In the online fashion world, retailers are looking to the small but valuable site search box and its associated data to garner a wealth of information that can improve the user experience, and in turn, increase conversions and average order values.
Site search reports are instrumental in showcasing activity patterns, and have helped fashion and accessories retailers like SurfStitch and Diva present more relevant results for search queries and make better merchandising decisions.
Unfortunately though, some retailers still pass up the opportunity to get the most from their site search metrics. User experience guru Jakob Nielsen analysed users’ site search query experiences, finding that when users could not find what they were searching for online, instead of adjusting their search, they often assumed the site did not have what they were looking for and moved on to a competitor site.
Incorporating the language of your users into site content, configuring your search to account for synonyms, addressing queries with poor results, and adding additional items to inventory lists are all areas that can be addressed by using site search data effectively.
Think and behave like your customers
The language of your customers will frequently change as quickly as the fashion trends do, and it’s essential that online retailers keep track of this data in order to provide the most relevant search results. This data can be a good indicator of new items your customers are looking for, product lines that are performing well, the seasonality of your products, and even keywords that are different to those you currently use on your site.
Site search should work with the language of customers, using the same words customers are using to find what they’re looking for, not just what you think they’re looking for.
For example, jewellery and accessories retailer Diva discovered that its customers were using a variation of words for certain products, which resulted in poor search results. Using a Poor Search Results Report, diva found customers were searching for ‘BFF’ (Best Friend Forever) charms and necklaces, which were originally called Best Friend Necklaces. BFF wasn’t mentioned in product descriptions so the search query resulted in a poor search experience. Upon making this discovery, diva was able to add relevant keywords and adjust its search results with relevant products.
Word play
Spelling and grammar mistakes are often common with site visitors and your site search should account for the different ways potential customers spell products and brand names or the variations they use, and serve up suggestions to help find what they’re looking for easily or provide relevant alternatives.
It’s important to run regular site search reports to expose trends and patterns, including the variation of product names. You can also mimic the behaviour of search users, including spelling and grammar errors, building the observations into relevant search results.
The language you use to describe products may not always match the search queries your customers use. Site search should handle slang and alternate words with synonyms that describe the same product in search queries. Fashion retailer, Supre helps visitors find what they’re searching for by accounting for variations; whether customers search for skinny pants or cigarette pants, they’ll find slim-fitting pants.
Similarly, the word ‘t-shirt’ is sometimes referred to as ‘tee’, and SurfStitch provides relevant search results when both terms are used to help users find appropriate products and information when searching as seen in the below screenshot.
Identifying Searches with Poor Results
One way to define a poor result is by identifying low click-through rates. This includes searches that have no results. These terms can relate to content that people are searching for that you don’t have, or more often, as we’ve discussed are examples of your visitors using different keywords to describe your content, products or services.
This information is extremely valuable in helping you understand demand levels for products you don’t currently carry. This may indicate popular products to consider stocking, and you can also tweak your merchandising to suggest alternate products.
SurfStitch has experienced a 90 percent reduction in ‘no results’ pages since implementing SLI Systems’ site search solutions. The pureplay retailer has been able to eliminate dead-ends for customers and results pages are more comprehensive.
Dissecting data for maximum reward
The site search tool is extremely valuable in helping you better understand your site visitors and improving your onsite search performance and experience. Giving your customers what they want, when they want it, can help to maximise opportunities for conversion.