On-site search (OSS) is a fundamental search functionality on a website critically relevant for e-commerce stores. It aims to swiftly find what your customers need, enhancing the shopping experience and boosting conversion rates.

Efficient OSS implementations can significantly impact an e-commerce site’s success, affecting everything from user experience to sales figures [1].

Why is onsite search important?

Onsite search is often overlooked – especially by online retailers. Yet, it’s a critical part of any successful ecommerce strategy.

An effective onsite search makes your e-shop deliver precisely the products your customers are looking for. Strategic inclusion of OSS can lead to improved consumer trusting beliefs and online purchase intentions [2].

How?

Onsite search facilitates searching processes

Users refine their searches if they haven’t found what they want in the original search.

For example, let’s say someone types in “best dog food for puppies.” They might see a list of the best dog foods. Yet, they’re unsure which food suits puppies best.

So they start refining their search: add a brand name, limit results to a certain price range, or look for reviews. But even though they’ve narrowed the options, there’s still no guarantee they’ll find what they’re searching for.

But it’s different with an effective (AI-powered) onsite search like LupaSearch.

LupaSearch will rank products based on whether they’re relevant to the search term. If a product isn’t relevant, it won’t show up in the results.

This way, for a puppy food-searching user, the LupaSearch Smart onsite search would return only the products that match all criteria: best, dog food, for puppies.

Such an onsite search would do the work for the user - it would automatically apply all relevant dynamic filters.

How can you improve the search experience on your site?

The search box is one of the most critical elements of any ecommerce site. If it doesn’t work properly, customers won’t find what they’re looking for.

So, how do you make sure that your search box works well? Here are some tips.

1. Place the search box in the navigation menu.

If you place the search box in the main navbar, it’ll help people navigate your site easily. This way, visitors don’t have to go searching around the site for where they want to look next.

Amazon.com search box

2. Include the search box in the footer.

Placing the search box in a footer makes sense because it’s the area of the site that people tend to scroll down to anyway. You could even add a call to action button like “Search now!” to encourage shoppers to start browsing.

3. Make sure there’s enough space.

When designing your search box, leave it some room to breathe. Don’t cram too many options onto a small screen. Instead, provide plenty of space for users to type keywords and phrases.

What Are The Benefits of Onsite Search for Your Business?

An effective onsite search system will improve customer experience and increase conversion rates. With LupaSearch, many businesses noticed up to an 8X increase in conversion rates.

Besides, reports, stats, and analytics of your OSS can offer insights into consumer behavior, aiding in more targeted marketing strategies.

In addition, a converting site search system will make it easier for customers to navigate your site. If they can’t easily find what they’re looking to buy, they might look elsewhere.

How to Improve Product Discoverability by Your Users?

Site Search connects users with available products on your e-shop. It gives users a way to navigate around your site quickly.

So, how can you improve your product discoverability?

Provide clear navigations

Your customers will find what they’re looking for faster if you provide them with clear navigation options.

Make sure that your website offers easy access to key information. Provide helpful labels and icons to make it easier for people to understand where they are on your site.

Explore and exploit valuable data

Site Search Analytics helps you analyze your site traffic and see what people are searching for, what are they clicking on, and how they behave.

You can use this information to make data-driven decisions about your website and improve it over time.

Make sure to analyze the following information:

• Keywords – What words do people use to find your products and services?
• Locations – Where do visitors come from?
• Devices – Which devices do people use to access your site?
• Time – How long does each visitor spend on your site?
• Pages per session – How many pages do people view during one visit?

Site search is one of those things that most people don’t think about until they need it. But once you start using it and seeing conversion rates growth, the benefits become evident.

The Best Onsite Search Practices on Ecommerce Sites You Should Apply

1. A good ecommerce site will guide users to the products that they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. It includes providing easy access to product information, images, reviews, and prices.

2. A good ecommerce site will make it easier for shoppers to navigate around the site and find what they want.

3. Provide buyers with the option to add items to their cart while browsing the site.

4. Make sure to personalize the search experience, so users receive only the relevant product recommendations based on their past interactions, demographic data, and intrerests.

5. As an advanced option, allow users with a chat-like onsite search. For instance, Lupa GenAI are based on large language models and provide a conversation-like search experience regardless of the user queries.

An effective internal search function will help customers find exactly what they want faster while improving customer satisfaction and increasing sales.

Choosing the right internal onsite search

When it comes to picking the internal onsite search partner, seek the ones with proven expertise.

With LupaSearch, businesses notice up to 3X growth in CTRs and a 17% increase in business revenue.

LupaSearch provides metrics, analytics, customization, ease of implementation and development, 24/7 support, security, reliability, and performance.

If you are ready for an effective internal search solution, request a free demo at LupaSearch. See it in action with your product feed, and make an informed decision leading to your e-commerce business growth.

References

1. Sen, R., King, R. C., & Shaw, M. J. (2006). Buyers’ Choice of Online Search Strategy and Its Managerial Implications. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23(2), 211-238. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2753/MIS0742-1222230107

2. Schlosser, A. E., White, T. B., & Lloyd, S. M. (2006). Converting Web Site Visitors into Buyers: How Web Site Investment Increases Consumer Trusting Beliefs and Online Purchase Intentions. Journal of Marketing, 70(2), 133-148. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jmkg.70.2.133