On-site search is more than just a navigation bar hanging out on a web page, it’s a powerful user experience tool. That’s because search is now the most common behavior for those looking to solve a problem or find a product. The “just Google it” approach that started on search engines is now how most people approach individual websites.
B2B eCommerce marketers who understand how and why users rely on search can improve user experience, reduce bounces, and control search results to enhance conversions and revenue. OroCommerce provides tools to improve the search experience and enhance the customer experience in B2B eCommerce.
Why Search Matters in B2B eCommerce
Look at a transaction from the customer’s point of view. B2B buyers aren’t shopping for fun. They have a job to do, they are on a mission, and they want to complete the task at hand so they can move on to the next task.
You might have a great relationship, but buying from you is a task on their to-do list for today. So, the easier you make it for them to do their job, the more they like you. Therefore, the more search functionality you offer, the more efficiently they work. This creates a positive user experience and user experience is the name of the B2B eCommerce game these days.
Over 30% of users prefer a search function over browsing the online catalog. The more items you offer in your catalog, the more your customers will rely on the search function. In fact, on-site search is used more frequently than navigation.
Returning customers may prefer to search by product SKUs, but new site visitors and potential customers don’t have that advantage. Frequently, searchers are looking by brand or attribute because they are searching for alternatives or new solutions. Whether they search by SKU, product description, or synonyms, make sure they find what they need – even if they can’t spell it or know the product’s proper name.
When searchers encounter this:
They will likely navigate to another website. So, help them find what they need with enhanced on-site search technology.
6 Ways OroCommerce Improves Search
OroCommerce natively provides on-site search tools that help site visitors find the products they need on the front end while putting you in control of search results on the back end. This functionality comes out-of-the-box with OroCommerce. The most powerful on-site search tools in OroCommerce are:
1. Global Search Boost
Global search boost influences the relevancy ranking of your search results in the storefront based on searchable product attributes. By default, the SKU is set to 5, or the highest ranking so that it is searched first. However, you can rank attributes in the manner that makes the most sense for your product catalog. If your customers search more frequently by material, size, brand, or color, you might want to rank those attributes higher than SKU to deliver the fastest relevant search results.
2. Customer Actions Boost
Your customers have many things in common. Put that knowledge to use by leveraging their interactions with the website to use in helping other site visitors. Oro allows you to return search results that display the most relevant products based on other customer actions.
You can boost relevant products in the search results by the following criteria:
- By the number of product views
- How often the product is placed on a shopping list
- How frequently the product is purchased.
This information helps new site visitors find what they need based on the experiences of existing customers and improves the customer experience for all. Administrators control the boost on the back end and can boost globally or by an individual website.
3. Search Autocomplete
This functionality is a true time saver for customers. It anticipates in real-time what the searcher wants based on the first few characters typed into the search bar. Google added search autocomplete to their search engine in 2008. Search autocomplete is now expected by most users everywhere they search. If you aren’t offering autocomplete, it’s noticed by its absence – not its presence.
For example, if a dental supply customer is searching for cheek and lip retractors, they may start to type the word “retractor” and within 4 keystrokes, the website shows products related to retractors.
Now, the searcher can immediately navigate to the product category they need. Oro administrators can even define the number of items that appear in the drop-down box when users take advantage of the autocomplete function.
Fuzzy Search
Fuzzy search keeps people from hitting a dead end if they don’t know the name of an item or can’t spell it properly. That’s important. User experience researchers have found that when searchers don’t find what they want, they don’t change strategies, they just get frustrated. A frustrated searcher is more likely to navigate to another site. That’s bad news for conversion and bounce rates.
With fuzzy search enabled, Oro algorithms use strings that approximately match the search pattern. Instead of empty results, the closest results are displayed. Oro administrators can define the tolerance level for matching patterns and even exclude tolerance from search by SKU.
Search Synonyms
Search synonyms are words (not attributes) associated with a product that might be used as a search term. For example, a searcher at Gala Imports looking for a glass bottle that dispenses liquid in a spray form might search for “atomiser” and see these products:
While a search for “spray bottle” returns many of the same products.
And if the user searches for “aerosol spray” many of the same products display again.
Clicking on an item reveals that the manufacturer refers to the product as an “atomiser.”However, searchers can call it a spray bottle, aerosol bottle, or other common names.
In this case, if Gala Imports didn’t use a synonym search, a user searching for a spray bottle would never find the product they need. Oro administrators can define synonyms to be used globally or by the website. When products are known by a variety of common names, search synonyms relieve the stress users feel when they can’t find a product because they don’t know the exact name used by the manufacturer.
Search History
With search history enabled, OroCommerce builds a database of search terms users enter when searching your site. This generates valuable analytics when you know how to leverage the data collected.
Think of this database as a source of valuable insights into what your customers are thinking when they search and then leverage those insights to improve customer experience. Create a search term report and discover which search terms users are entering and the results returned by their search. Use this information to expand your synonyms, fine-tune your fuzzy search, and see how often the search returns a null set.
This information can also be used to enrich the synonyms for associated products. It literally tells you what your customers call your products. Searches that return null sets can also provide insight into additional products your customers want or regional names for products.
The Search History Report provides even more information about customer searches. It can tell you not only what term was searched, but whether they used the autocomplete function, what language or localization was used, and if the customer was logged into their account. For searchers logged into their company account, you also know the company and employee name that generated the search.
You can use this information to personalize offers. For example, if you know your customer Amanda Cole is searching for LED flashlights you can create a marketing message directed to her needs.
Watch the video below to see OroCommerce’s search features in action:
Even More Coming in 6.0
At Oro, we are always working to improve Oro products and the Oro ecosystem. Search management will further be enhanced with LTS 6.0 scheduled for release in March 2024.
This functionality will give you even more control over on-site searches. Search management will allow you to determine which products appear in on-site search and how they appear. You’ll be able to:
- Manage search terms to define which products are displayed and include and exclude selected products by customer group, website, localization, or customer.
- Handcraft search result pages.
- Prioritize products in search results to adjust default search result sorting.
Better Search—Better Customer Experience
OroCommerce offers on-site search tools right out of the box. There’s no need for add-ons or extensions.
A better search experience improves the overall customer experience. When it comes to customer complaints about websites, 75% cite that the search results are not helpful and 20% complain the site isn’t searchable at all.
Oro offers the tools you need to build a better customer experience. With more and more companies investing in customer experience, it is now a key differentiator. In the US, 32% of customers will walk away from a brand they love after a bad customer experience.
Clearly, customer experience is the new battleground, and Oro arms you with the tools to reduce or eliminate friction in on-site search. That’s just one of the ways we are helping companies succeed.
