How to increase your Ecommerce Conversion Rate – Product Search
Throughout this series, we are sharing the definitive best practices that will improve your e-commerce website and increase your revenue and conversion rates. In part 1, we looked at how to effectively use landing pages to drive sales, as this is where your customers will begin their online interaction with you.
Part 2 of the series explains how to extend your search function to ensure your customers can get to correct and relevant product information as quickly as possible. The best way to achieve this is to use 'search' to its full potential.
Back in 2004, Google introduced predictive search with auto-complete and this has since become a universal feature that customers expect as part of the ecommerce shopping experience.
Fast, predictive search
A customer's shopping experience is a journey. This means that the search function also needs to be about discovery, displaying something to them that encourages further exploration and gives them instant access. All this can be delivered by using predictive search and the auto-complete function, which are both elements that we used when designing the ecommerce website for global retailer, Graham & Brown.
Display relevant items, collections or articles
Good auto-complete search functionality doesn't just return a simple list of matching product names. Instead, it delivers a curated set of results that includes individual products, product collections, and inspirational content. Users get a breadth of information that is likely to be valuable to them as they explore the website.
For example, if someone starts typing "bathroom" in the search box on the Graham & Brown site, the dropdown displays wallpaper collections alongside product videos and guides, like 'How to wallpaper a feature wall.'
This approach encourages discovery. Users might arrive with a specific product in mind, but the search results suggest alternatives or complementary content that extends their browsing session and increases conversion potential.
Boost high-value or strategic products
Smart search functionality includes business logic that promotes certain products or collections. This might include:
- Products with higher margins
- Items you want to clear from inventory
- New collections you want to promote
- Products that convert particularly well
This allows merchandising teams to influence search results to align with business objectives while still serving relevant results to users.
Include visual previews
Where possible, include thumbnail images in search suggestions. Visual previews help users quickly identify products they're looking for and make the search interface feel more engaging and professional.
For fashion, home decor, or any visually-driven retail category, images in search results significantly improve the user experience and click-through rates from search to product pages.
Advanced search and filtering
Beyond basic product search, consider implementing more sophisticated search and filtering capabilities:
Faceted search
Allow users to narrow down results using multiple criteria simultaneously. For example:
- Price ranges
- Brand or designer
- Product categories
- Customer ratings
- Availability
- Product attributes (size, color, material, etc.)
Search results optimization
Optimize your search results pages to encourage continued browsing:
- Show related search terms
- Display category suggestions
- Include content and guides alongside product results
- Provide clear filtering and sorting options
Intelligent search corrections
Implement search functionality that can:
- Handle spelling mistakes gracefully
- Understand synonyms and alternative product names
- Suggest corrections when search returns no results
- Learn from user behavior to improve results over time
Measuring search effectiveness
To optimize your search functionality, track key metrics:
Search conversion rates
Monitor how well search traffic converts compared to other site traffic. This helps identify opportunities for improvement.
Zero results searches
Track searches that return no results. These represent opportunities to expand your product range or improve search algorithm accuracy.
Search refinement patterns
Understand how users refine their searches to identify common pain points and optimize the initial search results.
Popular search terms
Monitor trending search terms to identify:
- Products you should consider stocking
- Content opportunities
- Seasonal trends
- Category gaps
Implementation recommendations
To implement these search improvements:
Choose the right search technology
Invest in a robust search platform that can handle complex queries, provide fast response times, and integrate well with your product catalog system.
Regular optimization
Continuously optimize search based on user behavior data, business priorities, and seasonal trends.
Mobile optimization
Ensure your search functionality works seamlessly on mobile devices, as mobile commerce continues to grow.
Content integration
Don't limit search to products alone. Include blog content, guides, and other valuable resources that can help users and drive engagement.
By implementing sophisticated search functionality, you transform a basic utility into a powerful discovery and conversion tool that helps customers find what they're looking for while exposing them to additional products and content that drive business value.
Next in this series, we'll examine how to optimize product pages themselves to maximize conversion once customers have found products they're interested in.