Next generation site search applications will be far more intuitive and deliver search results that are much more specific to a web retailer’s daily and ongoing business plan.
Today most site search applications offer as a standard feature tools such as guided navigation and programs that automatically adjust for spelling errors. But just hitting the market now are advanced site search tools that enable retailers to make much more specific adjustments to the primary relevancy algorithm that delivers back answers to a shopper’s query.
“Enhanced relevancy tuning and management will provide retailers with additional tuning options such as phrase matches, column weighting/ranking and value-based relevancy, which expands their control over search results and delivers a better hit rate,” says Lisle Holgate, vice president of marketing at EasyAsk, the site search applications development unit of Progress Software Corp.
Next generation site search applications will also make better use of integrated analytics to help retailers deliver back search results that highlight daily specials, available inventory and fast moving merchandise. “The applications today deliver back very intelligent results, but what’s coming to the market now are tools that intuitively guide the user to the right answer to their question that takes into consideration relevancy from across the web site, including business, product and shopper insight,” he says.
Future site search applications will also tie in more closely with a retailer’s specific search engine marketing program. “Retail customers are also beginning to ask to use our technology to increase the effectiveness of their paid search spending,” says Holgate. “Retailers want to define associated queries for purchased key words that drive a specified user experience within the context of the purchased word.”
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