Six Must-Have Components of An Effective Ecommerce Search Bar

In the realm of online shopping, experience is king. Providing a satisfying and convenient shopping experience begins with optimizing your product discovery. In this blog, we’ll explore the essential components of a ‘search bar’ that will elevate the shopping experience and turn browsers into buyers.

#1 Prominent placement

The most important aspect of a successful eCommerce search bar is its visibility. The search bar needs to be placed prominently in such a way that users can easily spot, access, and use it. Placing the search bar at the top of the website’s header is a tried and tested practice. In recent times, many brands have imitated Google’s search experience, utilizing the central part of the hero section on the home page to place their search bars. Either way, these locations help customers quickly spot and utilize the search bar.

#2 Search prediction

Features like autocomplete help enhance the search experience. When a user starts typing the query, the predictive search algorithm should list the suggested search terms. Search predictions help to refine and accelerate the overall product discovery experience. Here’s more on the benefits of integrating autocomplete into your search bar.

• Predictive search saves users’ time and effort.
• Search predictions eliminate incorrect results caused by typos and misspellings.
• It increases the visibility of other products and thereby enhances the chances of increasing the order value.

#3 Efficient ‘Filter & Sorting’ functionality

Another important functionality of an eCommerce product search is ‘Filters and sorting options.’ Filters allow users to narrow down results using attributes like color, price, type, brand, seller, category, size, etc. Sorting options give them the ability to look into the results in their desired way, say from low price to high price, top-rated first, etc.

Listed below are some novel practices that make the ‘filter and sorting’ experience engaging and more efficient:

1.Incorporate natural language processing into your filters. Imagine this: a browser wants to buy a pair of white Nike shoes. In traditional methods, they need to type shoes on the search bar and then apply the attributes “color: white” and “brand: Nike” as filters. Alternatively, if you incorporate natural language processing into your search bar, typing “white Nike shoes” should fetch them the most relevant results.

2.Allow users to save their sorting preferences so they don’t have to sort results every time they do a search.

3.Show frequently used filters as ‘popular filter tags.’ Clicking on these tags must display the filtered results instantly without having the users manually select their options from the dropdown.

#4 Placeholder Text

The placeholder text needs to be visible and readable and gently nudge the users to start typing. Optimize the placeholder text based on your audience’s intent and needs. Some of the most popular placeholder texts are:

• Find your favorite products…
• Start typing… Ex: cookies
• What are you looking for today?
• Search for deals, bestsellers, etc.

Conduct A/B testing experiments with different placeholder texts to figure out the best-working copies. You can also use this space to add seasonal flavors. Examples: Explore Christmas Gifts, Search for Father’s Day Gifting Ideas, etc.

#5 Mobile-responsiveness

The search functionality needs to be seamless and consistent across devices of all sizes. The search icons, placeholders, menu bars, filtering and sorting options, and other integral components of a successful eCommerce search experience need to be thoroughly mobile-optimized. Besides merely adapting to different screen sizes, your design should deliver an uncompromising experience with the same convenience and efficiency.

#6 Search Analytics

Analytics is not a front-end feature that directly impacts the search experience. Integrating analytics into search helps you gain insights into how people search on your website and what their expectations are. You can use these data-driven insights to refine and optimize your search bar. Here’s how analytics can help you:

• Analytics allows you to identify new search queries based on which you can optimize your algorithms to improve the relevance and accuracy of the results.
• It helps you gain insights into natural language queries that you can utilize to curate filter and sorting options.
• Search analytics gives you an overview of customer behavior and search trends that help you not only improve your search experience but also enhance overall website and inventory management.

Closing Thoughts

Ecommerce optimization is an ever-ongoing process. Enrich your search bar by incorporating powerful components like responsive design, analytics, predictive suggestions, etc. Optimizing your search experience elevates customer satisfaction at the very first touch point and thereby accelerates their journey on your website.

More than just a tool, the search bar is a gateway to a successful shopping experience. Follow this space to learn more about eCommerce product discovery and how to scale your conversions through an effective search experience.

A website with a thoroughly-optimized search bar is sure to witness increased customer satisfaction, higher conversion rates, and repeat orders. Need these benefits for your website? Get in touch with our eCommerce growth specialists for a free audit of your website’s product discovery experience.