Power of Autocomplete for an E‑Commerce Search

The search function on an e‑commerce store is a powerful tool, and for many website visitors, it is an integral part of their buyer’s journey. Simply put, your search feature directly affects how many sales you will have.

Sadly, search boxes are usually underequipped and don’t provide the high-quality user experience modern consumers expect. Don’t worry, though – there are ways you can refine your search bar and get better results.

The autocomplete feature is just one of the ways you can enrich your search field. Today we’ll talk about how you can use it to your advantage to get better results and learn the best practices of search autocomplete.

Search autocomplete explained

Before we get to autocomplete best practices in e‑commerce, let’s explain what this feature is. Many people call autocomplete predictive searches, type-ahead, search-as-you-type, or auto-suggest. You probably noticed how this tool works when Googling something.

When you type a few words in the search bar, the search engine offers several possible search queries. Autocomplete anticipates the rest of the letters and gives multiple options. If you type “sp”, it will provide you with options like “sports, space, spa, etc.”

However, autocomplete can also give you options for different categories. For example, if you type “men’s shoes,” it can offer categories like “trainers, boots, sneakers, running shoes, etc.”

Depending on their products, savvy retailers can add suggestions for specific categories or use. The recommendations change with each new letter users type into search boxes. Users who type a non-existing word won’t get any autocomplete suggestions.

Why e‑commerce sites should implement autocomplete search

Autocomplete search isn’t just a gimmick. It directly correlates to the overall success of your e‑commerce store. Here are some benefits you can expect when using autocomplete properly on your website.

Autocomplete leads to more sales

Long-tail keywords convert better than short keywords, and it’s the same for on-site searches. The chances of someone buying a product increase with each keyword they add to their searches.

People who use long-tail keywords are doing purposeful searches and looking for specific products. They already have purchase intent but haven’t found the right product. A smart autocomplete feature can suggest the right searches based on current keywords and help buyers find the specific product.

However, it can also increase the conversion of different user types. If someone still doesn’t know exactly what they are looking for but just want to do an informative search, autocomplete suggestions can help them narrow down their search and help them get a more focused approach.

Autocomplete reduces search time

If someone is looking for patio accessories and starts typing in the search box, they will get a complete suggestion and click on it right away, which saves users a lot of time.

When people don’t know what they are looking for exactly, autocomplete can give them specific suggestions and the most popular search queries. That helps users quickly get to the products they want and buy them.

Think about those people who aren’t used to using the internet and need a lot of time typing in the correct letter for their searches. Autocomplete saves valuable time and helps your business close a deal faster.

Autocomplete uses the power of suggestion

The search engine displays suggestions based on many factors, including past search history, looking for relevant suggestions, previous search results, search terms used, etc. Autocomplete is designed to recognize what someone is looking for and provide relevant offers they might be interested in.

For example, if the user types in leather shoes, your search engine will provide all shoes that contain leather. However, when that same user types in “jackets” the next time, the search engine will provide autocomplete by adding “leather.”

But at the same time, autocomplete gives many different options based on the user’s typed words. It offers alternative suggestions as well as related ones. This gives users the confidence to click on different searches.

Autocomplete search reduces “no results” pages

No results pages are the dead end for searches, which means that users haven’t received any relevant results for their search query and haven’t been offered any valuable alternatives. That frustrates users and makes them less confident about the products they’re looking for.

If your search phrases don’t deliver results, it doesn’t perform the primary function of connecting users to the products they want. At the same time, getting a no-result page undermines visitors’ perception of your content and product.

People might think you don’t have what they’re looking for, which leads to negative KPIs and reduces overall sales. A powerful autocomplete search can guide users to accurate and specific search suggestions allowing them to get results whenever they search for something.

8 e‑commerce autocomplete best practices

Autocomplete has the opportunity to improve user input and increase conversions. But many e‑commerce sites don’t work on enhancing query suggestions. Those that do often miss the point and don’t create an input element that’s intuitive and improves the overall search experience.

Here are some autocomplete best practices to refine the search process.

1. Create a quick autocomplete feature

Your autocomplete search needs to be incredibly fast – there’s no way around that. Modern consumers are used to having many options available almost instantly, and they expect a great user experience. They will probably lose patience if they type in a word and have to wait for 10 seconds until the autocomplete does its thing.

In other words, having a slow autocomplete function is the same as not having one. Not only will it not improve your conversions, but it will likely reduce them, as visitors will quickly lose confidence in your store.

It’s the same as having a slow website. Remember that a quick search reduces the bounce rate and dramatically improves the user experience.

2. Add personalization elements

Your autocomplete suggestions shouldn’t be the same for every user. To get the most out of this feature, you must add personalized elements that tailor each user’s experience. Here are some of the crucial personalization elements you should add:

Individual search history

Track user activity on your site and connect this data to your search engine. Over time your autocomplete functionality will make more valuable and relevant suggestions to individuals based on their previous searches. Ultimately, this will improve their experience and lead to more purchases.

Language options

If you have a multilingual store, provide suggestions to users in their preferred language. The list of query suggestions can’t be in another language because they won’t make any sense.

User location

Based on the user’s location, you can provide a list of suggestions that are popular in their area or exclude products that aren’t available to them.

3. Correct typos

Modern users are used to having typos corrected, so they don’t pay attention that much when typing in search boxes. Just because someone has misspelled something doesn’t mean they should get active suggestion help.

There are various typo correction tools, autocorrection features, plugins that save misspelled searches and memorize them to offer the correct queries, etc. Furthermore, you can also implement a spell-check functionality so that users can see what they did wrong.

Not only that correcting typos enhances the performance of your autocomplete feature, but it also boosts the overall search experience.

4. Offer autocomplete options for search queries outside of products

Most stores focus on the relationship between the products and the search box when working on their search engines. That is normal because all retail stores want to boost their sales, which is their primary goal.

However, it would help if you remembered that your website visitors aren’t only interested in your products, and they might use the search engine to look for information outsides of your currently available items. For example, people want to learn about your return policies, shipping options, payment options, special deals, discounts, or your business.

Every relevant user query should be covered with a suggestion list. Of course, this is what you want to achieve ideally, but it requires a lot of time and work. Learning more about your store, offers, and conditions can only build trust with potential buyers and help convert them into paying customers.

5. Create a useable autocomplete list

Yes, you should list items for every search query, but this doesn’t mean you should overwhelm people. Quality is better than quantity, and you shouldn’t have a dropdown list with over ten items. Having extensive lists makes it difficult for readers to review the information.

If browsing on a mobile device, they won’t see all the queries. All of this will make the search longer and more complicated. Always consider the user interface and avoid adding scroll bars to your list of suggestions. It just creates an additional task for users and disrupts the flow of searches.

Make your input field large enough to support an autocomplete list that can be clicked easily without disrupting something in the background or going through several additional steps to click on a recommendation. Remember, your autocomplete should make things easier, not more difficult.

6. Add the right visuals to improve experience

Even though the search aspect of your e‑commerce store is primarily about the text, it should have the correct visual elements to create a smoother experience and guide visitors in the right direction. The predictive section of your suggestions should stand out from the text the users typed in manually.

The most common way to do this is to use the bold style for the suggested search. But you can take things further and add different sections by the suggestion type. You can divide suggestions by pages, categories, or products.

Some e‑commerce stores that rely on visual imagery to sell their products also include display product image thumbnails so that searches can instantly see if that’s what they are looking for. They might also see something new they haven’t thought about and buy a different product.

7. Add merchandising autocomplete suggestions

E‑commerce stores can use autocomplete search recommendations to highlight specific merchandise. Suggestions can present products from a promoted brand, products on sale, or products with higher margins. However, it’s crucial to highlight products that are relevant to users’ searches.

You can also create custom pages filled with those kinds of products and highlight them in recommendations. For example, if someone searches for “sneakers,” you can present a landing page with currently discounted sneakers. It’s essentially a useful form of cross-selling or up-selling and a great way of helping searchers learn about special offers and products you’re offering.

8. Include support for mouse and keyboard

Most people are used to using both their mouse and keyboard when performing their Google searches, so you should include mouse and keyboard support.

Users must be able to scroll up or down through the list of suggestions, either using their mouse or the “up” and “down” buttons on the keyboard, to find the one that works best for them.

You should also highlight the offer they’re currently on to help people navigate through recommendations and click on the right one. Naturally, if someone wants to select an option using their keyboard, the best button for this action is “enter.”

Conclusion

Every popular query on your e‑commerce store has the potential to boost your conversion rate. However, you’ll need to learn more about your current community by collecting data about your website visitors.

Tracking user behavior, interests, actions, location, and other valuable information can help you tailor your autocomplete feature to provide the best contextual suggestions. It’s the best way to refine the research experience on your site, which will, in turn, fuel your sales for a long time.

Frequently asked questions