As humans, we’re never lauded for our patience. Instead, we’re known for our untamable nature to be continually in motion and evolve in both thought and action. Moreover, our position in current technological contexts has ballooned our desire for instant gratification.
And so, being as instrumental to consumerism as we are, it should be no surprise that all consumers are impatient. They are fussy, with short attention spans, and primed to pull the trigger on any eCommerce site that is less than satisfactory.
Being business owners responsible for high conversion and sales rates, we know that eCommerce sites are critical to financial health. Therefore, we are also aware of the need for a smooth customer experience.
A significant component to successfully capturing and holding consumer attention is robust on-site tools, mainly on-site search tools.
With the combined stats of search customers contributing up to 80% of revenues, and more than 70% of eCommerce sites failing to close sales, it’s clear that is a significant gap in expectation and delivery.
So, let’s look into eCommerce site search tools and their importance in bolstering sales.
What are eCommerce Site Search Tools?
eCommerce site search tools or on-site search tools are search engines built into online stores. Their primary function is to quickly and accurately filter out and sort products customers are looking for.
This is done according to keywords entered in the search box but depends on faceted searches, synonym recognition, and product rankings.
Leveraging the functionality, eCommerce platforms could make a monumental difference in the number of customers shopping on the site.
This could also help in bypassing the hurdle of the check-out page.
Also read: How To Calculate Your Cart Abandonment Rate? (Easy Yet Complete Guide)
Why are eCommerce Site Search Tools Important?
Generic, ineffective eCommerce search solutions can hurt your profits if they are the root cause for customers leaving your site and never returning.
Search tools are meant to reduce friction and increase on-site search traffic. Greater traffic usually translates to greater sales.
A robust onsite search software drives up customer interactions with the site and can also be instrumental in analyzing customer data to tailor-make personalized product recommendations.
Additionally, these dynamic and adaptable eCommerce site search tools can also assist in data-driven decisions on SEO content and product design.
This builds credibility and can increase the trust clients feel toward the brand. From a business point of view, this confidence is the golden ticket to gaining repeat customers and ensuring sales growth.
Optimizing your current onsite search tool to be more user-friendly can also boost sales simply due to ease of use. Unfortunately, according to the Baymard Institute, 30-50% of eCommerce sites fail to return useful search results.
How to Optimize eCommerce Site Search Functionality
To avoid failing to return valid search results in your case, implement the following changes and upgrade your eCommerce site search:
- Ensure strong error and typo tolerance to reduce the incidence of ‘0 results’ pages showing up for clients. Spell-check, autocorrection, and autofill are key to letting customers quickly find the product they’re looking for.
- Include search options for product codes and catalog numbers to enhance the UX experience and speed up the search process.
- Employ Natural Language Processing (NLP) to ensure that customers can find what they’re looking for, even after using local lingo or terms unfamiliar to the product catalog.
- A small tweak in visuals can go a long way: make sure your search box is large, clearly visible, and has its own designated space at the top of your webpage.
- Embed a search tool that is mobile browser friendly to deliver the personalized, hassle-free shopping experience they crave.
What Are Some of the Best eCommerce Site Search Tools Available?
Onsite eCommerce search tools are not redundant features on your webpage that you can simply neglect. Moreover, you’re doing a great disservice to your business by not using their potential to turn problems into opportunities for closing sales.
The right tool can help you close sales with individuals in any part of the buying funnel, whether they’re vaguely browsing or pointedly searching.
It doesn’t have to hurt your pocket either, since dozens of inexpensive options are available. But whether you choose to start small and work your way up, or dive right into the full package, rest assured that you’ll start seeing results in site traffic and sales almost immediately.
Here are some of the most popular eCommerce site search tools businesses swear by:
How Can Helplama Help Your Business?
Customer-client relationships are at the heart of every business. With it being a relationship that every business should strive to nurture, doing so online can be difficult.
Helplama is well-versed in maintaining positive relations through cost-effective customer support, helping you make sure your eCommerce business continues to grow. Contact our team today to find out how we can help you!
