User intent is the most fundamental thing to consider when making sales in the e-commerce world. Guess what? You don’t know what your customers want or how you can deliver their desired results.
If e-commerce stores have ineffective search tools that can’t meet the strong purchase intent of users, it likely turns 12% to competitor sites. (Algolia)
But the best way to understand user intent is to get into their mindset. How do you do it? That’s a precise question to ask.
Consider yourself a customer for a moment, how do you search before buying a certain product? Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and see what comes on the plate.
An efficient search tool will give your business a new edge and increase the chances of conversion. Because when it comes to conversion in any business, human connection matters a lot. When you hit human feelings, understand their idea or intent, get to know what they want and how they want it, and then implement those strategies into your business. It gives customers their desired result, ultimately increasing the user experience and customer loyalty for that brand.
So, let’s find out how e-commerce stores can deliver high results by analyzing user intent in site searches.
The different types of searches
Only some users happen to do the same search for whatever product they want to buy on your e-commerce store. People have different mindsets; they enter different queries to buy different products.
Site search provides every shopper with a unique experience and completes their buyer journey. The unique experience meets every customer’s needs and fulfills their expectations. Choosing the right search tool directs the customer to the right place at the right time and increases conversion and order value along the way.
The universal search engine you are familiar with is Google. Google shows users the best results based on search engine optimization (SEO). But that’s only half of the battle. If your website has good SEO but products are not easily found on it, then it is useless to have your site at the top of the Google results. That’s where the best site search tool comes into play.
Users on e-commerce stores do different types of searches, and some of them are informational intent, direct searches, navigational intent, and transactional searches. Let’s go with each one one by one.
● Informational intent
A site visitor with informational intent is only looking to find more information about a particular product. Visitors with informational intent might not know what they want to purchase, but surely they have an idea of what they’re after. They look for relevant products, customer reviews, and different product attributes.
When it comes to informational intent, a site search feature called autocomplete helps users seek relevant product information and suggests the results they’re seeking. This focuses on the informational intent of the user journey.
For instance,
- Latest shoe
- Review for red ladies’ shoes
- Feature of the latest blue shoe
- Feature of the blue men’s bag
- The latest pink lady bag
● Direct searches
Site visitors with direct search intent know exactly what they’re looking for, and they need it fast. This visitor will be highly specific in the search bar, and they expect exact results in the search bar. To fulfill the expectations of the users in this area, merchandisers have to organize the exact product, the SKU number, and the product details.
Merchandisers don’t have to give several options but need to guarantee they can provide the exact results quickly. One way to do it is to use a site search tool like Convertopia to provide exact results through product promotion by attributes, SKU, promo banners, product spotlighting, and showing my SKU.
E-tailers can simplify this search process by implementing a site search tool with few innovative features. So with the fast system at the back of the site, customer will get their desired product quickly, which makes them come again and buy again.
For instance,
- Back Nike shoe
- White button-down shirt for sale
- Order a pink floral shirt.
- Cheap men’s shoes
- A special offer on white T-shirts
- Discount on foundation
- Blue shirt available for purchase
● Navigational intent
What falls between an informational and a direct-intent search? Yes, it’s a navigational intent search. Navigation takes users from one site to another and guides them further with different categories. In the same way, users with navigational intent need guidance. They know what they’re looking for, but they might need to understand the attributes of the product and how to describe them.
Relevant product recommendation functionality in the search bar is an excellent way to guide these types of searchers towards different products and increase the chances of upselling. Merchandisers can use product promotion and product spotlighting features for this search intent, so users will meet top products that lead them toward a complete customer journey.
Navigational searchers do casual browsing and organically discover more products regarding their needs.
For instance,
- Promotion of black men’s shirts
- Buy a blue shirt from the XYZ store
- Xyz brand near me
- Shop shoes at Ndure.
- Deals and discounts at XYZ store
● Transactional search
The most important intent of an e-commerce store is transactional search intent. At the same time, it’s the final and most important motivation a site search visitor can have. The above three site search intents have the most role in driving traffic to the website. The end goal of transactional site search is conversion.
Simultaneously, the informational, navigational, and direct search intents involve transactional intent if they’ve found what they’re looking for.
For instance,
- Huawei p30 pro
- Black handbag
- Brown tote
- Blue glasses
- Pumper jacket
- Galaxy S10
These four are the main searches that are often used on the e-commerce search bar. Except for these four, there are some other search intents that also needs attention to understand customer behavior.
Commercial Investigation Intent
In this search intent, Users have got the information, and they’ve entered the consideration phase. It also refers to exploring various options and comparing products or prices.
For instance,
- Best smartphones under $500
- Affordable Gaming Laptops 2024
- “Compare prices of 55-inch 4K TVs
Local Intent
Users are looking for products or services available locally, often indicated by location-based keywords.
For example,
- Pet supply stores near the upper state
- Boutiques in New Yale
- Bookstores around Central Park
Long-Tail Keyword Intent
Users use specific, detailed phrases to find niche or unique products.
Let’s have a look at a few examples,
- Handcrafted leather wallets for men
- Vintage-style floral print sundresses
- Gluten-free protein bars for keto-die
Brand-Specific Intent
Users search for products associated with a particular brand, indicating brand loyalty or preference. This search behavior is often seen on Amazon websites where user search intent based on a broad spectrum.
- Nike running shoes
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro deals
- Samsung QLED 4K TV
Problem-Solving Intent
Users are looking for solutions to a specific problem, seeking products that address their needs.
- Best solutions for pet hair removal
- Fix for slow-draining kitchen sink
- Products for gluten-free baking
Reporting and analytics by Convertopia
61% of all sites perform below an acceptable search performance that is misaligned with the user’s actual search behavior and expectations (and 15% have a “broken” search query type performance). (Algolia)
It’s your time to take the opportunity and not include your ecommerce site in 61%. However, when we talk about site search, analytics may not seem familiar. Our site search stands out as a comprehensive solution, offering numerous innovative features, detailed reports, and analytics to assess the intent behind site search traffic. It provides information worth gold, so merchandisers can analyze customer behavior and boost conversions.
Reports and analytics by Convertopia understand user intent and lead toward search optimization. For example, it gives the following benefits:
- Which product do customers search for?
- Which products are trending?
- What category should be on top?
- What catalog do customers browse more?
- How many monthly searches are in your store?
- Which keywords do most people enter in the search bar?
- Specific data range and date
- ID, search term, date, site ID, and search frequency overview
Take your Next Step
Wrapping it up, you’ve gained insight into the diverse ways customers express their needs. The key lies in analyzing every search intent and giving customers their desired results. Site search tools like Convertopia offer better search analysis and uncover strong website insight, which converts searches into conversions.
Understanding user search intent is crucial for any e-commerce business. Only with high personalization, websites can meet the higher demands of customer expectations. A higher level of personalization is only possible with robust reports and analytic features, so e-tailers can personalize every product detail according to user interest.
Take the Convertopia free trial to get benefits from reports and analytics for analyzing user intent and optimizing your site search for better results.