The way customers shop online has changed. Today’s consumers expect fast, relevant, and personalised shopping experiences. If they can’t find what they’re looking for instantly, they’ll abandon their search and move elsewhere.
This is where Searchandising, the combination of search and merchandising, comes in. By optimising on-site search to deliver the right products at the right time, eCommerce stores can increase conversions and create a much happier shopping journey.
However, many eCommerce brands hesitate to adopt Searchandising due to concerns about complexity, cost, or integration with existing systems.
This article will explain why Searchandising is the key to unlocking higher revenue and how brands can implement it without unnecessary hassle.
1. The Missing Link in eCommerce: Why search alone isn’t enough
Most eCommerce sites have a search bar, but a standard search function isn’t always effective in converting customers. Common issues include:
- Irrelevant search results
Users get poor results, leading to frustration and abandoned searches.
- Lack of personalisation
Generic search experiences do not cater to individual preferences, brand affinities and previous purchases.
- Missed revenue opportunities
High-margin or trending products aren’t strategically placed in results.
Without a robust merchandising strategy, even the best search engine can fail to maximise conversions.
This is where Searchandising comes into play, helping stores surface the right products, at the right time, to the right customers.
2. Searchandising: The perfect blend of search and merchandising
Searchandising combines the power of intelligent search algorithms with merchandising tactics, ensuring that product discovery is optimised to drive sales.
Key benefits include:
- Increased conversions
By showing the most relevant, high-performing products first, businesses can increase the chances of a purchase.
- Enhanced customer experience
Shoppers can find what they need quickly, leading to higher satisfaction and repeat business.
- Personalisation
AI-driven insights ensure that customers see products tailored to their behaviour and preferences.
With Searchandising, stores don’t just provide search results, they create curated shopping experiences that increase engagement and revenue.
3. Overcoming fears: Why eCommerce brands hesitate to implement Searchandising
Despite the clear advantages, some retailers still hesitate to invest in Searchandising. Here are the most common concerns and why they shouldn’t hold you back:
“It sounds too complicated.”
Modern solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing eCommerce platforms, requiring minimal effort to set up. Many providers offer intuitive dashboards for easy management of uploading your product catalogue.
“Our search function is already good enough.”
Even if your search works well, it might not be optimised for conversions. Searchandising ensures that the right products appear in the right order, increasing both revenue and customer satisfaction.
“It’s too expensive.”
The ROI of Searchandising far outweighs the investment. Higher conversion rates, increased order values, and improved customer retention make it a cost-effective strategy to pursue in 2025.
4. The key features of an effective Searchandising strategy
Implementing Searchandising effectively needs the right tools and approach. Key features to look for include:
- Personalisation & AI-driven recommendations
Ensures customers see products based on their previous browsing and purchase history.
- Dynamic ranking & product boosting
Prioritises best-selling, high-margin, or seasonal products in search results for improved merchandising and get those items out of your warehouse!
- Integration with your CRM and marketing automation provider
Enables targeted promotions and email marketing campaigns by embedding recommended products from their site searches into their emails.
- Data-driven insights
Helps stores continuously optimise search performance by analysing customer behaviour.
- Error tolerance and intelligent indexing
Ensures search results account for spelling mistakes, synonyms, and partial queries.
- Fast and responsive search results
Speed is crucial; delays of more than three seconds can cause users to abandon their search.
5. From search to sale: How to get started with Searchandising
To successfully implement Searchandising, follow these steps:
- Evaluate your current search performance
Identify gaps and pain points in your existing search functionality. - Choose the right tool
Look for a solution that integrates with your platform and offers AI-driven recommendations. - Define merchandising rules
Set up product boosting strategies based on sales trends, stock levels, and customer preferences. - Implement filtering and sorting options
Allow customers to refine searches by attributes like price, colour, size, and availability. - Leverage user behaviour data
Analyse search queries to refine your strategy and improve relevance over time. - Monitor and optimise
Use analytics to track performance and adjust your Searchandising techniques to improve results continuously.
6. The future of eCommerce marketing: Why you can’t ignore Searchandising
The future of eCommerce is driven by AI, automation, and personalisation. Customers expect more than just a basic search. They want an experience tailored to their needs.
Stores that fail to optimise their search function risk losing potential revenue to competitors who provide a smarter, more intuitive shopping journey.
AI-powered site search plays a key role in improving search intent matching, ensuring that customers find what they’re looking for, even when using different terms or making spelling mistakes.
This technology helps reduce bounce rates and improves engagement, which can positively impact Google rankings.
Personalised search takes things even further by considering past behaviour, location, and preferences to display the most relevant products first.
For example, a frequent shopper of winter sports gear will see snow boots before summer sandals, creating a more engaging experience that is more likely to convert.
As online shopping continues to evolve, Searchandising will become a standard practice for successful retailers.
Investing in the right solution today ensures you stay ahead of the curve.
Spotler has you covered with Activate Search
Implementing Searchandising is a lot easier than you think. Spotler Activate Search seamlessly integrates with Spotler’s CDP, email, and marketing automation solutions, giving eCommerce stores a single, unified platform for their entire technology stack.
This means you can track customer behaviour, personalise marketing campaigns, and enhance Searchandising all from one place.
Take the next step towards smarter search and merchandising. Schedule a demo of Spotler Activate Search today.
Your customers (and your sales) will thank you.
