OfficeMax chalks up conversions with its new site search

In the first month after deploying a new site search and navigation application, OfficeMax Inc. is reporting increases in conversion rates and the average value of customer orders.

Average revenue per visit on OfficeMax.com is up more than 60%,the retailer says. That is a product of improvements in three categories: a higher conversion rate and average order value and lower site abandonment rates.

“Search is the backbone of any successful Internet retailer, and is the key to delivering the speed, accuracy and convenience that customers desire in their shopping experience,” says Jim Barr, OfficeMax’s executive vice president and chief digital officer. OfficeMax is No 12 in the Internet Retailer Top 500.

The new Oracle Endeca site search and navigation application from Oracle Corp. was deployed by the retailer’s in-house I.T. team. It features type-ahead text, which displays a drop-down menu of suggested products once a shopper enters three letters into the search window. The application also lets shoppers refine searches based on parameters such as brand, price, color and particular product attributes, such as wireless, inkjet or laser printers.

OfficeMax, which was named to last year’s Internet Retailer Hot 100 list, says the new site search and navigation application is also producing other benefits, such as increasing the number of products visitors view with a smaller number of searches.