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Why we recommend outsourced search for our ecommerce clients

August 15, 2017

Here at Venture Stream, we’ve come to appreciate the benefits of outsourced search services like Klevu and Searchanise in our Magento stores for some time now.

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Rich search result experience using Searchanise.

The driving reason behind this is that Search features are often the most server-intensive tasks that a shop will have to perform. In a matter of milliseconds the shop has to analyse thousands of rows of data looking for a match, on top of keeping the rest of the shop up and running. This can quickly add up to a slow and unfriendly search experience, and unnecessary slowdowns for other visitors.

To avoid this, we can use third-party search services that outsource this intensive task for us. These services use dedicated lightning-fast cloud servers specifically designed for performing one job – returning relevant search results in the quickest time. A monthly fee is charged, the service indexes your product data, and an extension sits on top of your shop to talk between the two when a customer starts typing in the search box.

Fast

The primary benefit is in speed. With relevant product results appearing instantly below the search bar, visitors can arrive on a product page ready to buy after typing just two or three letters – compared to the usual process of being sent to a results page, followed by a decision, before finally moving on to a product page.

Scalable

On top of this, cutting out the server power required for searches means other visitors will experience a faster browsing experience, and infrastructure can be upscaled at a more sustainable rate.

Rich

The visitor also receives a much richer search experience than before, with features like preview images, prices, related searches, spelling corrections and category links allowing them to drill down to what they want in a way that a traditional search might take a few page-loads to reach.

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This all translates to improved conversion and customer loyalty. Outsourced search is an essential addition to a modern small to medium e-commerce operation.

Venture Stream recommends Klevu or Searchanise for outsourced third-party e-commerce search. Contact us to find out more about how we can help build your ecommerce business.

Written by Andy

Andy is Venture Stream’s Chief Operating Officer and has over 15 years’ experience in ecommerce consultancy, design and retail marketing.

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