Entrepreneurs need to consider a variety of things when building an online store. The small details are sometimes deceptively important. Search bar functionality and personalization are both fall under this umbrella.
Just how you canât drive a car without a steering wheel, people arenât going to be able to use your site effectively without a good search function. About 30 percent of people will use the search bar to find what theyâre looking for on your site. Youâre going to lose out on a lot of sales if you donât accommodate these peopleâs shopping habits.
These are some of the top things to consider for your search bar.
Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumb navigation works just as its name suggests. You follow a trail of âbreadcrumbsâ back to the source of your search. This makes finding related items much easier for shoppers. And with an intuitive search function, youâre going to get more people to add products to their carts.
Make It Obvious
Modern website design is all about minimalism. Google is the ultimate example of minimalism done well in web design. Its homepage is really just a search bar with two buttons. But minimal design can be taken too far. This is particularly true when people canât actually find the search bar.
A site thatâs too minimal, and sacrifices functionality, will frustrate users.
Sort by Options
Not everyone wants to view their search results in the same way. While some people will be fine with browsing through pages of products in a default setting, many users want to get right to the point. For these people, you need to offer some variety when it comes to sort by options. Sorting by price, date added, best match, and recommendations are some of the most popular sort by categories. You can add some more to your menu if there are other kinds that make sense for your particular ecommerce site.
Auto-Suggest Search
A lot of online shoppers value the convenience of auto-suggest search bars. This is where users will see suggestions formulated from partial inputs. Not only will this save them time, it can also help people find what theyâre looking for if they arenât totally sure what itâs called, or how to search for it. Ecommerce platform providers like Shopify offer website theme and customization tools that are compatible with auto-suggest search features. These will make your ecommerce store more usable and professional.
Make It Personal
Personalization is also an important aspect to ecommerce today. Consumers donât want to be treated like a number. They want brands to see them as people. Doing this effectively will build a loyal customer base, and eventually boost your revenues. Here are a few concepts to keep in mind when youâre trying to implement personalization for your ecommerce brand.
Personalize Your Communications with Consumers
Even if you have highly specific and well-researched ideal customer models, none of your consumers are exactly the same. You shouldnât treat them that way if you expect to build a loyal following. Personalizing contact with consumers is a great way to make them feel a connection to your brand. Donât just email them about random new products in your inventory. Notify them when you add new items directly related to what theyâve looked at, or purchased, in the past.
Omni-Channel Ecommerce
People donât want to have to start over every time they visit your site. Make sure they can pick up where they left offâregardless of their current deviceâby employing omni-channel ecommerce. Not only will this keep people closer to conversions, it will make them feel like their shopping experience is more personal. The ecommerce world is booming. But youâre not going to be successful in building an online store if you donât do it with purpose. Search and personalization are two of the most important aspects to consider when your construction your online brand.
