Searchandizing Your Way to Increased Sales

Imagine you are visiting your favorite online store. You use the site search option to find a particular holiday plate set, and the search results display not only the plate set, but also matching glasses, mugs, napkin rings, and a toothpick holder. You want it all! The chances of you leaving the online store purchasing even more than you initially expected is great. The online store just successfully utilized Searchandizing.

A combination of the words search and merchandizing, Searchandizing is an e-commerce term used to describe a site search to promote products when users search for certain keywords or phrases. Also called multi-faceted search, this technology trend is making the site search engines much more effective and useful for both the site owner and site visitor.

Searchandizing has the potential to eliminate unproductive, failed searches that do not provide useful results for the site visitor. Often a simple mistake like a misspelled word or a plural instead of singular noun can throw off the site search, providing zero results. With Searchandizing, these failed searches will be identified and fixed, listing similar results—even if the entered term isn’t an exact match.

Sounds like it is over your head or a waste of time? Consider that incorporating Searchandizing technology into your site can significantly increase your sales or push sales in the areas you need them the most, such as sales of overstocked products or high-margin items in your inventory. As one of the next best things to make your site all it can be, it is worth your time.

Perhaps, once you have the Searchandizing down, you will realize you need complimentary products to recommend to customers who search for items on your site. Doba.com as well as Worldwide Brands One Source is a great way to find suppliers and extensive product databases.

Another option is purchasing liquidated products for your site. Liquidation.comoffers a large supply of liquidated products, including over-supply of new products, cycled-out products, refurbished products, and closeout items.

It is unlikely on your own you can offer enough products to provide significant results when customers use your site search tool. By utilizing sites such as these, you can easily find products to fulfill more site search results.

Picture yourself again at your favorite online store. Only this time, you use the site search engine and come up with zero results. Are you likely to keep trying different words until you come up with the right results or will you go to another site that carries those holiday plates you are seeking? Why risk losing the sale? With Searchandizing you can keep the visitor and possibly sell more than you would have without this site-enhancing tool.

By Matthew Bredel
Published: 11/14/2007
 
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