More than a quarter century after the introduction of Archie, considered by historians the first web search engine, search is still an integral component of the digital user experience. Search boxes — models of design simplicity comprising nothing more than a text input field and submit button (and, sometimes, a magnifying glass icon for flair) — are fixtures of virtually every content-rich website, enabling consumers to pinpoint anything and everything they’re seeking in a matter of keystrokes.
Search tools are especially critical to shopper satisfaction, according to a new study conducted by omnichannel personalization services provider RichRelevance. Among the roughly 1,000 U.S. online consumers surveyed last month, 83% said the search box is “important” or “extremely important” to them when shopping on a retailer’s web or mobile site, and 76% said they “always” or “often” use the search box when visiting a merchant site.
According to the study and report of more than 1,000 American shoppers by RichRelevance, while site search is critically important to shoppers, the study suggests that many retailers have not evolved site search to meet the demands of an omnichannel world. Frustrated web and mobile shoppers are likely to go elsewhere when retailers don’t get it right.
Diane Kegley, CMO of RichRelevance, says that “… site search is tremendously important to shoppers, but under-delivers when it comes to all the channels where consumers shop today… there have not been major advances in site search in a decade… “
Many eCommerce sites are actually deterring customers through poor experiences. RichRelevance has surveyed consumers about their attitudes to site search on retailers’ websites, finding that some retailers have room for improvement.
While Google and other major search engine providers have largely perfected the art of finding exactly what users are looking for in a matter of seconds, the experience of seeking out specific products on e-commerce sites themselves leaves a lot to be desired.
Retailers are losing 32% of potential customers due to bad search results. Read this and all the other marketing stats from this week.
Site search matters, yet many ecommerce sites are actually deterring customers through poor experiences. Indeed, a fifth of UK shoppers are not satisfied with retailers’ search results.
RichRelevance has surveyed consumers about their attitudes to site search on retailers’ websites, finding that some retailers have room for improvement.
Across the vast expanses of the Internet, drawing customers to your site is half the battle. The other half is helping them out once they get there.
Many, if not all, e-commerce sites have a function allowing consumers to quickly search for (and hopefully find) the products they want. And consumers are happy to use them. RichRelevance reports 83% of consumers say the search box on a Web site is important or extremely important when shopping online, and three-quarters of them say they always or often use the search box when shopping on a retailer’s site.
Some 48% of shoppers participating in a study released Tuesday say the ability to easily search and find products on a retailer’s Web site can make or break a deal. For 37% the stakes rise during the gift-giving season, according to those participating in the study.
Advertising Week seems to signal the beginning of the holiday shopping season, when retailers put a stronger emphasis on fine-tuning search and seem to pay more attention on Web site design.