Site search provides one of the best customer engagement tools in a retailer’s toolbox. As shoppers shift to holiday buying, adapt to their needs to capitalize on the season. Start by tuning up your search engines for the holidays. You’ll need to adjust your solution now — and throughout the season — to keep pace with:
Seasonal changes in product relevance.
Your shoppers will be hunting for different types of products this time of year compared with their historical shopping history. Optimize your product data to help them find what they need — and what they didn’t know they needed. Retailers and brands will shift from featuring cotton sheets to warm comforters, tank tops to long sleeves, grilling ingredients to hearty soups, SPF skincare to deep moisturizers, and vitamins to medicine.
Behavioral and mindset changes.
Consumers start gift shopping early in the season: In 2023, 23% of US online adults started their shopping before November. In 2024, 71% of US shoppers plan to watch for deals and special offers online, but many are in the mood to splurge: 25% of US online adults are planning to spend more this year than they did last year.
Expect changes in even your most loyal customers’ behavior. Frugal shoppers might become generously open to pricier items for gifting. Savvy shoppers might need more information as they select gift items with which they’re not familiar.
Tune your search to create a mixed assortment of pricier items and deals, offer paths to purchase with educational content, and recommend giftable goods to guide shoppers.
The shift from personal-preference to recipient needs.
Your customers are shopping for others, not themselves (as much). Don’t over-rely on your customer’s recent purchase history or established preferences — they may be looking for entirely different categories and items as gifts.
Even locations will change; the customer who usually prefers in-store pickup at a specific location suddenly may be ordering to multiple far-away shipping destinations.
One-quarter of US online adults plan to use “buy online, pick up in store” offerings this holiday season, per Forrester’s July 2024 Consumer Pulse Survey. Ensure that consumers can filter their product search results not only by traditional sizing and colors but by factors such as fulfillment options, allergens, or brand and product preferences. The more granularly a shopper can filter their results, the better the experience it is for them to find the items they are looking for.
Want to continue the conversation about optimizing product discovery and site search for the upcoming holiday season? Book an inquiry or guidance session here, and continue to gear up for the holiday season with Forrester’s 2024 Holiday Prep series.
(coauthored with Senior Research Associate Delilah Gonzalez)
