The Data Behind Autocomplete: How It Impacts Shopper Behavior

Most shoppers don’t type a full, correct query on the first try. They start typing, pause, and expect the store to meet them halfway. That’s the job autocomplete does, and the data shows it does that job well.

We analyzed data from 4,000 online stores across 15 e-commerce verticals. This is what we learned.

How many shoppers really use autocomplete

On average, autocomplete usage sits well above general search usage across most verticals. Cosmetics leads at 43%, followed by Pharma & Medical and Food & Beverages, both at 40%. Marketplaces sits lowest at 21%, with Fashion close behind at 23%.

Autocomplete seems to matter most in verticals with dense, specific product catalogs, cosmetic products with long ingredient-based names, medications with exact dosages, and groceries with brand and size variants, where getting the query right by hand is harder and a nudge in the right direction saves real effort.

The conversion impact is bigger than you’d expect

Shoppers using autocomplete are three times more likely to convert than those who don’t.

The gap is largest in Pharma & Medical, where conversion jumps from 10% without autocomplete to 44% with it. Food & Beverages and Cosmetics follow a similar pattern, both roughly tripling their conversion rate when a shopper uses autocomplete instead of typing a full query alone.

Compare that to the gap we see for general search usage in Pharma & Medical specifically, and the difference is stark. In several verticals, autocomplete is a substantially stronger conversion driver than search on its own.

Autocomplete performance by vertical

Here are all autocomplete statistics at a glance.

Frequently asked questions