Search & navigation in a composable setup

Has composable commerce architecture piqued your interest? We previously wrote about our vision of composable commerce and how to put it into practice. The principle of separate components forming a whole in the overall e-commerce architecture does not sound complicated in itself. The prerequisite for applying composable commerce is a headless architecture, so that the desired components can be applied in the frontend. But where do you start? Or how exactly do you take the next step?

A headless content management system can be the beginning of a composable commerce setup, but it doesn't have to be. A variety of other steps are also possible, such as adding a search and navigation tool that allows organizations to make the most of on-site search and navigation functionality.

Of course, the standard tooling in the e-commerce platform can also be used. This can be accessed via the API, but it is sometimes a small step to also look at external, often better, solutions. What pluses does a separate search & navigation solution bring? And which tools do we recommend?

Searching and/or navigating?

Webshop visitors want to find the product they are looking for without too much time and effort, and often use the search function to do so. In the ideal situation, the search results perfectly match the search query and also appear at a rapid pace. If this does not happen, it can become a cancellation moment.

You also have to deal with online shoppers who look around purely for inspiration without a direct buying motive or do not yet know exactly what product they want to buy. For this group, logical and structured navigation is very important.

To get search & navigation really right, the user perspective must be leading. Thorough data analysis is indispensable here. What words or products are my visitors searching for? Are the navigation choices clear? Thus, there are countless questions to consider and answer to create the ultimate user experience.

On-platform functionalities

All-in-one commerce platforms such as Magento Open Source, Adobe Commerce and Shopware have search & navigation functionalities as standard. The strength of the all-in-one platform lies in the bundling of all e-commerce functions within one system. These functions are often expanded and further developed. But sometimes, as a brand or retailer, you want more than standard. You want to think out-of-the-box and fully commit to the customer experience. Then it may be a good idea to consider other options as well.

More extensive search functionality

A standard e-commerce platform often already uses Elasticsearch technology, to a limited extent. Do you want to get more out of Elasticsearch? This software can be extended and programmed in detail. How should Elasticsearch deal with synonyms and conjugations or how should attributes be weighted in the search results? It should be realized, however, that there is no AI and machine learning involved here. There is no feedback loop based on visitor behavior, it is a search engine based on (static) data. This is often the case with specialized tools, though.

Specialist search & navigation tools

By adding a stand-alone seach & navigation solution, you are increasingly working toward a composable commerce architecture. You combine the best ingredients together. The software of specific search & navigation tools like Tweakwise and Apptus eSales focus largely on personalization. The more relevant the search result, the better.

Tweakwise

Tweakwise specializes in on-site search, online merchandising and personalized recommendations. With this tool, you can offer visitors a personalized on-site shopping experience, increasing relevance, customer satisfaction and conversion.

Tweakwise makes setting up the product listing page (PLP) properly very easy for the marketer. A (combination of) algorithms is used to select the most relevant products. Another nice feature is that specific positions can be targeted. Tweakwise has integrations with the most widely used e-commerce platforms, making linking already easy.

Apptus eSales

Apptus eSales features powerful search & navigation functions combining AI, machine learning and big data. And with which you work towards (strategic) goals such as conversion, turnover and profit targets. The purchase intent of visitors measured, assessed and supplemented with historical search behavior, bringing up the most relevant products. Among other things, the navigation feature dynamically adjusts product categories to unique visitors. All for a personalized user experience during on-site search and navigation.

We believe that eSales can be an added value for web shops with relatively large product ranges where shopping is mainly image-based, such as clothing and shoes. The eSales system recognizes the products in the images and also adds relevant keywords to the search index itself based on the internal attributes database.

Taking the next step?

Maybe your organization is already ready for the next step in composable commerce and there is a lot of potential to improve search and navigation through the shop. Then extended Elasticsearch or a standalone search & navigation tool could be an excellent idea. Our consultants will be happy to help you in this search.