Our tool creates a unique intelligent algorithm for each individual site and provides a wealth of opportunities for a more accurate and easy search experience (color, article, size, price, and more).
In addition, installation does not require specialized knowledge or a large chunk of your time. Evinent's search solution can be easily integrated into an eCommerce store and connected to an existing infrastructure in a couple of hours.
Read more about the features of Evinent Search by visiting this page. There, you will also find a button to test a demo version of the search, which will allow you to get acquainted with some functions without paying for a subscription.
Remember that the search tool on your site tells your customers a lot about your company and makes their journey through your store simple and exciting. Therefore, choose only the best eCommerce search solution to ensure that competitors are left on the sidelines.