Site search use is up 54% and conversions up 19% at Northern Tool

The use of site search by visitors is up 54% and average order size on search-initiated conversion is up 19% since the web site of Northern Tool & Equipment Co., No. 75 in Internet Retailer’s Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites, added site search from Endeca Technologies Inc. late last year, e-commerce marketing manager Nate Miller tells InternetRetailer.com.

The improved results around site search stem from a number of factors, Miller says. Among them, Northern Tool has used the new search tool to tighten up on search results delivered against queries, reducing by an average 15% the number of results returned per query by eliminating less relevant listings from the end of the results list. Miller notes that part of the lift in order size is due to an increase in the number of items per order, which is up by 15%. “People are finding more items and adding them to their cart,” Miller says.

Improved site search also has helped lift sales by its impact on the call center. Previously, call center agents preferred to use the printed catalog to find product information for cross-sells and upsells, finding it easier to locate the information they needed in the printed catalog than on the web site, though their screens provided them with web site access, according to Miller. “You rarely see a printed catalog out in the call center today,” he says. “The reps are toggling back and forth between the order screens and the web site.” That’s good for sales because the web site has information on about 50% more products the reps can offer customers than the printed catalog has, he adds.

Getting more reps to use the web as a resource by making site search easier to use also drives overall site improvements on an ongoing basis, Miller notes. Now, “We have a team of over 100 people reviewing our site all day, making recommendations on additional product images as well as proofing the site,” he says.