It has been reported that over 90% of all global web traffic stems from a search engine such as Baidu or Google. However, Statista puts this figure considerably lower at 30%. Whichever statistic is correct, the fact remains that a large number of users will use a search engine to locate what they requir
Indeed, around 98% of all internet users will use one of the available search engines at least once every month. With 5.6 billion searches every day, this figure is hardly surprising.
And yet, many business owners still fail to see the importance of search functionality on their own websites. Numerous websites have no search bar, have poor functionality, or appear to have forgotten to insert any code at all.
Below is a brief post about why search functionality is crucial to ecommerce today, and what the best practices are for integrating a solution into your website.
Is it important to provide search functionality on an ecommerce site?
Some reports put the growth of ecommerce during Covid at 50% up from 2019. One estimate suggests that Amazon accounted for more than 40% of the total US ecommerce trade in 2021.
Anyone using the online retail giant will be familiar with its navigation and search functionality. Anyone visiting Amazon for a specific product is likely to use the search bar to head straight to the desired item. It is this search functionality that has helped the retailer to grow into the biggest ecommerce in the world.
Imagine trying to trawl through all 350 million products listed across Amazon and its Marketplaces without an efficient search function.
Why are ecommerce search bars vital?
From a business point of view, search bars are vital for ecommerce businesses to assist with conversions. One of the big ecommerce trends this year is going to be CRO, or conversion rate optimization.
CRO is the process of looking at improving conversion rates in any area of a website or business. This may mean simply increasing sales conversions, or it could be gaining more subscribers for mailing lists.
Search bars are an area where CRO can be put into place as it is stated that more than 70% of website visitors find search functions inadequate.
30% of visitors to websites will always use a search bar if it is installed. But, more importantly, search bars are twice as likely to produce conversions than standard navigation.
Some studies have shown that even though perhaps only 15% of visitors on average use search bars, they can account for over 40% of online revenue.
What benefits does a search function bring?
Search solution firms such as LupaSearch report that good search functionality can increase trust between a brand and consumers, and add credibility. It is important that when a visitor lands on your page that you appear professional and dependable.
Integrating search into your site means that the visitor can locate and purchase items easily. But, there are other hidden benefits to the business too.
Customer retention
Not only does an effective search box help to increase trust, but it will also improve customer retention. A good online retail experience is more likely to result in returning customers. Nearly 90% of consumers who experience bad customer service or another incident online say they would be unlikely to use the site again.
Reporting and optimization
Search engines can help to gather data. This can be used to analyze what customers are most interested in, and what products you are perhaps missing. You will also be able to see what relevant searches are being made by the same visitors. For example, it could be that when product A is searched for, the same user will also search for product C.
Search results can be optimized to show products that the visitor may also be interested into increase revenue.
What are the best practices for including search functionality on a site?
While a search box may be one of the must-have features on an ecommerce site, it needs to be integrated properly.
Good search solutions should have certain features and functionality in place, and be able to handle several different ways that searches are made.
There is a term ‘the query spectrum’ that refers to four different ways that users search for results. These are the following:
- Exact search
- Product search
- Non-product search
- Problem-based search
An exact search is when a user looks for a specific brand or model, whereas a product search is more general. An exact search example could be ‘Samsung S22 Ultra 5G’, whereas a product search could simply be ‘smartphones’.
A non-product search refers to a general search such as ‘contact details’. Lastly, a problem-based search could be something like ‘how do I return a product?’.
To be effective, a search solution needs to be able to spot typographical errors, help with suggestions through autocomplete, and understand intent. Nowadays, semantic search is becoming more vital to producing better SERPs for users.
The solution needs to include semantic search so the context or intent can be understood. For a regular user, understanding the context of searches through their history can add personalization to their visit.
50% of searches are four words or more, and slang and abbreviations can come into play also. Search solutions need to be able to cope with this problem too.
Can your search be part of your ecommerce strategy?
Statistics do vary, but somewhere between 30% and up to 60% of visitors will use a search bar when available. When this happens, a conversion is up to 4x more likely to occur than when no search bar is available.
Most retailers today understand the need for an online presence to some degree, and Covid showed the importance of having another channel for revenue. It isn’t enough though just to build a website and expect money to come pouring in.
Adding a working search solution with good functionality can improve conversion rates. This has been statistically proven. Good search functions also help to improve the overall user experience and help to instill trust.
They can also help to carry out some of the functions that an in-store representative would normally do. For instance, if a customer searched for an item that you didn’t have, your search solution could instead offer relevant alternatives, just as an in-store rep would normally do.
The search results could also show matching items or products that are commonly bought alongside the item originally searched for. This can help increase your average customer spend. Shoppers using the search function are 216% more likely to make a purchase than those that don’t, and they spend on average, 2.6x more.
Summary
It is vitally important that an e-commerce site has a search bar installed. However, this needs to be integrated properly. A poorly functioning search bar is equally as bad as neglecting to install one in the first place.
Having good search functionality means improving the customer’s experience when navigating your site. It also helps to increase conversions, and the amount spent by the consumer.
Numerous studies have proven that a large number of website users expect a search bar to be available, and won’t use alternative navigation to move around a site. Failure to implement a solid search solution is to risk losing customers and sales.
