The Fast Lane
Discover the world of AI-driven shopping optimization and fast-track your way to increased conversion rates, AOV, and customer loyalty. Explore expert insights on e-commerce personalization, merchandising, site search, and more.
Search & discoveryNo Search Results Found: Troubleshooting Tips for Your eCommerce SitePicture this: a member of your ideal target audience finds your website while shopping. They have a specific product in mind, and they've been searching for a while—they plan to buy it the second they see it. So, they type it into your search bar, only to be met with "No search results found." All your hard work has gone to waste as they X out of the browser window and continue their search. In this article, we look at 6 troubleshooting tips to help you strengthen your search game and avoid a "no search results found" scenario.
» Have you tried using search and discovery to boost sales? Here's how to do it.
Understanding the Impact
A "no search results found" message has more implications than simply being annoying to your site visitors. If they're not willing to manually search through your catalog, they may choose to shop somewhere else, resulting in lost sales.
So, this is a good opportunity to positively transform your revenue and your brand. By addressing this issue effectively, you can not only prevent lost sales but also enhance customer satisfaction, both among your current and potential customers. You can also boost user engagement. This will help to produce increased sales and contribute to the growth of your brand identity and reputation, ensuring long-term prosperity for your company.
» Customers might be leaving your website for other reasons: Find out how to make them stay
Common Causes of No Search Results
Before you start working on a solution, it's important to understand why the dreaded "no search results found" message is popping up in the first place. Here are some potential causes:
Typos: Customers may make a mistake or spell a term differently than what you've indexed. For example: "saphire ring" instead of "sapphire ring."Synonyms: They may search for a synonym or related term different from what you've used. For example, a UK or Australian shopper may type "trainers" when you've used "sneakers."Product availability: Your search may show no results when your stock is low, or the item isn't currently listed. For example, a shopper searches for a limited-edition cosmetic set that you're currently out of but will restock soon.Indexing issues: If your site's search engine has an incomplete, inefficient, or glitchy indexing function, it could miss potential matches. For example, your search skips certain products or categories.
» Want to give your customers a better experience? Give AI a try.
6 "No Search Results Found" Troubleshooting Tips
1. Improve Your Search Algorithm
Your algorithm is the backbone of your search engine. It dictates how effective your search function will be and how easily shoppers can find what they want.
One strategy to enhance your search algorithm is fuzzy searching, which matches similar terms instead of strictly exact terms. This allows site visitors to see results even with typos, misspellings, or variations. You can also incorporate synonyms and partial matching, which are similar tools to broaden search results.
Satya Jewelry uses fuzzy search to ensure customers see "sapphire" results even if they misspell it as "saphire."
2. Use Autocorrect and Spellcheck
If you do a lot of typing, you know how easy it is for typos and misspellings to slip through. They may even have caused you to lose a few sales or customers. That's why it's a good idea to implement an autocorrect or spellcheck feature into your site search to ensure that users never miss out on a product just because the spelling was off by a letter or two.
» See how natural language search can help maximize your website content.
3. Implement Filters and Sorting Options
When you group and categorize products, your visitors have a much better chance of finding what they're looking for. This is especially true if they don't know exactly what they want but have a general idea based on the broader details. With filters and sorting options, shoppers can browse and refine their search based on these options, like brand, product type, features, price, and more.
Tonerbuzz has a robust filtering and sorting system, allowing customers to find toner and ink products based on typical filters and more advanced ones like pack type and page yield.
» Avoid these common mistakes when implementing search filters.
4. Generate User-Friendly Error Messages
If a user sees a "no results" page without any accompanying interactive or engaging content, odds are they'll promptly leave the site and continue their search elsewhere. But you might be able to keep them on with messages that offer alternative suggestions, similar products, or other ways to help.
Mastermind Toys' website offers a user-friendly message that directs customers to top-selling products instead of simply telling them that no results were found. This encourages them to stick around and keep shopping.
5. Monitor Search Analytics
As an eCommerce store owner, analytics are one of the most powerful tools you have. They allow you to take a look under the hood and see what's working and what isn't. They also pave the way for strategies you may never have thought of on your own. By looking at your site's search analytics, you might uncover new user behavior insights or search patterns that show how people search on your site or what they're looking for. You can then turn this data into optimizations and improvements that boost your site's performance.
» Did you know? Tweaking your website's homepage can lead to more customer satisfaction.
6. Regularly Update Your Catalog
If your product catalog is outdated, you might be undoing some of the work you put in to grow your store in the first place. Outdated or unavailable products can lead to empty or misleading search results, which can be frustrating at best. Regularly reviewing, refreshing, and "cleaning out" your catalog helps to make the search process smoother and more seamless.
Testing and Iteration
A "set it and forget it" approach doesn't work when running an eCommerce store. It's critical to continuously test and iterate so that you're always on top of changing customer needs and market trends.
A/B testing is a great way to gather meaningful data on your performance to see which changes are more promising. Collecting user feedback is another tried-and-true strategy to better understand your customers and learn about their interests, needs, challenges, and pain points.
Searching for Gold: Turning "No Results" Into Customer Engagement
"No search results found" can be a valuable opportunity to engage your customers and grow your business. In your quest for troubleshooting, test out some of the strategies we've discussed. As the eCommerce industry continues to evolve, you'll learn firsthand that a robust site search is more of a necessity than a bonus. It's a way to turn visitors into customers, keep them around, and build strong relationships, all while protecting your brand's reputation.
» Give your customers a more personalized shopping experience with custom site search.
PersonalizationWeb Personalization: Improve Your eCommerce Store's Conversion RatesWith millions of online stores vying for consumer attention, your business needs a powerful edge to stay ahead of the competition. That's where web personalization comes into play. Below, we delve into the world of web personalization, exploring its nuances, importance, industry impact, key strategies, common pitfalls, recommended tools, and innovative approaches. By the end, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of how web personalization can supercharge your eCommerce conversion rates.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann is a seasoned online store owner with over a decade of eCommerce experience. Apart from running Alora Boutique, she's also the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
» Here's where to specifically apply personalization in your eCommerce store.
Unveiling the Power of Web Personalization
Web personalization is like having a skilled personal shopper who tailors your website's products and overall user experience to match individual preferences, behaviors, and even geographic locations. It goes beyond basic segmentation and aims to create a hyper-personalized shopping journey for every visitor. But why is it so crucial for improving conversion rates?
Creating a Relevant Shopping Experience
Imagine you're shopping online from Canada, and you land on a website from the United States. You're excited, add several items to your cart, proceed to checkout, and then hit a roadblock: none of those items ship to Canada. Frustration sets in, and you abandon your cart, never to return. This scenario illustrates the importance of web personalization.
Web personalization can help you identify a visitor's location and tailor your product offerings accordingly.
For example, a website should showcase the items available for shipping to Canada only. When customers feel that the shopping experience is relevant to them, they're more likely to complete their purchases, thus boosting conversion rates.
Industries Poised for eCommerce Personalization
The impact of web personalization isn't limited to a specific niche. It has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries. Here are a few sectors that stand to benefit the most:
1. Beauty Industry
In the beauty industry, where customers have unique skin types, tones, and preferences, personalization is the future. Web personalization can analyze these factors and recommend products tailored to each individual. For example, a visitor with dry skin may see moisturizers, while someone with oily skin may receive recommendations for mattifying products.
» Want to impress your customers? Give them personalized product recommendations.
2. Electronics
As remote work and content creation become even more prevalent, personalizing electronic products and accessories will be pivotal. Personalization can factor in a visitor's tech-savviness, the stage of their content creation journey, and their specific needs. For instance, a visitor with an established YouTube channel might receive recommendations for advanced cameras, while a novice might be shown beginner-friendly equipment.
3. Content Creators and Influencers
Personalization isn't just for products—it's also invaluable for content creators and influencers. By gathering data on their social media presence, content focus, and engagement levels, platforms can tailor their experiences. This might involve offering unique features or resources tailored to their current career trajectory or content niche.
Crafting an Effective Web Personalization Strategy
Now that we've established the significance of web personalization let's delve into the key elements of an effective strategy:
1. Customer Segmentation
Customer segmentation is at the core of web personalization. It involves dividing your audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics, behaviors, or preferences. Collecting relevant data is essential, and this includes basic information like age and location. Here's how you can use it:
Age: Tailor content and product recommendations to different age groups.Location: Show products available in the visitor's region.Engagement Level: Differentiate between casual visitors and loyal customers.Social Media Data: For influencers, integrate data from their social media accounts.Email Behavior: Analyze email engagement to understand customer interests.
» Learn how to implement audience segmentation and boost your eCommerce store.
2. Personalized Content and Product Recommendations
One of the pillars of web personalization is delivering personalized content and product recommendations to your visitors. To execute this effectively, use:
Segment-Based Recommendations: For highly engaged customers, offer unique product recommendations or exclusive discounts.User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage visitors to contribute product reviews or recommendations and use this content to inform your personalization strategy.Behavioral Data: Analyze clickthrough rates, engagement with emails, and time spent on pages to refine your recommendations.Cross-Channel Marketing: Export segments of highly engaged customers to social media platforms for targeted marketing campaigns.
3. Monitoring and Adaptation
Web personalization is not a set-and-forget strategy. It requires ongoing monitoring and adaptation. Here's what you can focus on:
Regular Updates: Set intervals for reviewing and updating your personalization strategies to reflect changing customer behaviors.Feedback Loop: Pay close attention to customer feedback and complaints regarding personalization. Adjust your strategies accordingly to enhance the customer experience.Testing and Performance Monitoring: Avoid launching major personalization changes without A/B testing. Monitor performance metrics to ensure your efforts are paying off.
4. Avoiding Over-Personalization
While personalization is powerful, overdoing it can have a negative impact. Customers may feel their privacy is invaded or that the experience becomes too intrusive. Striking the right balance is crucial to avoid turning customers away.
Recommended Tools for Web Personalization
To implement web personalization effectively, consider leveraging the following tools and platforms:
Notify Visitors: This tool specializes in dynamic content, enhancing user engagement through personalized experiences.Push Owl: Ideal for implementing push notifications on your website, ensuring that visitors receive personalized alerts and updates.VAJRO: A mobile site builder designed to support highly personalized mobile experiences.Landing Page Builder (e.g., Beta): Create landing pages tailored to specific customer segments, ensuring that each visitor sees content and products that resonate with their needs.Google Analytics and Email Marketing Platforms: For smaller businesses, Google Analytics can provide valuable insights. Email marketing platforms like Omnisend and MailChimp can be used for basic personalization, such as segment-specific email campaigns and targeted product recommendations.
» Have you tried Vector Search? Here's how you can use it to optimize your store.
Innovative Web Personalization Strategies
Beyond the foundational principles of web personalization, consider a personalized content strategy to elevate your conversion rates. Creating personalized content doesn't have to be a time-consuming process, but even with AI assistance, it can be resource-intensive. That's why shifting your content strategy to focus on addressing specific customer problems can be highly effective.
Instead of solely targeting keywords, craft content that genuinely addresses your audience's pain points and aligns with their journey. For instance, if you sell organizing products, create content centered around unique organizational challenges and solutions, tailored to various customer segments. The goal is to provide value while subtly promoting your products.
The Future of Web Personalization
As technology continues to advance and consumer expectations evolve, web personalization will only become more critical. Mastering the art of personalization can help you boost your e-commerce conversion rates while providing a truly exceptional shopping experience for your customers. Whether you're in the beauty industry, electronics, or any other sector, embracing web personalization can set you on the path to e-commerce success. So, take the plunge into the world of web personalization and watch your business thrive in the era of hyper-personalized shopping.
» Implement these strategies to make the most of personalized digital marketing.
PersonalizationeCommerce Personalization Software: How the Right Tool Can Improve Customer ExperiencesBusinesses today face a unique challenge: how to give customers what they want before they even realize they want it. On one hand, customers want privacy and data protection, while on the other, they expect businesses to anticipate their needs. You can achieve this delicate balance by strategically using personalization software. Learn how you can leverage eCommerce personalization software to enhance customer experiences and what you need to consider when choosing the right tool.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann is a seasoned online store owner with over a decade of eCommerce experience. Apart from running Alora Boutique, she's also the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
» Boost sales with personalized digital marketing.
The Power of eCommerce Personalization
eCommerce personalization is all about tailoring your offerings to customer preferences, needs, and online shopping behavior.
By harnessing data from various sources, such as browsing history, purchase patterns, demographics, and location, you can create a more customized and engaging experience for your customers.
Let's explore some examples of how personalization can be put into action:
Product Recommendations: You can use the data you've collected to provide accurate product recommendations. If you're a clothing retailer, for example, then you'll want to avoid promoting winter coats to customers in Australia during the summer season.Dynamic Content: Implementing dynamic content like pop-ups and banners that resonate with users at different stages of their shopping journey can significantly improve engagement and conversions.Personalized Email Campaigns: Sending personalized email campaigns based on customers' shopping behavior ensures they receive relevant content and offers. A good example would be thanking a loyal customer with bonus points on their birthday.
» Fast-track your sales with these email marketing campaign ideas.
Selecting the Right eCommerce Personalization Software
Choosing the right eCommerce personalization software is crucial for effective implementation. Here are some factors to consider:
Privacy and Data Compliance: Prioritize tools that promote data privacy and comply with relevant regulations. Ensuring you have explicit customer consent before using their data is essential to building trust and maintaining a positive relationship with your customers. Ease of Use: Choose software with an intuitive user interface that your marketing or IT team can effectively navigate.Data Sources: Ensure the software can gather data from the necessary sources, especially if you are using prebuilt platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.Integrations: Look for software that integrates seamlessly with your other tools and systems to streamline operations.
Addressing Challenges in eCommerce Personalization
Implementing personalization comes with its set of challenges. Let's examine two critical issues and how to overcome them:
1. Privacy and Ethics
Striking the right balance between personalization and respecting customer privacy is paramount. Ideally, personalization should enhance the customer experience, not invade their privacy. So, be transparent about how customer data is being used and provide clear opt-out options. Also, use common sense and ethical judgment when implementing personalization strategies and always adhere to legal requirements.
2. Data Organization
Ensuring your data is well-organized from the beginning is essential. You'll want to define naming conventions and data input standards from the start to maintain data integrity. By establishing clear naming conventions, you can easily locate and identify specific data sets, reducing confusion and saving time. Additionally, implementing data input standards ensures consistency across all entries, minimizing errors and facilitating accurate analysis.
» Want to further enhance your customer experience? Incorporate predictive search into your eCommerce store.
Emerging Trends in E-commerce Personalization
Here are the emerging trends in e-commerce personalization you should keep an eye on to stay ahead of the competition:
Individual Journey Mapping: Personalize customer experiences by mapping their individual journeys. This will help you understand their preferences and needs on a granular level, allowing you to offer tailored content and recommendations.AI and Machine Learning: Leverage algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data and make accurate predictions, such as product recommendations and search results.Hyper-Personalization: Go beyond basic personalization and strive for hyper-personalization, offering unique experiences to each customer based on their preferences and behavior.Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Implement AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants to provide personalized support and recommendations, enhancing the overall customer experience.
Personalize to Optimize
The world might be changing, but quality customer service will never go out of style. With the right personalization software, you can build a thriving eCommerce business that prioritizes customer experiences, privacy, and data protection. This is the key to building stronger customer loyalty and driving growth in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape.
MerchandisingBest Practices to Optimize Your Website for Mobile eCommerce MerchandisingWith most people accessing websites on their mobile devices, optimizing your site for mobile can significantly enhance the shopping experience and improve your conversion rates. But that's not the only reason you should optimize your eCommerce site for mobile. Let's look at how having a mobile responsive website can improve your business and delve into best practices and emerging trends to enhance mobile eCommerce merchandising.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann is a seasoned online store owner with over a decade of eCommerce experience. Apart from running Alora Boutique, she's also the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
» Want a better website layout? Start here.
Why Mobile Responsiveness Matters
Imagine visiting a website on your mobile device, and the page is cluttered, the buttons are tiny, and you have to zoom in and out to read the content. Frustrating, right? This is the experience you want to avoid for your customers. If your website is not mobile-optimized, you risk higher bounce rates and abandoned shopping carts.
Mobile responsiveness ensures that your website adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
It offers a seamless browsing experience, making it easier for users to explore your products, read descriptions, and make purchases.
Best Practices to Optimize for Mobile eCommerce Merchandising
1. Prioritize Site Speed and Performance
A slow-loading website can be a deal-breaker for mobile users. To improve site speed:
Optimize images for mobile devices.Minimize server requests for faster load times.Use apps, such as those on Shopify, to help optimize images and improve page speed.
2. Streamline Navigation
Make navigation on your mobile site user-friendly by:
Using clear menu items and intuitive icons.Keep the design minimalistic.Ensure adequate spacing between clickable elements. This is something that search engines look for and can help boost your website's visibility.
» Have you tried visual search? If not, you may want to check it out.
3. Simplify the Checkout Process
Mobile users appreciate a hassle-free checkout process, and this is how to provide that:
Implement guest checkout options.Minimize the number of fields in forms.Use quick checkout solutions like Shop Pay or PayPal.
Now, let's explore how you can optimize mobile search functionality to improve product discovery.
Enhancing Mobile Product Discovery
1. Clear Categories and Subcategories
Organize your products into clear categories and subcategories to help users find what they're looking for.
» Categories vs collections: Find out which is best for merchandising
2. Implement Predictive Search
Incorporate predictive search functionalities into your mobile site that suggest real-time search queries to help users find products quickly.
3. Use Voice Search
Explore voice search capabilities to cater to users who prefer voice-activated searches.
If you can find an app that can help you with voice search and integrate it into your website or mobile platform, this can greatly enhance the user experience.
Voice search optimization can also improve your website's visibility in search engine results as voice searches continue to grow in popularity.
Keep in mind that the effectiveness of your search functionality depends on how well you've tagged, categorized, and described your products.
» Improve your site's product descriptions with this handy guide.
AI and Machine Learning for Mobile Product Recommendations
AI and machine learning have the potential to revolutionize product recommendations on mobile eCommerce sites. Here's how:
1. Automated Product Descriptions
You can use AI to generate product descriptions and tags based on specific keywords, ensuring that your content is SEO-friendly from the start.
2. Personalized Recommendations
Machine learning algorithms can analyze user behavior and preferences to offer personalized product recommendations.
You can then use these algorithms to create a more tailored and engaging shopping experience for your customers.
3. Upselling and Cross-Selling
You can also integrate AI-powered apps into your eCommerce store to recommend popular or related products. Some examples include SEO Ant and Fera. These apps can automate various aspects of your eCommerce store, from SEO optimization to product recommendations.
» Here's how to integrate AI personalization into your eCommerce website.
Mobile-Exclusive Promotions and Offers
Mobile-exclusive promotions can be a game-changer for boosting sales and conversions. They're effective because mobile users are more prone to impulsive buying due to the convenience of mobile shopping. Plus, the limited-time nature of these exclusive offers adds a sense of urgency.
Running these promotions can lead to increased revenue, especially for low-cost and one-off products. Consider using mobile-exclusive promotions strategically, such as offering upsells in the cart exclusively for mobile users or providing limited-time discounts for mobile app users.
Emerging Technologies in eCommerce Merchandising
Looking ahead, several emerging technologies and trends are set to impact eCommerce merchandising, including Augmented Reality (AR). AR will transform mobile shopping by allowing users to visualize products in their environment, particularly in the beauty, fashion, and home decor industries.
Mobile Is the Future
Having a mobile responsive website is no longer optional for eCommerce businesses. It's a necessity, especially if you want to provide an excellent user experience and boost conversions. Embracing AI, improving mobile search functionality, and leveraging mobile-exclusive promotions can further enhance your mobile eCommerce strategy. And as technology continues to evolve, staying updated on emerging trends like augmented reality will be crucial for long-term success in the eCommerce landscape.
» Discover even more benefits of AI for your business.
PersonalizationPersonalized Digital Marketing: Increase Your eCommerce Store's SalesYour customers see an estimated 50-400 ads per day across various platforms. Not only is that overwhelming, but it also means they've become desensitized to mass marketing efforts. That's why personalized marketing has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance customer engagement, boost loyalty, and drive sales. Below, we explore how you can effectively implement personalized digital marketing to increase your eCommerce store's sales.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann is a seasoned online store owner with over a decade of eCommerce experience. Apart from running Alora Boutique, she's also the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
The Impact of Personalization in Digital Marketing
Customers don't just expect personalization, but demand it—to the extent that over 60% of shoppers will switch their loyalty to another brand if they don't get it. The reason is simple: customers don't want to feel like a faceless member of your audience. They want to be recognized as individuals and feel valued.
To succeed on the digital marketing front, you want people to feel a sense of connection to you.
This connection can manifest in many forms. From a personalized email addressing the customer by name to recommending products based on what other customers have bought in that same area. These and other personalization efforts in your digital marketing can help increase your revenue by 6-10%.
3 Approaches to Personalized Digital Marketing
1. Segment Your Customer Base
Venturing into personalized digital marketing can be daunting, especially as a novice. That's why collecting and segmenting customer data is a good starting point to help you lay the foundation for your marketing efforts.
Start small: segment your audience into broad categories before attempting to drill down into the finer details. Good categories are purchase history and purchase frequency.
Focus on the people who have already purchased from you, because they already like you and trust you.
Remember, it's not just about how much a customer has spent, but how often they purchase. A customer who's bought from you five times likely trusts you, likes your product, and is willing to come back. Compare this to a customer who spent a lot but it was a once-off.
There are different apps and tools you can use to make segmentation easier. A good audience segment tool will help you:
Define your audiencesCreate specific rules for each audienceAnalyze the impact your personalized marketing efforts are making on each segmentImport audience data from different sourcesProtect your audience's data and privacy
Pro tip: Don't fall down the data rabbit holeWhile having a wealth of data available to you is valuable, not all of that data will be relevant. Make sure you collect the right data.
» Try these customer segmentation strategies to get started
2. Make Personalized Emails Your Priority
Email is one of the most important things for eCommerce stores. Once you have customers' email addresses, you can advertise to them on the internet later.
There are over four billion email users globally. That's a very large reach. Instead of spreading your resources thinly across various platforms, focus on building an email subscriber list. This gives you a direct line of communication to your customers, enabling you to tailor your marketing messages effectively and nurture long-term relationships.
Types of personalized email campaigns you can create include:
Abandoned cart remindersWin-back campaignsPost-purchase upsellsLimited-time offersProduct recommendations
Klaviyo is a great email marketing platform to partner with. Its AI-driven capabilities allow you to sync customer data and create personalized emails with custom recommendations and offers.
» Here's how you can use AI in personalized email marketing
3. Explore the Potential of Social Media
Social media marketing is different from email because you will never own your customer on social media.
This is because your social media followers aren't committed to your brand the way email subscribers are. There's a lot more competition for their attention, plus social media users aren't guaranteed to convert.
Instead, social media is excellent for refining your personalization strategies. You can conduct a behavior analysis and learn:
What your customers' interests areHow they're interacting with your contentWhich types of content and products resonate the most
Once you understand your shoppers' behavior and engagement in your store, personalized advertising on Facebook is particularly effective. Plus, by coupling Facebook ads with relevant upsell and cross-sell recommendations, you can maximize average order value.
» Not sure where to begin? Let Fast Simon give you a headstart
Avoid These Common Pitfalls in Personalized Digital Marketing
Don't neglect customer data security and privacy
Even as technology takes over certain aspects of security, you're still accountable for safeguarding customer data. Don't over-personalize
Customers might find this invasive or overwhelming. Find the sweet spot where personalization enhances your customer's experience without making them uncomfortable. Don't forget about non-digital touchpoints
Your customer's experience doesn't stop once they've placed their order. You can personalize physical aspects like your packaging and the unboxing experience, complimenting your digital marketing efforts.
Make Personalized Digital Marketing Work For You
As the world of personalized digital marketing evolves, you have the opportunity to create deeper connections with your customers by leveraging data-driven insights and tailoring your strategies to meet individual preferences. Whether through email personalization, social media engagement, or other methods, you can boost your conversion rates and boost your eCommerce store's sales.
PersonalizationImprove Customer Experience With AI: Personalization, Automation, & MoreAI is transforming the customer journey, ushering in a new era of efficiency and personalization. Over half of all eCommerce companies are already using AI to smooth out their customer care, sales, and marketing operations—with very positive results. Let's delve into how AI can help you improve your customers' experience through personalization, automation and more.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann has over 10 years of eCommerce experience. She runs a successful online store, Alora Boutique, and is the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
Using AI to Improve the Overall Customer Experience
AI can enhance the overall customer journey by really reducing the friction customers may experience while shopping online.
There are two main pain points AI should solve for your online shoppers:
Provide support when they need itStreamline all the processes in the customer journey
Nothing can make a customer leave your store quicker than getting frustrated. This includes slow loading times, confusing page layouts, ineffective search bars, getting spammed with marketing material, poor customer service, and no clear contact information.
AI can help you optimize all of these aspects to make sure your customers receive timely assistance and truly feel cared about at every touchpoint.
Let's consider specific aspects and examples you can apply to your own eCommerce business.
1. Provide Efficient Customer Service
One of the first things you should automate is customer service because it's so time and human capital intensive.
Your customers expect only the best service from you. This means quick responses, accurate feedback, and constant availability. But to provide this manually is expensive and impractical. Instead, AI can automate many customer service tasks, especially if they're repetitive. This means:
You can save up to 30% in customer service costs.You're free to allocate your manpower to other business activities. Your customers receive quicker responses, increasing their satisfaction.
Strike Up a Conversation Through Chatbots
The chatbot market is expected to reach $1.25 billion in 2025. Plus, online retail is the one industry where consumers are comfortable to interact with chatbots. Investing in a chatbot can help you improve customers' experience by:
Being available all the time: AI effortlessly conquers the time zone dilemma and can address customer queries 24/7.Eliminating waiting periods: As a human, you can address only one customer query at a time. A chatbot can process multiple requests simultaneously. Giving accurate and instant responses: A chatbot provides answers in real-time and removes instances of human error.Offering multi-lingual support: 65% of your shoppers prefer communicating in their own language, a service a chatbot can easily provide.
Worried about a chatbot being too impersonal or faceless?You can still automate customer service processes without losing the human touch. By combining natural language processing (NLP) with customer data, you can give each customer a personalized experience.
At Fast Simon, our chatbot can put you in contact with an account specialist directly. No phone call—start chatting immediately or book a time that suits you.
2. Make Your Checkout Process as Convenient as Possible
The average global shopping cart abandonment rate is 70%. One of the top reasons for this is the checkout process takes too long.
People are "lazy" consumers. They want convenience. They just want to buy things and have it delivered to their door in two days.
AI can help you resolve this dreaded cart abandonment issue. Autofill is an excellent AI feature that auto-populates forms with information. This saves your customer effort, especially if it's things like filling in a delivery address, credit card information, or contact details.
You can also personalize your customers' checkout by suggesting relevant upsells and cross-sells. This way, your customers may discover new products and increase their average order value.
Princess Polly clearly labels their product recommendations. The "Quick Add" function lets you add any of these products without leaving your current screen. Plus, there's also an "Express Checkout" option that lets you pay directly with your Shop Pay, Amazon, or PayPal accounts—meaning you don't have to create an account and add all of your information manually.
3. Personalize Your Product Recommendations
AI's prowess lies in its ability to analyze customer behavior and predict preferences, making it the ideal tool to personalize product recommendations. This anticipatory approach not only enhances the customer experience but also boosts the likelihood of conversions. Over 50% of your customers are more likely to buy if they see personalized content.
We've already discussed adding personalized product recommendations to the checkout process. Another approach is behavior-based triggers. AI can send personalized pop-ups to your customers. This can be based on:
Location: "250 people from your city just bought [x]"Product: "10 people just added [x] to their basket" or "A customer just bought [x] with [a related product]"
Argos adds pop-ups on their product pages. These can range from how many customers have viewed the product to how often it was purchased in the last 24 hours.
4. Don't Underestimate Omnichannel Personalization
Collect data from a lot of different channels to create a cohesive customer profile. This will help you give customers a personalized experience at every touchpoint.
Creating a unified customer experience is important. Remember, your customers don't just interact with you on your store, but through social media, email, and apps too. To make sure they receive a consistent, personalized experience on each channel, you should invest in omnichannel personalization.
While it may sound intimidating to juggle all of that data, AI can help you manage omnichannel personalization:
Data collection and analysis
AI can help you collect and analyze customer data so you can efficiently segment your audience according to their preferences and behavior.Predictive analysis
Based on your data and segments, AI can predict shopping behavior. This allows you to make personalized recommendations and prepare for any surges or new trends.Real-time personalization
AI can interact with customers in real-time and deliver in-the-moment personalized content. Plus, by combining AI with NLP, it can understand customer feedback and help you refine your personalization strategies.Consistency across all channels
AI helps maintain consistency in messaging and branding across various channels by automatically adapting content to fit the specific context of each channel.
Challenges and Ethical Considerations Regarding AI
While AI-powered customer service tools bring immense benefits, they also have challenges:
Integration with your existing systems is crucial for your operations to run smoothly. Bias in algorithms can occur which means you're excluding one or more segments from your target audience. Addressing privacy and ethical concerns is paramount. You have to protect your customers' data and be transparent about how you collect, store, and use it.
Get in the AI Fast Lane to Improve Customer Experience
In the ever-evolving landscape of eCommerce, AI emerges as a pivotal force that reshapes the customer journey. From personalized recommendations to efficient customer service and beyond, AI paves the way for a future where seamless experiences are the norm. By harnessing AI's potential and addressing its challenges responsibly, you can unlock the power of enhanced customer journeys in the digital realm.
PersonalizationAI-Based Personalization: The Future of eCommerceArtificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way eCommerce businesses connect with their customers. An estimated 70% of eCommerce decision makers believe AI will improve their personalization efforts. At the heart of this transformation is AI's ability to collect and process customer data, enabling you to deliver personalized experiences to your customers. Below, we explore how AI-based personalization is changing the future of eCommerce by assimilating into the entire customer journey:
Overview of the AI personalization processHow AI-based personalization affects customers' experience How AI personalizes the post-purchase journey for customers and merchantsOvercoming AI-based personalization challenges for small businessesThe importance of knowing your customers
Meet the Expert:
Jameela Ghann is an eCommerce expert with over a decade of experience. Apart from running Alora Boutique, she's also the marketing manager for Fera Product Reviews.
Overview of the AI Personalization Process
AI's prowess lies in its ability to learn from data. So, moving from data collection to a personalized experience involves several key steps:
Data Collection
Get started by collecting data from diverse sources such as customer interactions, purchase history, and browsing behavior. These data points offer invaluable insights into customer preferences and behaviors.Data Transformation
This raw data is then transformed into a format that AI models can understand. This involves structuring and cleaning the data to ensure its usability.Pattern Recognition
AI systems use machine learning techniques, including deep learning, to recognize patterns within the transformed data. This step is vital for understanding customer preferences and predicting future actions.Personalized Recommendations
Armed with patterns and insights, AI systems generate personalized recommendations. These suggestions are then delivered through various touchpoints like websites, email campaigns, pop-ups, and even chatbots.
Pro tip: Prioritize your customers' data privacy. They share personal information with you to receive a personalized experience, so it's important to maintain transparency and trust.
How AI-Based Personalization Affects Customers' Experience
AI can help customers find what they want, when they want it. It's going to give higher relevance to content and products that align with their preferences.
AI-based personalization goes beyond being a trendy buzzword. Once implemented, it can affect your customers' shopping experience from product discovery to checkout.
Enhanced Product Discovery
In an era where time is of the essence, AI can help customers find products quickly. By analyzing their preferences and behaviors, AI showcases relevant products and content, streamlining the discovery process.Hyper-Relevant Content
AI can distinguish between various customer preferences. By enhancing this with natural language search, you can deliver highly relevant content and products. For instance, a skincare enthusiast searching for "oil-free products" can also see makeup options suitable for oily skin in addition to lotions.Reducing Bounce Rates
AI-curated content increases engagement, reducing bounce rates in turn. When customers find what they're looking for effortlessly, they're more likely to stay on your website and explore further.
Suppose you sell supplements online. A customer visits your online store, but doesn't know what kind of supplements they need. So not knowing where to start, they type "I'm tired all the time" into the search bar. AI interprets this query and comes up with a blog post instead of a product. The blog post recommends products that can help the customer beat their fatigue and this eventually leads to a sale. Because AI was able to combine natural language and federated search, it delivered personalized, relevant search results.
» Here's how to implement natural language search and federated search on your eCommerce store
How AI Personalizes the Post-Purchase Journey for Customers and Merchants
AI's influence extends beyond the initial purchase. It can enhance the post-purchase experience for both you and your customers.
Moderate Product Reviews
Merchant: AI-powered systems can moderate reviews, ensuring harmful or inappropriate content doesn't make it to your website. This reduces the workload on your customer support teams and maintains a positive online environment.Customer: Based on its customer data analysis, AI can show customers relevant product reviews only to help them make their buying decisions.
Track Orders in Real Time
Merchant: AI can automate the order-tracking process, making it less admin-intensive for you. Plus, the transparency your customers will receive as a result enhances their trust and satisfaction.Customer: Your customers can check on the progress of their orders whenever they want to. AI updates order statuses and estimated delivery times instantly, so your customers consistently receive up-to-date information about their orders.
Pro tip: When customers receive their orders, make sure to include a personalized message thanking them for their support.
Manage Inventory and Customer Support
Merchant: AI is especially useful for subscription-based businesses, because it can predict when customers might need to reorder. In turn, you can manage your supply chain and inventory efficiently to meet the predicted demands. As a supporting feature, AI-powered chatbots can help streamline your customer support services by automatically addressing core questions your customers may have.Customer: Your customers can receive timely reminders to re-order their favorite items based on purchasing history. Plus, AI can provide immediate support for troubleshooting inquiries, reducing response times and improving overall satisfaction.
Overcoming AI-based Personalization Challenges for Small Businesses
I think AI is a big trend and everybody wants to jump on it. So, as a small business, it's important to ask whether investing in AI will actually solve a problem and bring value to your customer, or are you just chasing it?
While the benefits of AI-based personalization are evident, smaller eCommerce businesses might face challenges in implementation. Fortunately, there are simple strategies you can try to overcome these.
Firstly, robust AI solutions can be expensive and affordable options can have limited functionality. Plus, you might not need all the functionalities of an advanced AI solution, so you end up paying for something you don't use. We recommend starting small with a specific AI application. This will be more cost-effective and can ease you into using AI-powered applications if it's unfamiliar to you. Chatbots are an excellent beginner option.
Secondly, you may have limited data and this can hinder AI's effectiveness. So, make sure you collect quality data and structure it well. This will help an AI system to analyze your data effectively.
The Importance of Knowing Your Customers
AI-based personalization doesn't mean replacing the human personal touch completely. While AI can definitely enhance your personalized offerings, it shouldn't do everything from start to finish.
As human beings, you must have your ear to the streets, so to speak. You, not AI, must understand your customer's journey and who they are so that you can leverage AI as a tool to give personalized recommendations.
Truly understanding your customer means you'll know important factors like not all shoppers want AI-based personalization on their customer journey. An estimated 43% of the Baby Boomer generation is against AI personalization. In comparison, only 15% of Gen Z feel the same way. So, your AI and personalization strategies will differ, depending on whether your target audience consists mostly of Baby Boomers or Gen Z.
» You can fine-tune your personalization strategies with these solutions
Adapting and Thriving in an Evolving Landscape
To stay ahead of the evolving AI landscape, eCommerce businesses should:
Educate themselves: Continuous learning about AI trends and advancements in your industry is crucial.Embrace flexibility: Be open to adapting AI for various purposes, keeping an eye on emerging opportunities.Prioritize customer experience: The ultimate goal of AI is to enhance your customers' experience, so make sure any AI implementations align with customer needs and preferences.
AI's ability to collect, process, and use customer data for personalized suggestions is transforming the eCommerce landscape. By understanding and harnessing this power, you can:
Create exceptional customer experiencesDrive engagementStay competitive in an increasingly AI-driven world
As AI continues to evolve, businesses that prioritize customer-centric AI strategies will undoubtedly reap the rewards of enhanced customer loyalty and business growth.
» AI isn't just limited to personalization: Explore other benefits of AI in eCommerce
Search & discoveryAdd Product Filters to Shopify: A Step-By-Step GuideOne of the most important factors behind the success of any Shopify store is adding product filters. This way, your customers can refine their search results and find their intended products faster by applying different criteria, such as product type, size, color, or price. Product filters can therefore help improve the user experience and sales. Here is a step-by-step guide to adding a product filter to your Shopify store.
What Is a Product Filter?
A product filter is a tool that allows your customers to narrow down a wide array of products and find the ones they're looking for quickly and efficiently.
This extremely beneficial navigation tool streamlines your customers' shopping experience because, by simply clicking a few buttons to enable the right filters, they can easily find the right products at their fingertips. For example, if a customer wants to buy a red shirt within a certain price range, they can select the "red" and "price" filters, and the search results will be narrowed down to just red shirts that meet the specific price criteria.
Product filters can also improve the product catalog of your store and increase the visibility of certain products, resulting in a better shopping experience for your customers and higher sales for you.
How to Add the Filters to Your Shopify Store
There are two different processes for adding product filters to a Shopify store: one is for desktop, and the other is for mobile. There are also two types of filters you can add.
Basic or default filters include options like primary price, vendor, and product type. These filters work with any store, and you can add up to five to your store.Advanced or custom filters depend on the type of products you sell, so you'll use your product variants to determine which custom filters you need. You can add up to 20 of these filters to your store.
On Your Desktop
First, you need to check which filters are available to you based in your store theme. Once checked, you have to enable the filters in Navigation. Now, you can start adding filters to your store.
Go to your Shopify Admin and click on Online Store.Click on Navigation and find the section named Collection and search filters.Click on the Add filters button.
You'll see a list of available filters. Select as many as you want.Click Done and save to update.
On Your Mobile
Adding product filters to Shopify on mobile is quite easy and very similar to the process on your desktop.
Install the Shopify app and log in.Go to the sales channel section and click Online Store.Click on Navigation and find your way all the way down to Collection and search filters.Click Add filters, and you'll see a list of available filters.Select as many as you want and click Done to save and update.
Importance of Filtering Your Products
Product filtering is an important factor for e-commerce businesses because it not only helps to improve your customers' search experience but also helps to enhance navigation, which ultimately increases your chances of making sales.
Filtering can also be beneficial for your product organization because the more product filters your store has, the more satisfied your customers are with its great look and feel.
» Make sure your filters are the best: Here's how to optimize e-commerce filters and avoid common mistakes
Simon Says Automate Your Filters
Overall, product filters are an essential part of online stores that have a large number of products and want their customers to have an extraordinary search experience.
But we know that manually creating filters can take a lot of time and money, especially if a developer is involved. Instead, consider automatically generating filters for your Shopify store. Once generated, these filters are fully customizable, so they can suit your store and brand. Just choose the filters you want to use to drive your store forward.
Learn more about automated filters from Fast Simon on YouTube:
Search & discoveryGuide to Shopify Search Bar: Add, Customize, Troubleshoot, Remove, and MoreAs a leading e-commerce platform, Shopify offers its users a variety of tools and features to help them sell their products online, including a search bar. You may have heard about the advantages of Shopify's search bar, like maximizing product discoverability, but you're unsure about its technicalities. In this guide, we provide easy-to-follow steps so you can effortlessly add, customize, troubleshoot, or remove your Shopify search bar.
Effortlessly Add, Customize, and Remove Your Shopify Search Bar
1. How to Add Your Shopify Search Bar
First, you need to get your Shopify search bar up and running. There are two paths you can choose: enable this function directly in your Shopify store or via a third-party app.
Enable Your Shopify Search Bar in Your Shopify Store
Please note that you can only follow this method if your Shopify theme supports it.
Log into your Shopify account and navigate to your admin page.Click on Themes.Click on Theme Editor or Customize, depending on your setup.Click on Theme Settings and navigate to Add-Ons.Locate the search add-on in the list and check the box to activate it.
If you can't find this in your theme settings, then your theme most likely doesn't support a search functionality. But not to worry! You can just as easily add a Shopify search bar through an app.
Add Your Shopify Search Bar via an App
Go to your Shopify dashboard and log in to your account.Click on the Apps section on the left-side menu and visit the Shopify App Store.Search for "search bar apps", and you'll see apps like Fast Simon.Install the app and follow the installation instructions to add the app to your Shopify store.Go to the app's settings to configure the search bar.Click on Save to apply the changes.Go to your website and test the search bar to ensure that it's working correctly.
Adding a search bar will help your customers find their ideal products quickly and easily, thereby improving their overall shopping and user experience.
2. How to Customize Your Shopify Search Bar
Now that you've added your Shopify search bar, you can start customizing it.
Log in to your Shopify account and click on Online Store.Click on Themes.Find the theme you want to edit and click on Customize.Click on Search Bar.Change the search bar settings and save to update.
Customization is important because it gives your store a certain look and feel. This includes changing the search suggestions, result display settings, and whether the product description should be available in the results.
3. How to Remove Your Shopify Search Bar
Removing your Shopify search bar will depend on how you added it, directly in your Shopify store via its theme or with a third-party app.
Remove Your Shopify Search Bar in Your Shopify Store
Log into your Shopify account.Navigate to Themes.Click on Actions and select Edit Code. Navigate to the list of codes and select icon-search.liquid. Delete the code in the section.
Remove Your Shopify Search Bar via an App
Log into your Shopify account.Click on Apps to review the list of apps installed on your store.Click the delete icon of the app you want to remove.Click Uninstall.
Removing your Shopify search bar may seem strange, considering its advantages. But perhaps you have a limited number of products, so your customers don't use the search option, or your website is just one page with minimal navigation.
How to Troubleshoot Common Shopify Search Bar Issues
Here are some common problems your Shopify search bar may encounter and their quick solutions.
Search Icon Issues
The most common issue comes with the search icon. Normally on mobile devices, the search bar won't appear until your customer clicks on the magnifying glass icon. If they have connectivity issues and the icon doesn't load, then the search bar will always be kept hidden.
Tip: Try clearing your cache, checking your theme, or reverting to the previous update.
Theme-Specific Issues
Popular themes like Venture or Debut come with a hidden search bar for mobile devices, and when the themes are upgraded or changed manually, search bar issues can happen.
Tip: Try reverting to old updates or contacting the theme developers.
Why Is the Shopify Search Bar Important?
Shopify's search bar gives your customers a quick and easy way to find the products they're looking for, which ultimately results in an enhanced shopping experience for them. By reducing the time it takes to find a product, your customers are 2-3 times more likely to convert. A good and functional search bar can therefore lead to:
Improved customer experienceIncreased brand recognition, loyalty, and social proofBetter product discoveryIncreased sales
Benefits of the Shopify Search Bar
There are several benefits associated with the Shopify search bar. Some of them are:
Improved product catalog
With search analytics, you can understand which products are in demand and push them as per your customer's previous search history, thereby giving them a personalized shopping experience.Improved Shopify SEO
Your search pages can be a great source of SEO-optimized links that will improve your website's ranking in search results.Design marketing campaigns
Knowing your customer's search data can help you launch relevant promotional campaigns and give you opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.Improve product linking
Understanding your customers' search intent means you can add relevant search keywords to your search functionality, products, and collections to ensure your customers' search results are more tightly knit.
Start Your Search Today
In a nutshell, the Shopify search bar is one of the greatest aspects of your store's success and can be the game changer in your Shopify store's performance. Once added, you can leverage the benefits from more specialized search functionalities like federated search and predictive search. As you've seen, adding and managing your Shopify search bar is easy and fast, so start optimizing your Shopify store today.