The Fast Lane

Discover the world of AI-driven shopping optimization and fast-track your way to increased conversion rates, AOV, and customer loyalty. Explore expert insights on e-commerce personalization, merchandising, site search, and more.

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Search & discovery Unleash the Power of Custom Site Search: A Guide to Better eCommerce Navigation When you run an e-commerce store, you want to provide your customers with a seamless shopping experience that keeps them coming back for more. That's where custom site search comes in to make it easier for your customers to navigate your store. By taking advantage of custom site search, you can set your e-commerce store apart from the competition. Custom site search helps you provide a personalized and efficient search experience for your customers so you can drive sales, improve your customer experience, and boost customer loyalty. Let's dive into how you can take advantage of custom site search on your e-commerce site. What Is Custom Site Search? Custom site search is a search tool that gives you advanced features beyond the basic search functionality most e-commerce platforms offer. With custom site search, you can provide your customers with quick and easy access to the products they're looking for while delivering a smooth and personalized shopping experience. Alora Boutique: Making It Easier to Find the Perfect Jewelry If your customer is looking for a specific earring they saw on social media, they'll head to your e-commerce site and start searching. With a custom site search, they can type in the name of the jewelry and receive a list of all the earrings that match it. This eliminates the need for your customer to navigate through different categories and endlessly scroll through product options, especially if you have hundreds of products on your site. Benefits of a Custom Site Search 1. Improved Customer Experience No matter your industry, customers want the best shopping experience possible. You can deliver on that by implementing a custom site search that offers a more visually appealing shopping experience. If your e-commerce site sells clothing, you can incorporate custom site search to display product images in the search results, making it easier for customers to identify the product they're looking for. » Learn how to add, customize, and remove your Shopify search bar for an enhanced shopping experience 2. Relevant Search Results Custom site search is typically powered by AI algorithms that understand the intent behind each customer's search query, delivering relevant results every time. If a customer has recently searched for a specific type of product on your site, a custom site search can remember their preferences and suggest relevant products when they come back and explore your site later in their buying journey. Having relevant search results saves your customers time, makes it easier for them to find what they're looking for, and increases the likelihood of them making a purchase. 3. Increased Sales By providing your customers with a fast and personalized shopping experience, custom site search can help drive sales and increase your bottom line. For example, at Alora Boutique, having search on the site has been instrumental in helping shoppers find the products they need, resulting in a higher conversion rate and average order value. The best part about a custom site search is that you can see what products people are searching for on your site and match your product descriptions to their search intent or introduce new products that customers are looking for but you don't have. » Improve your Magento Search capabilities with Fast Simon's plugin Custom Site Search Features That Improve Navigation 1. Smarter Search When it comes to optimizing your site, custom site search is the way of the future. Your team can leverage advanced AI algorithms that understand the intent behind each search query, delivering relevant results every time. Custom search helps your team rest easy, knowing your customers won't have to sort through irrelevant results, saving time and reducing headaches. For example, if a customer searches Alora Boutique for "black hoop earrings" using a custom site search, they'll receive a specific list of black hoop earrings shoes instead of all earrings in general. A good search tool can also consider factors like product popularity, categories, and product reviews to provide even more accurate results. This level of intelligence ensures that your customers can find what they're looking for faster and more efficiently, leading to a more enjoyable shopping experience and a higher likelihood of purchase. This can result in higher customer satisfaction and, ultimately, customer retention. 2. Personal Customized Style Merchandising a site is painstaking, and luckily custom site searches can be tailored to match the look and feel of your brand. Doing this will ensure your customers have a consistent shopping experience. For example, at Alora Boutique, I customized my custom site search to match the website's aesthetics, creating a seamless shopping experience for their customers. 3. Full Search Result Control With custom site search, you and your team have complete control over the displayed search results. Are you having a sale? You can prioritize certain products. Big holiday collections you need visible in Q4? You can prioritize these collections in your search results. Doing this ensures that your customers can quickly and easily find what they're looking for, and you improve the sales of certain products. Do Your Custom Site Search the Fast Way By incorporating custom site search into your e-commerce strategy, you can provide your customers with a highly personalized and efficient shopping experience, driving sales and customer loyalty in the process. With an integrated AI platform, you can implement and maintain custom site search effortlessly. So why wait? Unleash the power of custom site search today and take your e-commerce store to the next level! » Have a B2B website? Here's how to optimize site search for B2B

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Search & discovery How to Use Shopify Instant Search to Maximize Product Discovery Shopify Search has become a go-to solution for millions of merchants looking to sell their products online. In most cases, the success of your Shopify store depends on how well you can maximize your product discovery. Shopify instant search can help boost your product discoverability by guiding your customers to their desired products in the quickest and most efficient way possible. What Is Shopify Instant Search? Shopify instant search scans your store's product listings and provides relevant results in real time as your customers type in their search queries. This gives your customers more options to choose from and also makes it easier for them to find what they're looking for. The result is a better shopping experience and increased product discoverability for the store. Getting the most out of Shopify instant search requires taking a few key steps. » Further improve your customer shopping experience by adding, removing, and customizing the Shopify search bar 1. Use Autocomplete for Smarter & Faster Results Autocomplete text is a helpful tool for getting better, faster site search results. With just a few keystrokes, customers can find what they're looking for without having to spell everything out. This eliminates the need for an extra step and lets customers go straight from typing their search term to a purchasable product with just one click. Mastermind Toys uses autocomplete text to suggest products faster to their customers. For instance, if a customer types "star" into the search bar, the autocomplete pulls up results for Star Wars-related products right away and maximizes product discovery. This saves the customer time and takes them straight to their desired results. 2. Use NLP to Understand Your Customers' Intent Natural language processing (NLP) is a technique that helps your search function understand human language and the context your customers are searching in. Shopify instant search uses NLP to extract the meaning behind a search query and look for the most relevant results in a large product dataset, thereby helping to increase product discovery. When you understand your customers' intent, you can offer instant and relevant search results. For example, if a customer types "este luader" into Fragrance Buy's search bar, the store's natural language search functionality understands that the customer is actually looking for "Estee Lauder" and provides those results. This improves the overall shopping experience and increases the chances of a successful transaction. » Still a bit in the dark? This guide decodes natural language search 3. Personalized Product Discovery Shopify instant search can also boost personalization for product discovery by using data about your customers' behavior and preferences. This may include keeping track of the products your customers have viewed in the past and using that information to suggest similar products in future searches. By using data from personas and product rating systems, instant searches can make customers' discovery experience even more tailored and efficient. Here are a few potential outcomes of this: Your customers are more likely to buy products that match their interests and needs.Your customers are more likely to make repeat purchases because your store caters to their preferences.Your store maximizes product discovery and increases your chances of making a sale. For example, if a new customer searches for a "white dress" in Princess Polly's search bar, they'll see the standard collection as a result with related (but general) search prompts on the side. But as the customer browses the white dresses in the collection, particularly the mini dresses, the store's Shopify instant search notes the customer's preferences and interests. So, the next time the customer visits the store, their experience is already more personalized with suggestions for mini dresses and white dresses before even starting their search. » Dive deeper into the personalization experience Why Shopify Stores Invest in Instant Search Smart Shopify merchants understand that their store's search can make or break their customer experience. With the help of its features, you can: Convert more leads into customers Instant search makes it easier for your shoppers to quickly find the right product without the hassle of navigating through multiple pages. This significantly increases their odds of purchasing.Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty An effective instant search solution gathers valuable information about your customers' searches and interactions on your site. You can analyze this data to gain insight into customers' intent so you can show results that enhance their satisfaction and loyalty.Increase sales Mobile instant search reduces the need for extensive site exploration, shortening the path to purchase and increasing the likelihood of buying and spending more. Shoppers who use search spend 2.6 times more on average than those who don't. Do It the Fast Way The eCommerce industry is highly competitive, and with so many choices, customers expect a certain experience when they shop online. With Shopify instant search, you can give your customers a personal shopping journey that effortlessly leads them to the products they're looking for, thereby increasing your conversions and customer retention. » Don't have a Shopify store? Explore your Magento Search and BigCommerce Search options instead

Search & discovery Advanced Search in WooCommerce: Elevate Your eCommerce Game Advanced search in WooCommerce can significantly elevate your eCommerce store, enhance your customers' experience in your store, and drive sales. This robust site search functionality helps your customers quickly find what they're looking for by searching for specific products, categories, attributes, and even custom fields. What Is Advanced Search in WooCommerce? Advanced search in WooCommerce allows your customers to refine their product searches by using a number of filters and parameters. Your customers can narrow their search by selecting several parameters, such as the type of goods, features, price range, and so on. This type of eCommerce search process is simplified and more efficient, which in turn improves the user experience. » Have a Magento store instead? Explore advanced search benefits through Fast Simon's Magento Search plugin How Advanced Search Improves Your WooCommerce Store 1. Show Relevant Results Instantly When you use advanced search in WooCommerce, your website's search function can return relevant results almost immediately, making it easy for shoppers to find what they need. This is especially true if you have a large product catalog. Your customers don't want to search endlessly through collections and product lists. Instead, advanced search can save them time and effort because your customers can easily filter search results by keywords, product features, price range, and more. Bamboo Clothing: Get an Instant Perfect Fit Bamboo Clothing sells sustainable men's and women's activewear. Their customers can search by size, color, brand, and price. These advanced search tools allow their customers to quickly locate the products they want without browsing through irrelevant merchandise. For example, a customer found relevant results instantly when typing in "large women tops". Also, note how the search function gave relevant results even though the customer didn't use the exact same wording as the store ("top" vs. "jacket"). Its natural language search capabilities take synonyms and misspellings into consideration to continually provide an optimized shopping experience. 2. Product Searches Anywhere on Your Site Since 43% of your customers immediately start their shopping journey with your search bar, it should be available to them throughout their entire shopping journey in your store. Easy access to your search bar means your customers are more likely to stay on your site and explore more pages. They may even stumble across products they didn't know you had or that are better than what they were originally looking for, giving you an ideal chance to upsell and cross-sell. Additionally, increased stay time and engagement show search engines that your site is important and relevant to users, which can boost your ranking. Gourmet Basket: Not Putting It All in One Basket Gourmet Basket specializes in compiling luxurious gift baskets. If a customer browses a specific collection (like "Non-Alcoholic Gift Baskets"), the search bar remains easily accessible at the top of the page if the customer wants to search for something else. Within the collection, various filters are available to refine the customers' search more, thereby giving them more options and encouraging them to stay on the page. » Learn how product search engines and federated search can enhance your store today 3. Live Search and Autocomplete Live search and autocomplete give your customers a faster, more convenient, and more efficient way to find and purchase products in your store because they automatically provide suggestions based on what your customers are typing. This can not only save time but also help avoid spelling mistakes that could result in a "no results" page. In this way, you can lower your bounce rates and increase conversions because you're leading your customers on a straight path to their desired products. Wowmart: Finishing Your Sentences Wowmart sells various health and beauty products. If a customer is looking for "shampoo", the store automatically provides various popular, category, and product suggestions for them to consider and peruse. 4. Tailored Product Search Because you're interacting with your customers through an interface now instead of face-to-face, it's even more important to make them feel special. And giving them a personalized shopping experience tailored to their preferences is the perfect way to do this. By making your customers part of the process, you can increase your sales by 6-10% because at least 51% of your customers are more likely to buy a product if you add a personal touch to their shopping journey. Protest: No Objections to Personalized Search Results Protest sells clothing for men, women, and children. If a customer searches for "black top", then they get relevant results from all categories, including summer and winter clothing as well as for men, women, and children. But personalization can refine these results, e.g., black tops for women of a specific price and size. » Discover more about personalized search and recommendation engines Fast Opportunities WooCommerce stores need advanced searches to improve product discoverability and user experience. This includes delivering quick and accurate search results to your customers, giving them the opportunity to further refine their searches, and personalizing their shopping journey. An effective search function can potentially double your conversions, build customer loyalty, and increase your sales. » Not using WooCommerce? Elevate your BigCommerce game with Fast Simon's BigCommerce Search plugin

Search & discovery WooCommerce Instant Search Makes Browsing a Breeze—Here's How WooCommerce is a leading eCommerce platform that allows users to create and manage online stores by offering a variety of features, such as inventory management, shipping and tax options, and customer management. But one of its most salient features could arguably be instant search. WooCommerce instant search provides real-time search results, which makes the search experience faster and makes browsing a breeze for your customers. What Is WooCommerce Instant Search? WooCommerce instant search is a feature that allows your users to find their desired products at their fingertips in no time. WooCommerce instant search benefits customers in a number of ways, including simplifying the search process and giving them more options to choose from. It also holds advantages for your store. For example, an effective site search process causes fewer frustrations for your customers, which eventually decreases the chances of them hopping out and increases the chances of making additional sales. Below, we discuss how WooCommerce instant search helps customers have a better browsing experience in your store. 1. Relevant Search Results Every visitor to your online WooCommerce store demands relevant search results, and at least 39% are influenced by relevant search results to make a purchase. WooCommerce instant search makes it easier for them to catch on to their desired products without the hassle of going through all your pages, thereby saving them time as well. For example, if a customer is looking for medication to help with heartburn on WOWmart, they'll not only get suggestions of popular heartburn searches to try but also a list of relevant heartburn product results. This simplifies their search and spares them from manually searching through various categories. » Learn how product search engines can help refine your search results 2. Personalized Search Results WooCommerce instant search also offers personalization capabilities. It can give your customers personalized search results based on their previous data, such as search history, purchasing history, and preferences. The algorithms of instant search can track down these data points and use them to give your customers personalized shopping experiences with relevant and fast results, thereby increasing your chances of making sales. For example, if a customer is looking for green t-shirts from Bamboo Clothing, they'll get green shirts of all styles and sizes as their result. While still relevant, these search results are not personal to the customer. If the customer is looking for short-sleeved green t-shirts for women, WooCommerce instant search can track this data and display it for the customer instead. » Explore further how personalization can help your eCommerce business 3. Autocomplete and Autosuggest Functionality Autocomplete and autosuggest are two key features of instant search. Autocomplete allows users to complete their search query based on the letters they've already typed.Autosuggest provides suggestions regarding a user's query as they type. Both of these features are generated according to your database of customers and provide fast and accurate results so your customers can quickly reach their desired product. This not only reduces your customers' frustration but also maximizes product discovery and eventually results in more sales—up to 24%. For example, a customer is looking for a gift basket on Gourmet Basket. They're unsure what exactly they're looking for but know they want the gift basket to contain wine. Gourmet Basket's instant search automatically provides category and product suggestions for the customer to consider. » Have a Magento store instead? Optimize your auto functions with Fast Simon's Magento Search plugin 4. Synonym Functionality Synonym functionality works by understanding your customers' intent when they type a query to display relevant results. This is based on natural language processing and natural language search, which use your customers' way of communicating and their context to match them to products. For example, if a customer searches for "protective muffs" on BC Fasteners and Tools, the algorithm understands the search intent and still displays relevant search results even though the search query doesn't match the store's wording or product names exactly (e.g., "ear protection" or "ear muffs"). » Not using WooCommerce? Try using Fast Simon's BigCommerce Search plugin instead Take the Fast Way In a nutshell, WooCommerce instant search is one of the most important aspects behind the success of a WooCommerce online store. Instant search possesses the power to convert users into buyers and uplift your sales, which is why it shouldn't be neglected. This feature can also be coupled with other search functionalities, like federated search, to give your customers an elevated and even more refined shopping experience. » Explore how to use your search results to improve your WooCommerce store conversions

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Search & discovery Improve WooCommerce Conversion Rates: How to Use Your Search Results Site search and conversions fit together like a puzzle. While over 40% of your customers will immediately go to the search bar on your store, another 68% can bounce if the search results aren't satisfactory. What does this mean? As a WooCommerce store owner, you can leverage the power of site search results to improve your conversion rates. Let's investigate how. Understanding the Importance of Relevant Search Results Relevant search results can give your customers a quick and easy route to their desired products, greatly enhancing their shopping experience. It also fosters a positive perception of your brand—relevant results demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction, instilling confidence and trust in your store. But the benefits don't stop there. Up to 43% of consumers are willing to pay more to find what they want in just a few clicks. This means you can monetize the opportunity through membership or subscription models and personalization. » Here's how WooCommerce instant search makes browsing a breeze Optimizing WooCommerce Product Search It’s no secret that WooCommerce’s default product search isn’t the most intuitive or advanced. Fortunately, there are ways to create a better search experience for visitors. Utilize Advanced Search Plugins Advanced search plugins improve your customer's product search experience by integrating robust search widgets into your website. These widgets have a wide range of customization settings, meaning you can easily align them with your brand image. Plus, they contain features to help customers find, sort, and buy products quickly. Key features include: Search tuning: Allows you to include or exclude specific content types from the results. AJAX live search: Delivers real-time search results, enabling visitors to find information and navigate the site more quickly. Product search and filters: Improves product discoverability by allowing customers to refine their searches.Synonyms and autocomplete support: Makes the search process more forgiving and user-friendly by letting customers find products despite spelling errors. » Have a Magento store instead? Find out how to benefit from advanced search in Magento Search Implement Effective Filtering Options Effective filters combat decision fatigue for online shoppers. They cut down the surplus of choices, making product selection less overwhelming. They also amplify relevant attributes, echoing customers' unique preferences and needs. This increases their engagement and reduces friction on the path to their purchase. Here are some tips to help you implement relevant filters in WooCommerce product search: Opt for familiar placement: Place filters where customers expect them. Vertical filters are familiar and allow more options, while horizontal ones increase visibility and convenience. Employ a wide range: Use a mix of product-specific (model, size, etc.) and thematic filters (bestsellers, season, etc.) to cater to various customer needs. Use simple language: Write filters in plain language. Avoid creativity and jargon in favor of simplicity and clarity. Filters are functional tools, not branding exercises. Sodashi implements thematic horizontal filters on their main shop page. They then switch to product-specific vertical filters within categories. Each filter is labelled clearly, so their meanings are plain. » Make sure to avoid these common mistakes when adding search filters to your store Integrate Auto-Suggestions and Auto-Corrections Auto-suggestion uses machine learning to predict shoppers' intent as they type and auto-correction uses algorithms to find and fix misspelled words. So, what's the effect? These features speed up the search process. Users don't need to type out full queries—the search bar suggests as they type. Search results become more accurate. Auto-correction fixes typos, thereby reducing mistakes and delivering more precise results. When searching on Bittersweet for a dress, the search function already gives suggestions and still generates relevant search results despite misspelling the search term as 'dres'. » Find out more about accounting for synonyms and spelling in site search Leverage Search Analytics What search queries do shoppers enter? Which products are unavailable through search? Which SKUs are most frequently searched by visitors? Search analytics can help you find the answers to these questions. The analytics generated by advanced search in WooCommerce contains a wealth of information about customer intent. By analyzing the data points, you’ll gain a deep understanding of your audience and make better business decisions: Address product gaps: Identify frequently searched terms with no relevant results and expand your inventory to meet customer demand.Optimize pricing: Utilize customer activity data to determine optimal pricing for improved conversion rates and profitability.Forecast trends: Use search analytics to predict popular products, stock inventory accordingly, and implement complimentary marketing campaigns. » Struggling with BigCommerce analytics? Let Fast Simon's BigCommerce Search plugin help Optimizing Search Engine Results for Your WooCommerce Website Before arriving at your site, visitors typically use a search engine like Google to research potential shopping destinations. You want to ensure your site is discoverable in search results so people can easily find it. Consider optimizing search engine results for your site by: Conduct Keyword Research Keywords are the foundation of SEO. They indicate the words, phrases, and queries people use to find products. Conducting keyword research enables you to integrate these terms into your website's pages, improving its chances of ranking at the top of search results. Tips to find relevant keywords for your WooCommerce store: Use Google Keyword Planner: This free tool helps identify similar and long-tail keywords relevant to your product. Research competitors’ keywords: Study top-ranking competitors' keywords in product titles, descriptions, and reviews for insights. Optimize Product Titles and Descriptions Product titles and descriptions appear in search engine results and are closely tied to the user's query. That's why it's crucial to craft compelling product descriptions that entice people to click and explore further. Tips for creating captivating product titles and descriptions: Integrate keywords: Include important words naturally to make your content attractive and easy to find online. Structure your descriptions: Incorporate visual hierarchy to share information in a clear and organized way. Highlight essential details and features that make the product special. Enhance Meta Tags and URLs Meta tags are HTML code elements that convey information about your website to search engines.URLs are web addresses people use to locate and retrieve your site’s pages. Optimizing both is essential for improving your website’s SEO and ensuring a seamless user experience: Craft user-friendly tags: Create short and descriptive meta tags that tell users what your page is about. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon.Concise URLs: Keep your URLs short and easy to remember. Use 3-5 words at most to describe the content of your page. Improve Site Speed and Mobile Responsiveness Fast-loading and mobile-optimized sites ensure a flawless user experience, which is what Google wants for its users. With the battle for online rankings getting more and more competitive, you need to optimize these elements if you want to rank higher and gain visibility in search results: Optimize product images: Heavy images can slow down your website. Use a plugin like Smush to compress and optimize them for faster loading times. Choose a responsive theme: Select a mobile-friendly theme with a clean and professional design. Examples include OceanWP, Astra, and eStore. The Search for Conversions Is Over Every store owner wants more conversions—it's just a matter of leveraging the tools and resources you have access to so you can make it happen. While WooCommerce doesn't have excellent native search capabilities, you still have several options, from advanced search plugins and filters to SEO strategies like fine-tuning metadata and descriptions. By leveraging relevant search results and optimizing search engine results, you'll be well-positioned to drive conversions and achieve success with your WooCommerce store. » Take the next steps to maximize your sales with a comprehensive search and discovery approach

Search & discovery Advanced Search in Magento: Improve Your Store's Experience Advanced search is a powerful tool that can significantly improve the functionality and performance of your Magento Search store, leading to increased customer satisfaction, conversions, and sales. Consider that 43% of your customers immediately zero in on the search bar to find information, but 21% of them can exit your site again from the search results—possibly because they didn't find what they're looking for and are searching for another store to buy from. But with its range of features, advanced search can help your customers find what they're looking for quickly and conveniently, making it easier for them to complete purchases. What Is Advanced Search? Advanced search in eCommerce refers to a sophisticated and feature-rich search system that gives your customers multiple ways to refine their search and increase their chances of getting the results they want. This can include searching by product attributes, price range, brand, or category. Advanced search also often includes autocomplete and spelling features to make sure your customers still get their desired results even if they make mistakes in their search terms. Give Your Customers the Best Magento Experience Having advanced search in your Magento store can give you an advantage over your competitors, considering that 61% of eCommerce stores perform below expectations when it comes to search. Here's how advanced search can improve your store's experience: 1. Language Recognition It always comes down to semantics, right? You can give your customers a better shopping experience when you up your language game. Support multiple languages When your customers search for products in their preferred language, it can enhance the relevancy and accuracy of their search results. Your customers search more intuitively and find the process more user-friendly, especially if they're not fluent in the default language of your store.Account for language mistakes Your customers may make typos in the search bar or completely misspell a product name. Advanced search can take this into account and make sure that your customers still get the search results they want—instead of a "No Results" page. The flexibility that you get from language recognition means that your customers can easily find what they need without sifting through irrelevant results. This can help increase customer satisfaction and, subsequently, sales. Everten: Spelling of Search Terms Everten sells various kitchenware. Their search results for "fry pan" and "frypan" are the same, so it doesn't matter if you spell it as two words or one. 2. Multiple Types of Content Magento allows you to create and manage various types of content, such as product descriptions, blog articles, pages, and more. You can also use Magento's built-in rich-text editor to enhance the formatting and presentation of your content. Advanced search gives you an extra advantage by making sure your customers find all of your content quickly. Cater to non-product searches Your search results won't be restricted to products only. Your customers can also view related blog posts, reviews, subscriptions, etc.Use your internal search bar as a gateway Your search bar is central to your store and can be the first point of contact with your customers. By making it a gateway, your customers can easily access their desired information from this one point. They don't have to scroll aimlessly through information or click on several tabs. Liebherr: Diverse Search Results Liebherr is an international group that manufactures equipment and technology for various industries. Just by searching for "refrigeration", multiple search results from various places on the website appear. For example, products, company profiles, and magazines. A very useful filter on the left allows you to refine your search even more. 3. Advanced Sorting Advanced sorting means your customers can sort their search results according to their preferences instead of the default sorting option in your Magento store. Support your customer's end goal Your customer is visiting your store with a purpose, for example, to buy a gift. Advanced sorting can help them achieve this faster. If they're on a budget, they can sort the results according to price. Similarly, if they don't know the person well, they can sort the results according to popularity. Zachys: Refined Search Results Sorting Zachys specializes in wine and liquor. After using the filters on the left, you can use the advanced sorting option on the right to organize your search results according to top rated, product name, high and low pricing, or relevance. Do It the Fast Way Expecting quick and accurate search results is part of your customers' online behavior. With advanced search features, like what we just discussed, you can easily provide this to them in your Magento store. Creating an optimized site search experience can encourage your customers to convert more, which will also boost your average order value. » Have a BigCommerce store instead? Find out how to optimize BigCommerce Search

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Search & discovery Personalized Search: 3 Main Benefits for eCommerce Merchants eCommerce businesses are continuously exploring ways to improve user experience and increase conversions. One approach that has gained significant traction is personalization. Below, we delve into the concept of personalized search and how it can benefit you in terms of user experience, conversion rates, and average order value. Meet the Expert Ashlee Colliver is an eCommerce expert with over 20 years' experience. Currently, she's the digital growth expert at Shero Commerce. What Is Personalized Search in eCommerce? Personalized search in eCommerce refers to tailoring the user experience to the specific interests and preferences of individual users or user segments. It goes beyond traditional search methods that rely solely on the words entered into the site search bar. Instead, personalized search takes into account various factors: user behaviorprevious purchasesbrowsing historydemographics 3 Crucial Benefits of Personalized Search 1. Enhanced User Experience Personalized search greatly enhances your users' experiences by delivering highly relevant search results tailored to their individual interests and preferences. By considering factors like past purchases, browsing history, and demographics, personalized search algorithms help your users find what they're looking for quickly and easily. This way, you save your users valuable time because they don't have to sift through irrelevant products. This efficiency improves your users' overall shopping experience, making the search process faster and more convenient. » Personalization isn't restricted to search: Use omnichannel personalization to give your users the best experience on every platform 2. Increased Conversion Rates By enhancing your users' experiences and satisfaction, they're more likely to convert. Consider that when you present your users with relevant search results that meet their specific needs, they feel understood and valued by you. This in turn can increase their trust and foster a positive perception of your brand. Satisfied users are more likely to return to your website, make repeat purchases, and become loyal customers. 3. Higher Average Order Value Through effective personalization strategies like product recommendations, you can encourage your users to add more items to their carts. This creates ideal upselling and cross-selling opportunities to increase the average order value. Pro Tip: Keep Your Personalization Efforts BalancedIt's important to recognize the difference in intent between someone searching on the website and someone browsing through categories. Those who use the search function are usually ready to make a purchase, while those browsing are often just exploring options. You can try:Add 'You may also like...' suggestions to the checkout or search results pageShowcase what other customers who purchased the same item also likedImplement federated search capabilities to show search results from all over your website Ensuring Ethical and Privacy-Compliant Personalization It's important that you handle user data ethically and respect customer privacy when implementing personalized search algorithms. Utilizing first-party data, obtained with user consent, is a key strategy to ensure ethical compliance while still offering a personalized experience. Make sure you're aware of and comply with relevant regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), when dealing with user data. By adhering to privacy laws and obtaining user consent, you can protect both your customers' privacy and your business interests. » Follow these tips on how to strike the right balance between data privacy and personalization Personalized Search as a Cornerstone for Success Personalized search is a powerful tool that can offer significant benefits. By going beyond traditional search methods, it can deliver highly relevant search results suited to each user's interests. This gives users a more efficient and convenient way to find what they need. By putting the customer first and embracing the power of personalization, businesses can elevate the eCommerce experience and drive long-term success.