With the continuation of the “How to improve the search results of your Magento 2 Store”, in this article, we will go through what happens after the user enters the search query and submit the request. We will understand what are the necessary elements of a Search Results page and how all these elements should be organized.
1. Header Management:
When the user submits a search request, they are navigated to another modified category page by the Magento store. There are already certain filters applied to these results, and there is no classic header in place. Instead of this, the following search results data should be displayed on every device operated by the user:
- The submitted search query i.e. “Green linen shirts”
- Total number of items on the search results page
2. Relevant and Visible Filters:
The proper usage of filters improves the relevancy of the search results in an e-commerce store. These recommendations apply to mobile and desktop devices’ search engine page results regardless of the size of your store.
- Display the relevant set of filters and facets. The filters are general options to limit the search results by certain options like price range, gender, reviews, availability, etc. On the other side, facets are the specific product attributes like colour, size, material, sleeve, brand, etc. E.g. if a user searches for a bottle, then the facet wouldn’t be “size” but instead “volume” within general filters.
- Make sure that it is easy for the users to apply filters and facets for both desktop and mobile devices.
a. In Desktop or Mobile:
The filters should be present at the top of the page and they should be displayed even when the user scrolls down the page. So that they can use the filter or configure them without scrolling up the entire page.
b. In Desktop only:
For desktop devices, you can also place the filters in a panel located on the left side of the search results page.
3. Use a Pop-up screen for displaying filters:
If a user has applied too many filters and facets through different drop-down menus, then there are chances of mistakes in making further changes. These menus close constantly, and the user may tap outside it and go to undesirable product pages. Modal windows can resolve this issue.
a. Desktop or mobile screens:
It would be wiser to give multiple options for users to close the pop-up screens for better usability. They can close either by pressing the “cross” button or by “Show” button. You can also display the number of products being displayed by choosing that facet. Users are generally curious to know the number of results.
b. Mobile screen:
You can also allow users to close the button by swiping down. However, mobile pop-ups are not too much widespread as mobile search functions, there we would like to recommend the closing mentioned above options. Customers will eventually become accustomed to swipes in the future, although they may first be perplexed in the absence of familiar aspects.
4. Give attention to Sorting:
Sorting is equally important as filters for the shoppers in search page results. They want to order the products as per their preferences.
- Any store: In any e-commerce store, some sorting options like price, discounts, popularity, and new arrivals are always required.
- A marketplace: In a marketplace, thousands of vendors sell multiple product variants. Thus, there may be a need for sorting options like ratings, reviews, and others.
- A desktop screen: A retailer can display the options and expand the sorting menu based on the amount of space available.
5. Grid layout depends on product type:
In the mobile e-commerce design listing is generally followed for showing the products. Generally, there are two items within a row but it also depends on the product type:
a. Priority of technical parameters:
If you are selling electronic appliances or equipment such as TVs, phones, laptops, etc. then it is highly important to display the technical specifications of the appliances first instead of the design. That’s why we suggest to downscale pictures in favour of more technical data. So, it is better to downscale the images in favour of data.
b. Visual elements come first:
For other types of products such as garments, accessories, shoes, furniture, tableware, etc. the product appearance or appeal is of more importance than their specifications or attributes. In this case, you must opt for larger images with high quality for the search results page.
c. 2-in-1:
Users can also be given customizable display options. For example, a grid to highlight visual information and a list to provide more features.
6. “Show More” button or Infinite Scroll?
a. We never suggest an infinite scroll to our Magento 2 clients because of multiple reasons. Firstly, the users don’t know how much they have to scroll to reach the end of the listing. Secondly, it also becomes a bit problematic or frustrating for the users to quickly reach the footer or header of the page while navigating in the middle of the results.
To get rid of both of these problems, we recommend you improve the infinite scroll with pinned side pagination. The side one is because of its always visibility at all the time and is also convenient. Customers can quickly go back to the beginning page, the middle of the list, or the last page after seeing the progress.
b. You can also use a “Show all” for both desktops and mobile screens. It benefits not only customers but also store speed because new items are loaded progressively and on demand.
Wrapping Up:
In this article, we have gone through the essential elements of the search results page. At Ceymox Technologies, the best Magento development company in India, we have a team of expert developers and designers who are aware of all these practices and build a top-notch Magento store for you. Let us know your requirements.
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