Using Site Search To Understand Customers

There are many reasons why AI backed site search is important for eCommerce brands. Firstly, without this, shoppers do not feel they are getting the full experience. They want to be able to find products they are searching for easily and seamlessly, whilst using their own natural language. 

However, there are more advantages to customers simply being satisfied with the AI backed site search you offer. It can also give the brand invaluable insight into customers’ wants and needs. Understanding these is so critical to eCommerce growth, and search can provide a great source of behavioral insight.

How AI Understands Customer Intent

AI has the ability to understand customer intent in real time. AI powered search ensures that however shoppers search for their queries, they find results. Traditionally, this type of search has been powered through keyword research. This means that the words typed in create results.

More recently, AI has allowed site search to operate from a more intent based, humanistic perspective. This works through interpreting customer signals as they happen, so shoppers find what they are looking for based on previous actions.

Natural Language Processing

In order for keyword search to work efficiently, it involves customers always knowing the exact terms in order to find products. Since this is not always the case, natural language processing can ensure that shoppers are able to find their required products using language that is most convenient to them.

It also gives the chance for personalized recommendations to come through via search. For example, if a customer types “birthday gift for mom”, your website can direct them to suitable products. This hasn’t got any keywords in, but the AI means the request can be understood from a human perspective.

This gives you a good indication of what customers are looking for, what their interests are, and how best to meet their needs.



Behavioral Signals

Each click made by each customer can help you understand your customers better. AI can help you understand and interpret the signals indicated by each click, to give you a clearer idea of:

• How shoppers behave on site

• What shoppers are looking at

• What purchases they make

This information can be helpful in order to create product merchandising, personalized recommendations and outreach marketing that meets your customers needs.

Algorithms can help to understand context based on user intent and context. Using further solutions such as personalized filters will smooth the search experience for customers. At the same time, it will be giving you invaluable insights into how you can improve your customers’ user experience.



Session-Aware Personalization

AI has the great benefit of being able to personalize in real-time. This means that AI isn’t just learning from patterns over time, it is also learning within the session, in real time. This can help you improve your sales approach and personalization offered based on actions as they happen. Indicators used can be:

• Views

• Filters

• Time spent

• Items searched

This gives the option for immediate and seamless recommendations to meet the customer where they are at in their journey. Each time they log onto your site, they might have different intentions. This session-aware personalization means that they will always be met with a solution that is right for them.

Conclusion

Having an optimized AI based site search is a great benefit for your company for many reasons. The first and most obvious of these is that customers will have an improved user experience and sales will increase because shoppers are able to find the products they look for. But on top of this, it can help you understand your customers. With this customer-centric focus, moving forward, you can ensure that your business will foster a community and lifelong customers.