If you own an e-commerce store, then ‘search’ definitely acts as an active salesperson that introduces your potential audiences with all the best deals and offers your store has got.
Unfortunately, a lot of UX experts and creative think tanks never think this way while designing an online store. But, if you want better conversions, you need to consider your store’s on-site search result as an integral element and make sure that it helps your customers find the desired products quite swiftly.
To make it happen, we thought to share some absolutely tested tips that are sure enough to improve the UX of on-site search results. We took for example Tech-Bazaar which is a refurbished laptops and computer selling company for whom we had made an e-commerce website take as an example
So, let’s explore some facts that define the main functions and selling points…
- The Placement of Your Search Box
Of course, if the salesperson can’t be seen when a customer arrives at the store, whom that person will express his desires to?
Similarly, the placement of your search box matters a lot, as it signifies a proper hope for a customer that all his queries will be answered. However, it is crucial that the search box is located at the upper-left or upper-right on the site so that whenever a prospect thinks of searching something, he finds the search box right away.
- Make Sure the Input Field is Properly Sized
The size of the input field is yet another important aspect that should be given immense consideration. Because if the input field is too short, then only a little portion of the text gets visible, which eventually leads to bad usability. In result, users don’t get a proper chance to edit their query.
- Provide a Brief Search Hint
A customer-centric online store is the one that makes the entire journey of a buyer so easy and memorable. And, as far as the on-site search results are concerned, it is always a best practice to let them guide your customers on what to search. So we put a generic search term which resonates with their business like “Refurbished computers” or “Reconditioned Laptops” to give them a hint on what to search for.
In this situation, an auto-generated search can also add a bit of value and help to your customer since he will be able to type the correct keywords for finding the products he is looking for.
- Keep the Users’ Query in the Search Box
This tip also refers to a great user experience, because a lot of search boxes erase the customer’s query in the middle of his journey, which often misguides him from taking the intended actions. So for example they have searched for “Used Computers” then that query should still be displayed once the search has been completed.
The equation is pretty simple; if the customer doesn’t find what he is looking for, you can only expect him to leave the site, and you don’t want it to happen, right?
Therefore, do justice to your customers, as all the tips that have been discussed above are hundred percent guaranteed if they are implemented properly.