In the fourth episode of our eCommerce Insights series, we’re drawing on data from IMRG’s #204 weekly retail data show, focusing on customer journey optimisation, site search improvements, and early Black Friday campaign trends.
We all know how important it is to ensure your website is as seamless and easy to use, navigate, and discover products as possible. But, actually, site search is something that many eCommerce retailers surprisingly neglect.
Shoppers want to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Any obstacles to this – including a poor, unoptimised site search function – can result in frustration and abandoned purchases.
Read on for more stats on this topic, and to find out how to improve your site search for a better customer experience.
ECommerce is Gearing Up for a Strong Christmas Season
As always, IMRG kickstarts their webinars with an overview of the eCommerce industry, pulling data from their community of retailers.
Thankfully, it sounds like eCommerce is bouncing back, with overall revenue growth up by 2.5% and conversion rates holding steady at 3.2%.
Consumers are gearing up for Christmas, and premium retailers, in particular, are enjoying a 20% year-on-year increase in revenue this October.
Even with the ongoing cost-of-living challenges, the mid-tier and premium segments are performing well, giving retailers in these categories plenty to look forward to as the holidays approach.
| What This Means for Your Strategy Now is the perfect time to double down on your holiday-focused SEO and PPC campaigns. Begin by optimising your product pages and category listings. Ensure your website can handle increased traffic by streamlining your user experience (UX), speeding up load times, and making the checkout process seamless. Target shoppers who are ready to spend by highlighting your bestsellers and holiday deals through paid ads and organic content. And – most importantly – make sure you’re offering the best deals on your products. |
Your Site Search Could Be Causing You to Missing Out
Did you know that 61% of UK shoppers feel that retailers’ site search functions need an upgrade? That’s what Constructor (an AI-powered site search and product discovery platform) highlighted in this webinar.
Poorly optimised search bars are a missed opportunity for boosting conversion rates and improving the customer journey.
Many shoppers are still struggling to find what they want, with 44% saying it takes them more than three minutes to locate the right product via the search function.
Even worse, 85% report having to rephrase their searches because the search function isn’t optimised for common user behaviours like spelling errors or synonyms.
| Our Recommendation: Upgrading your site search is a must for boosting engagement and increasing sales. Make sure your search function accounts for variations in user input, such as misspellings, synonyms, and natural language. Consider adding features like keystroke-activated auto-suggest, which shows product recommendations as users type. This not only speeds up the search process but also helps direct customers toward the products they’re most likely to buy. For example, brands like Seasalt Cornwall saw a 41% revenue increase by making their search bar more prominent (data supplied by Klevu, an AI-powered search & discovery optimisation platform). |
Product Pages Are the Starting Point for Most Customer Journeys
Interestingly, 39% of customer journeys start on product pages, making them a critical part of the sales funnel. With a conversion rate of 2.9%, product pages play a pivotal role in turning browsers into buyers.
The quality of these pages is essential to driving conversions, especially as customers increasingly rely on direct product searches rather than starting on the homepage.
| What You Should Do: Your product pages need to be in top form if you want to maximise sales. Make sure each product page has high-quality images, clear and engaging product descriptions, and visible reviews to build trust. Include prominent calls-to-action (CTAs) such as “Buy Now” or “Add to Basket” to encourage quick purchases. Incorporating related product recommendations can also help to up-sell and cross-sell during the customer journey. Optimising these pages for SEO is just as important – make sure to include relevant keywords and structured data to help search engines properly index your content. |
Black Friday Campaigns Are Starting Earlier – So Should Yours
It seems like the Black Friday shopping period is getting even longer. In 2023, 53% of retailers started their Black Friday campaigns five days earlier than in 2022, extending the promotion period to an average of 13 days.
With early discounts and deals becoming the norm, launching your campaigns too late could mean missing out on key sales opportunities.
| How to Adapt Your Campaign Strategy: To stay competitive, you should start preparing your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns earlier than in previous years. Aim to have your ads, email marketing, and landing pages live by mid-November. In your ad copy and website content, create urgency by highlighting limited-time offers and countdowns to the big day. Countdown timers can be especially effective in encouraging quick purchases. Additionally, consider offering “early access” deals to your most loyal customers as a way to increase engagement and drive early sales. |
Shoppers Like Using AI Tools On eCommerce Sites
The rise of AI tools such as chatbots and product recommendation engines is transforming the eCommerce experience.
According to the data provided by Constructor, 52% of shoppers are comfortable using AI-driven tools on websites, and 51% are already incorporating conversational AI like ChatGPT and Bard into their daily lives.
These tools are increasingly expected by consumers, and failing to implement them could mean falling behind your competitors.
| Our Advice: It’s time to consider integrating AI-powered tools into your eCommerce strategy. Adding a chatbot to your website can help answer customer queries instantly, improve customer service, and guide users toward products they’re interested in. AI-driven product recommendation systems can provide personalised suggestions, making the shopping experience more relevant and engaging. These tools don’t just enhance the user experience – they can also drive sales by helping customers find the products they’re most likely to purchase quickly and easily. |
The Roundup
If you weren’t already considering the importance of an optimised site search and discovery process, it’s time to start now.
Shoppers don’t want difficult, friction-filled experiences when trying to find products. They want simplicity and ease of use, which is why ensuring an efficient search and discovery process is essential for eCommerce success.
Shoppers don’t want difficult, friction-filled experiences when trying to find products. They want simplicity and ease of use, which is why ensuring an efficient search and discovery process is essential for eCommerce success.
Ready to Optimise Your eCommerce Strategy? Contact Us Today!
At Neural Edge, we can take care of the SEO and PPC strategies for your eCommerce business. With our expertise in digital marketing and data-driven solutions, we can help you reach your target audience and drive conversions.
Get in touch with us today – we’d love to help your business thrive!
