Understand or Lose: Ecommerce Search Queries Classification

In this article, we will show all types of search queries, how to understand and satisfy them based on examples of search queries of our clients, online pharmacies such as "Apteka24, "Kopiyka", "Aptekar", “ADD”, "Bazhaemo zdorovya", "Kraina zdorovya", "911", “Apteka ot Sklada”.

The following 8 types of queries the are most frequently  used:

• by product type;

• by problem;

• by function;

• informational;

• accurate;

• slang;

• informal;

• thematic.

We will analyze examples of each request further so that you can determine which of them your search engine cannot handle.

Search is an essential tool for any website

The site must meet the needs of the customers. One of these needs is site search. Your customers need to find what they are looking for - and that's the law. Whoever did not find it gone. A common problem with the internal search is the inability to find a product that is on the site. Surprisingly, even large online stores are not always ready to satisfy customer search queries. What is the difficulty?

Online store visitors who search on the site are potential buyers. Search acts as a filter through which goes the most valuable target audience of the site. According to the statistics of our clients, the conversion from search is 4 to 20 times higher, and the income from the search reaches 20-50% of the total income of the site. This situation is observed even when only 5-10% of the site users use the search.

Internal search queries are more specific than those of the search engines. As a rule, one or a couple of characteristics are added to the query, which should be satisfied by the internal search. Some characteristics define the search range, others define its boundaries, and still, others structure it.

Queries that specify the search range and scope

According to the Multisearch statistics, such requests rank first among the total number of requests. These are common queries used by potential customers when they want to see a wide range of products for example vitamins. This type of query is also used when it is difficult to find store categories in the main menu.

Search by product type - "vitamins"

Problems:

• The user searches by product type but may not guess the name of the category indicated on the site. In this case, there would be less results they would be absent - “multivitamins” and “polyvitamins”.

• The same goes for synonyms as well as alternative word spelling. The buyer will not even guess to look for the product on the site by another word. They think that a small search result is a lack of assortment.

• There will be problems even if the user just specified the category in the plural - “thermometer” and “thermometers”.

“Apteka ot Sklada” had no problems:

• If the category in the search is specified accurately, the search still often gives out fewer products than when using the main menu categories.

In the example below, the search results were even higher than from the category. This is because smart search is able to find products in all categories.

[photo: 5]

• If the search category is missing from the search, the user sees a blank search page. In order not to lose a client, in such situations it is important to show the buyer a similar product category, thereby inspiring him to continue searching.

Example:

Exact search - "strepsils"

In this case, a person searches in a very narrow spectrum, by the exact name or by adding a certain dosage like “strepsils”. This search is the second most frequently used.

Problems:

This is the search that e-commerce specializes in and it might seem that there should be no problem here. But there are the following issues:

• The product may have alternative names or names specific to a particular region.

• If a potential buyer does not know the brand name for sure and makes a mistake in at least one symbol, the search of most sites will not find this product.

[photo: 7]

But there are exceptions:

[photo: 8]

Search by the problem - "for immunity"

 

We are smoothly moving on to the third in a row and frequency of  use request. It is used when a user does not know the name of the product and its characteristics. Then the user writes a problem that should be solved. This is especially true for the pharmacy business as in the pharmacy we often list our health problems such as dry cough, runny nose, toothache. All such queries are very far from the name of the product we are looking for. The business that can satisfy them gains a competitive advantage. Searching by problem is also relevant in the beauty niche, in  the tools and equipment shops, cleaning, and special electronics.

Problems:

• Quite often, problem search is not supported and the user is presented with a blank search page or products that do not match the search.

And here is the positive result for such requests:

Information requests that are not related to the product search - "warranty", "return policy"

 

The fourth and final category of the queries range is informational. These are the cases when users look for information, not goods, for example information about delivery, returns, and guarantees.

Problems:

• Buyers expect to find on the site all the information that the site has, so not only products.

Elimination of this problem is especially important for users of mobile versions of the site. Navigating the categories from the phone screen is not an easy task. Many of us simply do not have enough temper for this. It is easier to write the word "delivery" in the search bar and get information about it. Based on the data of the German company Statista, half of the total number of Internet users use smartphones. Therefore, this aspect offers a great room for improvement.

Queries that define search boundaries

In this case, the search query contains the product name and certain conditions that it must meet.

Search by function - “Vichy Capital spray”.

It is used if the users look for products with specific functional characteristics.

Such requests are used by clients who have a complete understanding of what criteria the required product must meet.

Problems:

• Not all product attributes are searchable, so users often get a blank page when a result is displayed.

In this case, we can manually select the dosage form, but the search by dosage form does not work - "antipyretic syrup":

Here the search is successful.

Thematic search for “nose drops”

It is search for categories or concepts that are not clearly defined. In our case, drops can be for the nose, for the ears, and for the eyes.

Problems:

• Requests are not processed and there is a blank page in the search results or a list with the wrong products.

In this case, the search found products matching the request:

Structure queries

This group includes queries in which syntax and background information are important.

Slang queries, abbreviation queries, search with symbols - “tabletos”

Problems:

• Requests are not processed - there is a blank page in the search results or  a list with the wrong products.

Ideally, the search results should contain products that match the query:

Informal inquiries - “vitamins for children in the form of bears”

Those are queries for which the whole sentence is used, not just keywords.

Problems:

• Requests are not processed - there is a blank page in the search results or a list with the wrong products.

“Apteka ot Sklada” is also able to handle this type of inquiry.

Whether we like it or not, we are all very energy efficient. We calculate in advance how much energy we need to spend on something. If we can not find what we are looking for, it is easier to simply leave the site. However, if the clients get a positive experience, they are attracted to such a site as a magnet.

As you already understood, there are a huge variety of query types as well as the people who use them. Sometimes we do not even notice how search engines easily understand our queries without errors and suggest other relevant queries on the topic. The user expects the same from your site. Online stores that have the same smart search attract more customers.

Improving your website search is a huge opportunity to attract more customers. Using the example of our partners, the network of pharmacies “Apteka ot Sklada”, we have shown that problems with the search can be solved.

With the basic functionality of Multisearch, your search will be able to:

• automatically correct mistakes and typos while a request is being entered;

• identify and correct queries entered from an inappropriate keyboard layout (for each word separately);

• define English words with Russian letters and vice versa (transliteration);

• search taking into consideration all morphological forms of the word (gender, case, number, declension, parts of speech);

• find products by synonyms;

• immediately sort search results by category;

• influence the order of products and categories in the search results;

• search all pages of the site, including information pages;

• add products to the cart directly from the checkout page;

• understand different types of queries and provide relevant results for them;

• select products, even if the dosage form the product in the request does not match the dosage form in the store.

Customers which use the search option buy 4 times more often. Every online store needs a tool that helps retain and satisfy the most valuable, ready-to-buy customers. This is what makes Multisearch smart search valuable. We find the right products in 95% of cases, and 5% cases with no results include products that are not in stock.

A 14-day free trial will take all your doubts. Leave a request and check our words in practice. Whoever searches with Multisearch always finds.