Forum Moderators: buckworks
I know users like to see a search box, but sometimes they can rely too heavily on the search box - and if its not returning all the results or specific results you would like then you may be losing sales.
So while they may want a search box, does this mean that it will actually increase conversions and total sales?
I have spoken to some merchants and they believe that having no search function forces users to dig deep into the site and get exposed to more products, thus increasing sales.
So whats your opinion or experience?
My opinion is that if you have an ecommerce site with more than three products, you better have a search. End of story.
There have been studies that show that more than 1/2 of all users are search-dominant.
If you can record the searches you can use it for new product research.
On one site ecom I have worked with for years, I detected numerous searches for a product my client did not offer.
After a short amount of time doing competive research on that product line, I realized few sites were offering it.
My client was able to make that available and it became 70% of his online sales.
His sales rose to the point that he is now manufacturing the product in his own production facility.
A search box can do some amazing things.
Big success story on this one.
Similarly, we use Overture's Search Term Suggestion Tool to find popular words and phrases in our field. We look up "red widget" or "green widget" and sometimes we discover that people are also looking for "polka dot widgets," a product we never thought of putting online or in our stores.
And if they have to dig hard for what they want it may make them more frustrated ..
If its easier to find what they want on another site then you may loose the customer.
I think I understand what you are driving at with your question, which seems to be can "lack of search" force visitors to walk the aisles aka in their local supermarket and happen on other things they may like to buy ... there is an angle in that if the goods are all compatible with the visitor.
Perhaps a halfway house is to have a search box but on a separate page with only a link to it from each normal page.
Then they are encouranged to browse on from the page they are on, they know they can abandon the page and visit search but may not wish to risk loosing that page (however given that scenario I would just open search in another window)
not having search at all seems kind of like not having any helpful staff in the store at all to help you when you have walked the aisles and are starting to get irritated.
How about building links between the products so that they are prompted with suggestions, ordered the torch, how about some AA batteries.
anyhow a short ramble for you.
Yes, it is possible (I made a shopping cart in ASP where all searches - before the search is actually done - is recorded to a database which is emailed to me when it reaches a given number of records).
And those records are valuable to look at...you can learn a lot from them to fine tune the searches or, as minnapple said, to bring another products for sale.
Mircea
Think in terms of getting the buyer to the product as quickly as possible. Now think about how many different ways someone might use to get there if they had the option. Some like to navigate, some will search, others will want some handy tool like "The Top 10 List" or "Manufacturer List" or "Items under 2lbs". The more and varied ways you offer to more likely you are to capture a sale from a different group of people.
Caveat: there is a point of diminished returns however. This is part of why usability testing is so important.
Remember it only takes 3 clicks to find a new site (1.home...usually MSN, google, etc./type the new search/2.click "find"/3.click on a site...now not yours)
