Marketing Sherpa in May released a survey, New eCommerce Research: Website Tactics that Boost Conversion. Optimizing internal search results was the second top strategy cited by store owners, topped only by a perpetual shopping cart. 60% of respondents said customizing their search was a priority.
One of the most sought after features within an advanced search tool is the ability to modify search results. There are many reasons you may want to do this. Marketing Sherpa suggests a “last-in-first-out” strategy to move older inventory out first. Another strategy to consider is setting any particular product or brand that has gotten some recent press coverage or is being discussed in social media. For example, the movie Toy Story is out in the theaters. You could make Mr. Potato Head rank higher for “toys for children three and up” or “kid gift ideas.”
Here are some other reasons you may want to adjust your internal search results:
1. Top sellers within a specific category
2. Top rated items based on your product reviews
3. Products with higher margins
4. Products which have upsell opportunities
5. Items you want to clear out of inventory
6. Hot items based on current events and trends
These are just a few opportunities to consider when adjusting your relevancy results either by product or product attribute. When you have power over your search results, imagine what you can do.
[...] First, I wrote a sidebar article to go along with a story on a new advanced search product: The Power of Relevancy Ranking, which showed how weighting search results within an online store can help boost orders. I also [...]