8 Novel Solutions for an Enhanced Product Discovery Experience

Gone are those days of static search bars and mundane search results. Modern shoppers expect a dynamic, engaging, tailored, and on-the-go experience beyond the traditional type-and-search approach. In this blog, we delve into eight novel product discovery solutions and how they can contribute to creating more immersive search experiences.

#1 Voice Search

The concept of voice search simplifies product search and makes the process more human, just like talking to a salesperson in a brick-and-mortar store. It’s more resourceful, especially for users on mobile and hands-free devices. In the world of increasing digital distractions, voice search helps people search and find products on the go.

Voice search works for any industry, say apparel, fashion, home appliances, electronics, etc. Let’s take the instance where a user exploring skincare products can tap the microphone and ask, “Sunscreen with 5-star ratings under 50 dollars,” and the system should display appropriate results.

#2 Virtual Reality

VR-powered product discovery allows buyers to get a close-to-real experience of how your product looks and feels. Virtual reality enables you to give an experience that is equivalent to a physical brick-and-mortar visit.

Virtual reality solutions are highly beneficial for industries like real estate, interior design products, automotive, etc. For example, a real estate website can leverage VR to offer virtual walkthroughs of their properties to give their customers a better understanding of the space without having to make a visit in person.

#3 Augmented Reality

You can take your product discovery to a whole new level by providing a pre-purchase experience with the help of augmented reality. This allows your users to clearly understand how the product feels to use. AR-powered previews not only elevate shopping experiences but also boost the likelihood of conversions.

Example: An online eyewear brand could offer an AR trial feature that helps users preview how different pairs of glasses would look on their faces. This is achieved by integrating augmented reality technology with the user’s hardware camera. Another classic use case of augmented reality is a furniture brand that offers their online customers AR-powered real-time previews. Users can simply utilize their phone’s camera on an empty space or wall in their home to see how the furniture fits.

#4 Visual Search

A powerful eCommerce website should allow their browsers to search for products by all possible means: text and images. Visual search makes it increasingly convenient for users to search for a product through its images. It’s extremely beneficial in cases where the shoppers might not know the name of a product but have its image.

The best example of a visual search application is a fashion eCommerce website. Integrating visual search lets users take a photo of any outfit they like to find similar clothing options that match their style.

#5 Surveys

Questionnaires and surveys are interesting tools that accelerate product discovery. Asking customers a set of questions helps them understand their preferences. Your search system should display a curated product catalog based on their answers. This not only helps boost product discovery but also makes the customer feel valued and connected through personalized and engaging questions.

An eCommerce website that sells beauty and skincare products could present users with a survey asking about their skin type, goals, tone, hair color, preferred ingredients, etc. The search system should display personalized results based on their responses.

#6 Gamification

You can make your product search more enjoyable, fun, interactive, and hassle-free through gamification. This allows your customers to explore your website in a fun way.

Let’s take an online grocery store, for instance. The placeholder text on the search bar could read, “What are you planning to cook today?”. If the user types ‘egg sandwich,’ the system will list down its ingredients that they can add to the cart. This gamification concept could be extended to any level. For example, as the shopper keeps adding items to the cart, it can graphically display a basket getting filled with the products they have added.

#7 Natural Language Processing

It’s time to move from keyword-based search results to natural language results. Regardless of the mode of search being text or voice, the system should take into account conversational words that customers use naturally in their lives. Integrating with NLP allows your search system to process and understand human language, enabling more sophisticated and accurate search queries.

For example. A consumer electronics website equipped with NLP could understand complex queries like, “Show me hard drives under $1000 with at least 8GB storage” and display accurately filtered results.

#8 Chatbots

Conversational AI helps refine and streamline product discovery through chatbots that build efficient 1:1 interactions with customers. These chatbots can be prompted with a set of questions and clickable answers that handhold customers to navigate the website, access quick links, and discover products faster.

Imagine a gifts and novelty online store. An AI-powered chatbot can engage with the customer and assist them in selecting a birthday gift through a conversation.

Conclusion

In the world of fast-changing digital trends, it is imperative for online brands to embrace the change and adapt to new emerging technologies. Refining your product discovery with state-of-the-art technologies will empower users to express their intent through natural language and visual cues. These integrations transform the often mundane task of product searching into an exciting and personalized experience. If you need help optimizing your website’s search experience, get in touch with our eCommerce experts.