How retailers are using ecommerce search to recreate the magic of in-store shopping

Picture this: you're walking into your favourite highstreet shop. You're greeted by a friendly shop assistant and perfectly arranged product displays. It’s easy to find what you're looking for, and easy to discover new products while you’re there. It's the type of experience that keeps you coming back for more.

Now, let’s walk into the same shop, but this time the online version. What does it feel like? Is there someone you can ask that will point you in the direction of what you’re looking for? How are the displays laid out? Do they make you want to touch, feel and buy the products?

Online shopping can sometimes feel like navigating a maze. You click through page after page, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Often, the online experience just doesn’t live up to the in-store experience.

So what’s the solution?

With 78% of online shoppers using the search box while they shop, upgrading your shop's search is one of the best ways to improve the online customer experience - and increase sales while you’re at it.

Motive Commerce Search recreates the magic of the in-store shopping experience online, helping you build trust and sell more.

eCommerce search: An extension of in-store browsing

When customers walk into a physical store, they're greeted by rows of shelves and displays that act as a natural guide through the shop. Without these physical cues, many shoppers don’t know where to begin shopping. Your shop’s search can act as a place for customers to begin their shopping journey.

Just like in a physical store, Motive Commerce Search allows customers to browse products and search for specific items. With filters for price, size, colour, and other attributes, customers easily find what they're looking for and even discover new products they might not have considered.

Popular products: The online equivalent of best-sellers

Just like a physical store might have a shelf of best-selling items near the entrance, Motive Commerce Search shows your shop’s most popular products when the search layer is opened.

This feature helps customers find products they might not have considered and increases sales for retailers. By highlighting popular products, customers are more likely to make a purchase and explore other items in your shop.

A cohesive brand identity off and online

Branding is essential to creating a cohesive online shopping experience. Motive Commerce Search allows retailers to customise the look and feel of their search, maintaining brand identity across the shop.

Retailers can adjust colours, font, product cards, search layout, discounts and pricing, giving them the freedom to create a search experience that reflects their brand.

Just as subtle changes to product displays and shelf space can make a big difference in sales for a physical store, rearranging the shelves of an online store is just as important.

Motive Commerce Search lets retailers display items at the top of the results page and hide those they want to give less visibility to further down, just as they might on the shelves of a physical store.

Reduce bounce rates and increase customer loyalty

Unsurprisingly, the most common reason a shopper leaves an online store is because they can't find what they're looking for. And customers who can't find your products are more likely to leave your shop and go to a competitor.

By improving the search experience with Motive Commerce Search, retailers can increase sales, revenue, customer loyalty, and trust. A good search experience lets customers discover products they didn’t know your shop stocked, see alternative options when a product is out of stock, and make better-informed purchase decisions.

Online rug store Mundoalfombra reduced its bounce rate by 5X after installing Motive Commerce Search, showing the impact good search can have on the customer experience.

A friendly assistant ready to help

Beyond the shelves of products, the in-store shopping experience has one key difference: there’s always a friendly face ready to answer any questions. This shop assistant helps customers find products and answer any questions they have about a product. Motive Commerce Search helps shop owners recreate this experience in a range of different ways.

One way is by using synonyms to help shoppers find products that might be known by different names. Retailers can also configure the search to show a specific brand if a customer searches for another brand they don't sell. The search also guides customers to the right ‘shelf’ and price range by using filters, just as a shop assistant would in a physical store.

Transparency and Trust

Recent research shows that businesses that prioritise building trust with their customers can see a revenue growth rate of 10% or more per year. At Motive Commerce Search, we believe in putting privacy first so your shop can build greater trust with shoppers and increase revenue.

Motive Commerce Search is built on the principles of Privacy by Design, which means it doesn't use cookies, trackers or any of your customers' data to function.

Trust is everything in today's market.

Your customers expect their data to be respected and protected, just like they would if they were browsing in your physical store. When someone walks into your shop, you greet them warmly, let them know you're there to help, and then let them browse in peace. You wouldn't follow them around your shop taking notes on what they're looking at, would you?

Motive Commerce Search is committed to building trust with your customers by putting privacy first, so you can focus on what really matters: delivering an excellent shopping experience that your customers will love and trust.