The Importance of Intelligent Search for Ecommerce Retailers

Online shopping is growing at a rapid pace. With an increase in online retailers and the outbreak of COVID-19, ecommerce sales hit nearly $4 trillion in 2020! Which means an optimized search on your online shop can no longer be an afterthought, it is a necessity. Whether a visitor is searching your shop via desktop website or mobile app, your search needs to deliver. 

Let’s discuss why intelligent search is vital to your ecommerce shop’s success! 

Increase Conversions 

When you run an online shop, conversions are necessary to not only stay afloat, but to measure your shop’s overall success. Users who search are more likely to convert and account for 14% of ecommerce revenue. These users are in your online shop because they are looking for something specific and believe you offer it. Instead of sifting through pages of offerings, they will go straight to the search bar. Which means your search needs to serve intelligent, relevant results.  

With an optimized search, you increase the likelihood of users clicking on results and buying. But beyond answering your user’s initial query, your search should be built to keep the shopping experience going! Ensure your search is offering related product suggestions and pairings for every query.  

Customer Retention 

As an ecommerce expert, you know how important it is to not treat all your customers the same. One of the most effective ways to aid customer retention is by providing a personalized search experience. Providing personalized search results helps a user get to their intended result faster, increasing the likelihood that they convert and potentially return to your shop. 

Enhance the Shopping Experience 

Intelligent search is powered by machine learning, meaning it comes equipped with features that will streamline the shopping experience. By implementing a solution like Cludo, your search utilizes intelligent autocomplete, assisting users while they search. Through autocomplete, user queries are finished while they type, saving time they would otherwise spend searching and browsing.  

Optimized search is also prepared to handle any spelling errors users may enter in the search bar, eliminating the possibility of them landing on a 404 error page. With foolproof features like these, your users are more likely to continue shopping as opposed to leaving the shop due to frustration. 

Beyond autocomplete and misspellings, users want to be able to narrow search results to their specified needs. Make this possible through custom facets and filters. Adding this type of functionality to your results page can take a search from exhausting to successful. 

Make Important Business Decisions 

By optimizing your online shop’s search, you gain access to extensive search performance analytics as well as insights into user intent. Use this information to make important business decisions such as product offerings, future sales and even a redesign of your search results page. 

A few things you can learn from your search analytics include: 

• Most popular items compared to which products aren’t selling. Pay attention to these numbers and decide whether you should increase supply or remove products from your line-up altogether. 
• Ineffective searches. These are queries with results that end in no clicks. Meaning your users may be seeking something they thought you offered that you in fact don’t. Use these analytics to determine if there’s a gap in offerings that may need to be filled.  
• Device usage. Break down searches by mobile, tablet and desktop usage. If your shop sees an increase in mobile usage, it may be time to add more prominent calls-to-action or a more noticeable search bar.  
• Search location. Search analytics can be broken down from city to country to help identify trends based on where searches are conducted. 

If you want your ecommerce shop to be successful, it’s no longer acceptable to just offer search. Your search must be able to analyze user intent and deliver ample results and suggestions accordingly. Ready to see how intelligent search can transform your online shop? Request an ecommerce search demo today!