Every online store needs a search function. You can simply enter text and find the product you want to buy without going through the entire assortment of the e-shop. Site searches can function as an alternative to shop assistants, so they are so crucial.
If a customer cannot find what they are looking for, they will not buy it and find a product or a service somewhere else. So what is the importance of a good site search for an e-shop? We will discuss it in today’s blog post, based on the Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box.
Site search importance
Do you know how many customers use the site search? About a fifth of them!
The most popular segment for site search is Books and Games, while the least popular is Fashion. The main reason for these differences is that visitors in various parts have different goals and are influenced by the leading products in each segment.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
We can also see that mobile usage is slightly lower when analyzing search usage data from a device perspective.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
This is because the search function is often hidden in mobile versions of e-shops.
The function is not immediately available. Before the customer can begin typing, they must tap several times. Users are forced to search for one of the e-shop’s most basic functions by hiding these functionalities, naturally decreasing search usage.
And how much can search earn? A good indicator of how vital a search is is the number of customers who purchase a product right after using it.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Customers using search convert more often than those using the menu. If they use a search engine to find a product, they already know what they want. All they have to do is find the right product.
And is it still true customers prefer to shop on desktops? Well, yes. 😉
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Based on the conversion rate from search by the device used, we see that most conversions are still happening on desktops, despite the pandemic changes in customer behavior.
Lost opportunities
Getting the customer’s query results is logically necessary for the search to generate conversions. But on average, 13.4% of searches yield no results.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Fashion segments are least likely to experience this, while Industry supplies are the opposite. In the industry supplies segment, a high percentage of searches do not produce results due to the type of search – by product codes or product sizes – that not all search software can handle.
Also, searching for a product that fits the customer’s demand can fail for several reasons. For example, a customer:
- enters the product name differently than listed in the catalog,
- writes with typos,
- searches without diacritics,
- writes the product name in plural,
- types in a different format of the product code,
- the product is currently sold out,
- the e-shop doesn’t offer the product at all.
After a failed search, one-third of customers leave the e-shop. They go to the competitors to buy what they want. The e-shop had those items, so they missed out on potential revenue. After a failed search, a customer leaving the e-shop is approximately the same in each segment, ranging from 30 to 40%.
Search results ranking
Two out of three times, the customer doesn’t interact with any results. The customer behavior pattern is the same for all products, so it does not depend on the segment.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Customers don’t interact with e-shops because they offer a lot of information about products already in the product tiles. They can see the price, discount, availability, etc., without clicking on the product detail. As a result, they can find all the information they need without clicking on any link.
Additionally, what is not on the first page of search results is as if it didn’t even exist for the customers.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
90% of customers are only interested in products on the first page of search results. This emphasizes the importance of proper product ranking. Additionally, an e-shop that does not optimize its product ranking will lose opportunities in every segment.
Search improvements
The autocomplete feature, also known as search-as-you-type, effectively makes searching easier for visitors. With autocomplete, you can use it in various ways that are different from what we expect from a traditional search.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Also, filters are a common feature of e-shops. They are used to refine search results to make it easier for the customer to browse products.
source: Value of an E-Shop’s Search Feature report from Luigi’s Box
Despite being less used, filters are critical for working with search results. The main issue is if the e-shop contains many different products.
To sum up
So, here we are. Finally, you will better understand e-shop searches after reading this article and report from Luigi’s Box.
What should you do now? To improve your e-commerce search function, consider these 4 steps: assign a specific person to handle the search, automate, include search in your metrics and plans, and outsource!
Find more reports here and good luck!
