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Must-Have B2B eCommerce Functionalities: Search with OroCommerce

December 15, 2016 | Oro Team

Must-Have B2B eCommerce Functionalities

One of the researches investigating the current state of eCommerce architecture and search features has revealed that only 40% of websites provide faceted search and 70% make users enter the exact keyword only. This is pretty daunting since a well working search function is one of the factors greatly affecting customer experience which in turn is crucial for growing companies looking for a competitive advantage.

Importance of a B2B eCommerce site search engine

Compared to B2C, B2B product catalogs are typically much larger and contain more products and SKUs for online stores. While a variety of products can be good for the business, it creates challenges for customers looking for relevant products if strong searching capabilities are not in place. Customers want to be able to find relevant products quickly. When they are unable to do so, customers will not only have a negative customer experience, but they may purchase from your competitors. All of this makes search a critical component when assessing B2B eCommerce platforms.

With the typical search behavior and browsing patterns of enterprise customers in mind, OroCommerce comes with eCommerce search features that support the crucial search queries business users normally rely on when looking for product data. OroCommerce Enterprise edition will also introduce an enhanced eCommerce site search engine powered by ElasticSearch. This makes possible to speed up the search results and work with the most robust databases and the most complex queries, enabling B2B businesses owners to scale their business easily without lags in search functionality performance.

Let’s go through OroCommerce’s search features as part of its eCommerce marketplace features to discuss how we can improve the customer experience.

Most popular search queries OroCommerce supports

Search by Exact Keywords

That’s the simplest type of query where eCommerce users search for a specific product in it’s exact name, model, or SKU number (e.g. oven combi Gorenje K 57375 ABR).

Search by Pain Points

Once in awhile, eCommerce users who are typically well aware of products they need to purchase end up forgetting the exact item title or product type. They may be faced with some issues where they need to search for the products by querying the issue  these items resolve (e.g. oil stains, pull rusty staple). While these kinds of queries are not necessarily relevant to all eCommerce industries, some of your enterprise customers in drugstores, tools and supplies, and cleaning industries may appreciate this search capability.

Search by Features

eCommerce users often require very specific products they search by features or attributes – such as material, color, brand, size and other qualitative characteristics (e.g. certain size screws or uniform of a certain color or model). In this case, buyers expect to quickly find a product of interest using its features as a part of the query. This functionality can be implemented in the form of filters embedded in the results page which allows users to customize their search by applying only query-matching qualifiers.

Search by Descriptors

Some product characteristics, categories, or concepts a user queries on a website can be vague, relate to intended usage, deal with an occasion or event, or be somewhat subjective (e.g. comfortable office chair, powerful headlamp). Buyers working in specific industries may also need seasonal items (e.g. summer men’s lab coat as a medical apparel). To properly support a thematic search query, it’s vital to broaden the interpretation of each product and extend their thematic tagging options so that the site returns relevant results even if the words searched are not keywords in the descriptions or product names.

Conclusion

OroCommerce can handle all of the above product search options giving B2B business owners the perfect tool to provide their enterprise customers competitive search and overall user experience. Besides, due to its flexible open-source nature and intuitive build OroCommerce can be integrated with any other eCommerce site search engine of your choice to expand its search capabilities even further.

The platform’s multiple search functionality makes it possible for a website user to find a product by its name, description, features and other criteria. But as a store owner be sure to fill in an extensive product information backed up with rich details first. Otherwise even most unprecedented search functionality will not bring the searched-for results, should the data pool be poor.

Underestimating the importance of a well-thought search logic and robust search engine implemented in your B2B eCommerce site can damage customer experience. Should the users obtain no relevant results when looking for a product online, they may assume your webshop doesn’t provide the searched-for item and simply quit. An effective site search allows you to increase customer engagement, trigger more purchases, and ignite repeated business – the core principles of a B2B success.

 

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