The What, Why and How of Shopify Search App

With the rise of e-commerce and a digital-first mindset, Shopify has emerged as one of the leading platforms for online stores worldwide – with over 6 million active stores globally, and $60 billion dollars in GMV for the final quarter of 2021.

If you’re launching a new eCommerce store (and want a third party solution for your site)– Shopify is where you’d go. However, with so many stores on the platform, it can be challenging for Shopify store owners to stand out and provide a seamless user experience for their customers. That's where investing in search functionality becomes crucial.

Many Shopify store owners underestimate the impact that search functionality can have on their sales and user experience. 

In this blog, we will explore the importance of investing in advanced search functionality for your Shopify store and how site search apps can take your store's performance to the next level. Let's dive in!

Shopify search - Why investing in search functionality is a must for Shopify store owners 

A good search experience is essential for eCommerce success. Studies show that over 50% of online shoppers use site search to find products, and these shoppers are more likely to convert into customers than those who don't use site search. 

The average conversion rate for Shopify stores is estimated to be around 1.4%. This is where investing in advanced search functionality like NLP site search comes in handy.

Shopify stores need advanced search functionality to improve sales and user experience. With advanced search, shoppers can quickly find the products they are looking for, which in turn leads to more conversions and a better user experience.

For instance, a shopper looking for a red dress will be more likely to purchase it if they can quickly find it using an advanced search function that suggests synonyms or typo-tolerant search options. 

By incorporating NLP site search into your Shopify store, you can improve the user experience by providing customers with relevant and personalized product recommendations. 

With features like typo-tolerant search, dynamic ranking, and natural language search, you can improve the accuracy of search results, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for. This, in turn, can boost sales and increase customer loyalty.

Site search apps - What they are

Site search apps or widgets are third-party apps/widgets that can be integrated with a Shopify store's search functionality. These apps replace the default search interface and offer advanced search functionalities like autocomplete, synonym detection, typo-tolerant search, dynamic ranking, and more.

Advanced search works using AI, NLP, neural search, and ML algorithms. These algorithms analyze user behavior and product data to offer relevant search results. They can also provide customers with personalized recommendations based on their search history and browsing behavior. Let’s take a look at how these apps help improve the site search performance on your Shopify store. 

How Shopify search apps work

Site search apps offer a tremendous boost to your search relevance and performance. Here are some of the ways advanced search widgets can transform your Shopify store:

1. Personalized product recommendations

NLP search can help you understand customer intent better, allowing you to offer personalized product recommendations based on their search history, preferences, and browsing behavior. By providing tailored product recommendations, you can increase the chances of customers finding the products they're looking for, boosting sales and customer loyalty.

2. Advanced filters 

Filters help shoppers narrow down their search results based on different product attributes like color, size, price range, etc. Advanced filters can improve search relevance by showing only the most relevant products.

Advanced filters can make it easier for customers to narrow down their search results based on specific criteria, such as price, color, size, and category. This can improve the overall search experience and help customers find the products they're looking for quickly and easily.

3. Dynamic ranking and re-indexing of products

NLP site search can dynamically rank products based on search relevance and update the ranking based on user behavior. This means that as users search for products, the search algorithm will re-rank the products based on what shoppers are clicking on, which leads to more conversions.

NLP site search can automatically re-rank products based on their popularity, relevance, and other metrics. This can help you ensure that the most relevant and popular products are at the top of the search results, improving the chances of customers making a purchase.

4. Instant search using synonym-detection, autocomplete, and natural language search

NLP site search can automatically detect and correct spelling errors, suggest synonyms, and offer relevant search results based on natural language queries. This can improve the accuracy of search results and make it easier for customers to find what they're looking for.

An instant search function using NLP and synonym detection can make searching more efficient by showing relevant results as the user types. Autocomplete suggests keywords and phrases to the user, while natural language search helps shoppers find products using everyday language.

5. Smart merchandising

NLP site search can help you optimize your product listings by automatically identifying trends, popular products, and relevant search terms. This can help you make better decisions about product placement and promotions, improving sales and customer loyalty.

6. Optimize for mobile

A large majority of Shopify’s 7.1 billion average monthly browsing sessions take place via mobile and 66% of orders on Shopify merchant’s shops are transacted via mobile devices. It’s therefore crucial for companies to optimize their ecommerce experience for all devices.

Conclusion - Site search - Making shopping and browsing experience seamless

Implementing NLP site search on your Shopify store can be a game-changer for your business. By providing customers with a seamless shopping and browsing experience, you can improve sales, increase customer loyalty, and gain a competitive advantage. So, if you haven't already, it's time to invest in advanced search functionality for your Shopify store

Do you want to leverage your site search to its full potential? Zevi has a free Shopify search engine for your store.