E-commerce search has become a vital part of our browsing experience. 43% of new website visitors go directly to a search bar.
Those people who use the search box are 2.4 times more likely to convert.
It is only a matter of time before every e-commerce market player will start allocating significant financial resources to an advanced e-commerce site search. The leading retailers have already done that.
So, what does the future of e-commerce search look like? Will it change how small and large businesses operate?
Let’s discuss the most visible forecasts of the e-commerce search future.
#1. The rapid growth of an on-site search usage
There is no doubt that e-commerce search will grow at a massive scale.
Some statistics project that by 2040, around 95% of purchases will take place in e-commerce.
It means more retailers will prioritize e-commerce as their primary sales channel. It also means more competition and stricter consumer expectations.
The sooner you enter the e-commerce search game and start keeping up with the top players, the faster you can notice your search conversion rates increase.
#2. Personalization as an expected norm
Over the past few years, customer behavior has shifted towards a personalized shopping experience.
Currently, every second shopper admits they are more likely to buy from stores that personalize their content.
Besides, businesses that introduce personalization into their search experience notice a revenue increase of up to 10%.
That’s why personalized search results can help you increase sales and build customer loyalty. Seamless user experience and individually tailored product offerings make it more likely that customers will return to your website in the future.
#3. Mobile shopping is among the top priorities
The future of e-commerce search will focus on delivering a seamless and integrated experience across multiple channels, including mobile, desktop, and in-store.
Estimates suggest that in the upcoming years, mobile shopping will grow almost twofold. It will soon reach approximately 710 billion U.S. dollars yearly.
If you do not have your shopping experience adapted to a seamless smartphone browsing experience, you are missing significant potential.
Start preparing for the shortcoming future and make your e-commerce store mobile-first.
#4. Voice search, augmented reality, and other virtual assistants
People are becoming busier. More consumers expect fast and relevant solutions. Currently, as much as 26% of smart speaker users used a voice search to make a purchase.
Voice search, augmented reality solutions, and other means to facilitate users’ decision-making processes are expected to become an increasingly important part of future e-commerce search.
It means that e-commerce search engines will need to adapt to voice search by understanding and interpreting natural language queries.
Besides, retailers will need to invest in technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality to create immersive and engaging shopping experiences for their customers.
Currently, two-thirds of users prefer buying from retailers who offer AR experiences. AR creates a sense of “trying out” a product while holding a smartphone. Therefore, additional virtual assistants will significantly improve the search experience and facilitate decision-making processes.
#5. AI-driven solutions to power on-site search
The future of effective e-commerce site search is inseparable from AI-driven search solutions.
Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies, advanced e-commerce search solutions provide relevant search results based on user behavior, preferences, and search history.
They help you get to the core of search intent, provide highly accurate results, automatically correct typos, and suggest user-relevant products.
These solutions can also provide retailers with insights into customer behavior, such as which products are most frequently searched for and purchased. This way, you can make data-driven and informed business decisions.
Investing in e-commerce search is a well-reasoned practice. It ensures you satisfy users’ expectations, provide only relevant products, and meet exceptional user experience demands.
All in all, e-commerce search is expected to become more advanced, more user-relevant, and more accurate. Retailers that want to get a stand in this highly competitive market should meet the market demand and introduce a converting e-commerce site search like LupaSearch.
Contact the LupaSearch product consultant, and we will provide you with a free demo.