eCommerce Search UX: A Guide to Create Exceptional Design
Search is not a predictable, step-by-step activity for eCommerce customers. Shoppers often start their journey on Google, then jump to sites like Pinterest, and then to Best Buy or Etsy — where they look for lower prices — only to finally land on Amazon.com. Searches for products made by shoppers can also span multiple devices and locations — both virtual and physical.
While almost everything about how eCommerce customers search for things is unpredictable, one thing is quite predictable: what they find often determines their next step. In other words, what they find while searching for items to buy often changes what they seek.
Despite the lack of predictability of individual search behaviors, user experience (UX) professionals have been able to identify many search behavior patterns and antipatterns that seem to reappear in different contexts.
Different Search Behavior Patterns
Quit
In this first search behavior pattern, we see users exiting the search process entirely. The reasons for this can vary significantly.
Did they find what they were looking for, or did they simply give up?
Factors such as inadequate results, overwhelming options, or slow loading times can all contribute to this decision to quit.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
Understanding why users leave is essential for improving search functionality and retaining customers. To effectively reduce quit rates, designers should implement robust analytics tools that track user behavior and identify pain points in the search process.
For example, if data reveals that users frequently abandon searches for specific products on sites like Best Buy, it may indicate that the results are inadequate or the interface is confusing.
By proactively addressing these issues — such as optimizing load times and improving result relevance — designers can enhance user satisfaction and retention.
Narrow
In this second search behavior pattern, we see users refining their searches instead of quitting. This narrowing often occurs after an initial broad query yields too many results. Users adjust their searches based on the information displayed to them, seeking more precise options.
Over time, the average number of keywords per query has increased as users become more adept at using search functionalities.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
Web designers should incorporate faceted search capabilities that allow users to filter results by various attributes such as size, color, or brand.
For instance, Macy’s effectively employs faceted navigation to help users narrow down their product choices based on specific preferences like “red dresses” or “size 8 shoes.”
By providing clear filters and metadata, designers can guide users toward their desired products more efficiently, ultimately improving the overall shopping experience.
Expand
Here we see the less common practice of expanding queries when initial searches yield insufficient results. Users may choose to broaden their searches by omitting specific terms or relaxing constraints to find better matches.
Although this behavior is challenging to support, it is essential for creating comprehensive search experiences that meet user needs.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
Designers can facilitate expansion by integrating features that suggest related terms or broader categories when no results are found.
For example, Home Depot suggests broader categories such as “home improvement” when a user searches for “drill.”
By implementing these features, designers can encourage exploration and help users discover new items they might not have considered.
Pearl Growing
In this search behavior pattern, we see searchers employing a strategy known as pearl growing.
This involves finding one relevant item and then exploring its metadata or associated items for further leads.
In the context of eCommerce, this means discovering similar products based on an initial find that piques interest.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
Designers should embed pearl-growing features within product pages by displaying related items or sections labeled “customers also viewed.”
For instance, Etsy effectively showcases similar handmade products alongside the current item being viewed, encouraging further exploration and increasing the likelihood of extra purchases.
By fostering this behavior through intuitive design elements, like “You might also like” sections — eCommerce sites can enhance user engagement and drive sales.
Pogo-Sticking
We see “pogo-sticking” occurring when users bounce back and forth between search results and individual entries without finding satisfactory content.
This behavior often indicates poor snippet quality or ineffective metadata that fails to provide sufficient context for decision-making about which result to pursue further.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
To minimize pogo-sticking, designers should focus on optimizing snippets with clear and informative descriptions that accurately represent the content behind each link.
For example, Target enhances its product listings with engaging images and concise descriptions that help users make quick decisions without excessive back-and-forth navigation.
By improving snippet quality and ensuring relevance in search results, eCommerce sites can streamline the search process and boost conversion rates.
Thrashing
Thrashing occurs when users cling to flawed queries due to anchoring bias. They often make minor adjustments rather than rethinking their approach entirely.
This behavior can lead to frustration and unsuccessful searches as users fail to explore alternative terms or strategies that could yield better results.
How Web Designers Can Leverage This Pattern
Designers should implement autocomplete and autosuggest features that guide users toward correct spellings or alternative queries based on popular searches.
Almost all major eCommerce sites provide suggestions as users type in their search bar. This feature helps them refine their queries effectively from the outset.
By incorporating these tools into eCommerce search bars, designers can assist users in overcoming thrashing tendencies and improve overall search success rates.
How Can Designers Improve Search Functionality for eCommerce?
Here are some additional steps eCommerce site designers can take to refine their stores’ search functionalities:
Choosing the Right Search Results Page Layout
The layouts of the search results pages significantly impact the user experience. The width of search results is crucial; it may need to be narrower than what users with large monitors expect.
A poorly designed search results page, like the one from Starbucks, can become virtually unusable if it emphasizes margins and logos over actual content.
Designers should prioritize a layout that effectively uses screen space. Implement a liquid layout that adjusts to various screen sizes, ensuring that search results are always visible and accessible.
Google excels at this by adapting its layout seamlessly across devices. To achieve this, designers can use CSS techniques such as flexbox or grid layouts to create responsive designs that maintain visual consistency across different resolutions.
By optimizing the HTML and CSS for search results pages, designers can significantly enhance usability and potentially increase conversion rates.
Optimizing for Your Best Customers
Web designers should analyze user data to understand the screen resolutions most commonly used by their customers. Tools like Google Analytics can help identify these trends.
If a substantial portion of the traffic comes from lower-resolution screens, consider implementing a fixed-width layout optimized for those users while still catering to higher resolutions.
For instance, companies like Staples have adjusted their search results to cater to their users by narrowing their layouts for lower resolutions.
Providing Prominent Search Boxes
Making the search box easily accessible is critical for securing user engagement. Most visitors head straight for the search box when they arrive at an online store.
If users cannot easily find this feature, they may struggle to locate desired products. Check out how Heavy Glare Eyewear places its search icon prominently in its main navigation menu.
Designers should place the search box in a prominent location on both desktop and mobile versions of their sites — ideally above the fold and easily accessible without scrolling.
Adding recognizable icons (such as a magnifying glass) to the search box enhances visibility further. Testing different placements through A/B testing can help determine which locations yield the highest engagement rates.
Supporting a Variety of Search Query Types
Users employ various query types when searching for products online. Some might enter specific terms like “iPhone 16 Pro,” while others may use broader terms like “iPhones.”
Web designers should ensure that their search functionality supports multiple query types by implementing natural language processing (NLP) capabilities in their search algorithms.
This allows the system to interpret different user intents effectively. Regularly updating product metadata and descriptions with relevant keywords will also enhance search accuracy.
Check out how Best Buy’s search functionality accommodates exact queries as well as broader product category searches.
Refraining from Providing Too Much Information
Providing too much information in search results can overwhelm users. While more summary information generally helps reduce pogo-sticking, excessive detail can clutter the page and hinder usability.
For example, Expedia displays such rich information that users on 800 × 600-pixel screens may only see a fraction of a single search result without scrolling. This can lead to frustration and disengagement.
Designers should strike a balance between providing enough information to inform users without overwhelming them.
Limit the amount of text and images shown for each search result to essential details like product name, price, and a thumbnail image.
Check out how Orbitz effectively shows multiple results on the same screen, allowing users to compare options quickly. By implementing a clean layout that prioritizes key information, designers can enhance user experience and keep customers engaged.
Enhancing The “Feel” of Searching
In search UX, the “feel” refers to the tactile and interactive experience users have while searching for information. It involves how users interact with the search interface, including the responsiveness of buttons, the smoothness of scrolling, and the intuitiveness of navigation.
A well-designed search interface should feel natural and engaging, allowing users to focus on finding what they need without frustration. Key attributes of search feel include:
Interactive Density
- This measures the number of interactive elements (buttons, links, fields) relative to the size of the page
- A high density can make navigation easier if designed thoughtfully; an excessively high density can make navigation very difficult
Responsiveness
- This refers to how quickly the interface reacts to user inputs, such as clicks or taps
- A responsive search box that provides instant feedback enhances user satisfaction
Tool-Switchiness
- This measures how often users need to switch between input methods (mouse/touch to keyboard)
- Minimizing this can streamline the search process
Simplicity vs. Complexity
- The interface should be straightforward enough for users to navigate easily while still offering advanced features for those who need them
By focusing on these attributes, designers can create a search experience that “feels” intuitive and efficient. Regularly measuring and refining these aspects will help ensure that users remain fully satisfied with their search interactions.
Conclusion
While new and experimental user interfaces will be launched every year, there are many established search UI/UX design principles that will remain timeless.
We have discussed the most essential search UI/UX design principles in this article. Make sure they are a major part of the eCommerce store UI/UX services you acquire.
Use these principles to redefine your eCommerce store’s search functionality and make it intelligent and timeless!
