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Search bars, an essential component of almost every digital platform, have evolved considerably from their humble beginnings.

They’re no longer just an input field with a magnifying glass icon; they’ve transformed into powerful conversion-boosting tools shaped by innovative design principles.

So, how can you create a more engaging and user-centric e-commerce platform?

Let’s discuss the top trends in search bar designs from a UI/UX perspective.

The Evolution of Search Bars in E-commerce

Initially, simple and minimalistic search bars in e-commerce platforms have transformed to become more interactive and engaging.

Innovations such as animated floating labels provide clear guidance to users, ensuring the purpose of the search field is clear.

Dynamic width adjustments optimize screen space, enhancing the visual appeal and usability on various devices. Furthermore, integrated micro-animations add a layer of engagement, subtly encouraging users to interact with the search feature.

Predictive Search: A Leap Towards Intuitive User Experiences

Predictive search functionality in Smart Search has significantly improved the efficiency of e-commerce search.

Offering suggestions as users type speeds up the search process and helps refine user queries, leading to more relevant search results. This feature has become indispensable in creating a seamless shopping experience [1].

For instance, integrating LupaSearch predictive search on Shipzee shopping platform has grew the site’s conversion rates by stunning 37%. That’s the power of user-friendly predictive search.

Voice Search: Bridging the Accessibility Gap

With the rise of voice-assisted devices, voice search has become an essential feature for e-commerce platforms, allowing users to search hands-free.

Voice search can replace the need of a functional search bar design, enhancing accessibility for all users, including those with disabilities.

Contextual Awareness: The Key to Personalized Searches

Modern search bars offer results based on user behavior, browsing history, or location, providing a personalized shopping experience. This contextual awareness ensures that users receive product suggestions relevant to their interests and past interactions.

In LupaSearch, each user interaction with the search bar is personalized. Such search result personalization ensures users notice the most relevant products at the right time.

Multifunctionality in Search Bars

Today’s search bars offer more than just search results.

Features like action-oriented results and dynamic filters allow users to perform actions or refine their searches without leaving the search bar, streamlining the shopping process [2].

Accessibility Improvements

Accessibility features such as high-contrast modes and compatibility with screen readers have become standard, ensuring that e-commerce platforms can be used by everyone, including those with visual impairments.

Leveraging User Feedback

Incorporating mechanisms for users to provide feedback on search results helps e-commerce platforms to continuously refine their search algorithms and user interface, enhancing the overall user experience.

In the case of LupaSearch, the e-commerce shop admin can always check the reports, stats and analytics. This rich data provides valuable information for further e-commerce search optimization.

Over time, with LupaSearch, e-shops can achieve up to 8X increase in search conversion rates.

Enhancing E-commerce Searches for Success

1. Follow Industry-Specific Examples

Amazon has continually refined its search functionality to create an exceptionally personalized shopping experience.

One of the key features is its predictive search algorithm, which suggests products in real-time as users begin typing in the search bar. It’s based on the popularity of items and the user’s browsing and purchasing history, making suggestions highly relevant.

Moreover, Amazon’s search bar incorporates natural language processing (NLP) to understand and process user queries in everyday language, accommodating a wide range of search intents: from specific product names to vague descriptions.

The impact of these innovations is profound, with Amazon reporting continuous growth in customer engagement and sales.

LupaSearch, one of the leading e-commerce search providers, offers robust search functionality that merchants can customize extensively to match their store’s needs and enhance user experience.

LupaSearch offers advanced search and dynamic filtering options, enabling customers to refine their search based on various attributes such as price, color, size, and other product-specific features.

One notable innovation is LupaSearch use of AI (used in Vector Search) to offer highly-relevant search suggestions, similar to predictive search, which helps guide users to the products they are most likely to purchase. Vector Search understands and allows users to search for products lacking search descriptions. The technology “reads” the product image and extracts its information.

The result - an exceptional search experience and usability.

These advanced LupaSearch search functionalities has led to reported increases in conversion rates and average order values. By enabling retailers to offer a more intuitive and efficient search experience, LupaSearch not only boosts sales but also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.

2. Exploit Statistical Data to Improve Conversion Rates

Incorporating improved search functionalities can significantly enhance e-commerce conversion rates.

Several studies have explored the relationship between website design, including search functionalities, and their impact on e-commerce success:

  1. Effective search functionalities contribute to higher conversion rates, with strategies focusing on either quality or promotion, avoiding mixing attributes, being critical to improving conversion rates in e-commerce websites [3].

  2. Website features that promote a psychological state of immersion, known as flow, are positively associated with higher conversion rates, indicating the importance of engaging and user-friendly search design [4].

  3. Free shipping and discounts policy positively affect conversion rates, with their effectiveness being moderated by factors such as seasonality and load speed, highlighting the multifaceted approach required to optimize e-commerce conversion rates [5].

  4. An empirical study on Taobao.com found that refining product categories to return more targeted search results led to a 37.3% increase in click-through rates and a 64.4% increase in gross merchandise volume, illustrating the significant impact of search precision on conversion [6].

The Future of Search Bar Design in E-commerce

As we look toward the future, UI/UX design innovations will continue to play a critical role in developing search bars for e-commerce platforms. Emphasizing personalized, intuitive, and accessible search experiences will remain essential in engaging users and driving sales [7].

As technology advances, we can expect search bars to further evolve, merging seamlessly with other UI elements, making the search experience more fluid and delightful.

The key will always be to keep the user’s needs and behaviors at the core of design decisions.

Ready to meet the increasing user expectations?

Request a free product demo at LupaSearch and see an effective e-commerce search bar designs in action.

References

  1. Zurita, E., Poma, M., & , V. (2023). UX AND UI: METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF APPLICATION AND ITS PRINCIPLES. Journal of Namibian Studies: History Politics Culture. doi: 10.59670/jns.v33i.1079. https://namibian-studies.com/index.php/JNS/article/view/1079

  2. Sudjatmoko, A., Susanto, A., Jayaseputra, J., Purwanto, E., & Sari, A. (2022). The Influence of Consumer Interest on the Use of UI and UX in the E-Commerce Application. 2022 4th International Conference on Cybernetics and Intelligent System (ICORIS), 1-8. doi: 10.1109/ICORIS56080.2022.10031397. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10031397

  3. Fatta, D., Patton, D., & Viglia, G. (2018). The determinants of conversion rates in SME e-commerce websites. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 41, 161-168. doi: 10.1016/J.JRETCONSER.2017.12.008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969698917306525?via%3Dihub

  4. McDowell, W., Wilson, R., & Kile, C. (2016). An examination of retail website design and conversion rate. Journal of Business Research, 69, 4837-4842. doi: 10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2016.04.040. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S014829631630203X

  5. Fatta, D., & Lu, D. (2018). Conversion rate determinants in e-commerce websites. What about moderation effects?. International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 9, 366-377. doi: 10.1504/IJEMR.2018.10012150. https://www.inderscience.com/offers.php?id=94990

  6. Zhou, W., Lin, M., Xiao, M., & Fang, L. (2021). Exploitation and Exploration: Improving Search Precision on E-commerce Platforms. Social Science Research Network. doi: 10.2139/SSRN.3762144. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3762144

  7. Su, K., Chen, S., Lin, P., & Hsieh, C. (2019). Evaluating the user interface and experience of VR in the electronic commerce environment: a hybrid approach. Virtual Reality, 24, 241-254. doi: 10.1007/s10055-019-00394-w. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10055-019-00394-w