By the year 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through ecommerce.

Customers looking for their next purchase will search online using their digital devices. The rise of the customer-driven economy and the pandemic has sped up this shift to online, increasing the competition and the need for exceptional shopping experiences. Rapid results, frictionless journeys and personalised recommendations are baseline expectations that you need to live upto.

According to predictions for 2023 , despite the economic uncertainty, consumer spending will increase by a 5% average across categories. And Modern Retail anticipated that ecommerce sales would make up 20.8% of all retail sales globally. So there’s still plenty of opportunity to gain new customers.

Today, to remain competitive, win customers and achieve growth, invest in customer-centric strategies that drive brand trust, perception, and personalised interactions. Performance marketing is no longer enough.

The path to growth is customer-centricity

Now, more than ever is the time to get your product discovery right. There’s an opportunity to differentiate your ecommerce experience by creating fast, seamless, and personalised shopping journeys. So, what are the must-have product discovery features to help you win loyal customers and increase sales in 2023? Let’s find out.

Product discovery features essential for success:

Optimise internal search results page

How you present your search results or product listing page (PLP) has a significant impact on your online sales. The strategy behind which products you choose as well as where you place them on the page can be the difference between a purchase and abandonment.

To win customer loyalty, step into the shoes of your shoppers, and merchandise your ecommerce store in a way that is relevant to every customer. Personalising the customer journey based on data and browser behaviour shows you understand and care about their experience to keep them coming back for more.

For example, Superdry doesn’t stock Levi jeans. But, instead of showing no results, the AI can suggest alternatives that would suit what the customer is looking for. Shoppers are never met with the dreaded ‘0 results’, improving their product discovery journey and increasing conversion.

Must-haves:
- Use complex synonyms to speak your customer’s language and make sure your shoppers are never left without answers.
- Structure your product ranking and use personal business custom ranking to achieve business goals.
- Enhance your search results by applying merchandising rules.
- Use AI Search for long tail keywords, complex queries, and multi-lingual queries to eliminate zero results.

Encourage discovery through an intuitive navigation

94% of consumers say they want an easy-to-navigate website. An intuitive navigation helps guide your shoppers to find what they are looking for and discover new products. So if you have a disjointed shopper journey, fix it with a connected strategy and seamless configuration so your navigation acts as a smooth path to conversion.

Lulli Sur La Toile is a great example. They provide an easy way for shoppers to find their latest products with the ‘Sticky Bar’ at the bottom of the website.

Must-haves:

- Apply dynamic filters & facets to make the shopping experience as functional and intuitive as possible.
- Use advanced algorithms to deliver personalised recommendations to each shopper.

Convert with powerful product detail pages (PDP)

PDPs lead directly to a sale, so it’s the place for you to showcase all the relevant information a shopper might want to make the purchase. To encourage shoppers to convert you can highlight if a product is low in stock and use social proof by featuring product ratings.

Aside from promoting the initial product, you can use PDPs to cross-sell and up-sell your catalogue. Is the product part of a bundle? Do you sell the other products in the images? Make additional personalised recommendations in your PDP that appeal directly to your shopper’s unique buying trends using the powers of AI.

Must-haves:

- Provide the most suitable alternatives to each product
- Cross-sell the right complementary item
- Recommend personalised and relevant content

Up-sell and cross-sell relevant items through the Basket page

Never miss an opportunity to increase your average order values (AOV). Use personalised recommendations to increase your basket size and value.
As highlighted in the example to the right, you can add a Visually Similar recommendation strategy to your basket page to tip the customer over the free delivery threshold. The average consumer is willing to spend an extra £17.27 just to qualify for free delivery, so this strategy can be a quick-win.

Must-haves:
- Use recommendations widgets and carousels/sliders to increase AOV.
- Add thresholds for free delivery to encourage up-sells and cross-sells.

Personalise your emails with 1-to-1 recommendations

By sending highly targeted content to your shoppers such as discovery emails with a selection of products and a personalised landing page, you can increase your email CTR by +40% and build customer loyalty.

For example, birthday emails with exclusive discounts and follow-up emails inviting customers to complete their purchases can have a measurable impact on your ROI. Alternatively, why not feature relevant product recommendations in the return confirmation email?

If you have the data, you can inspire and convert your shoppers using a variety of different strategies.

The French fashion and home & garden retailer, LaRedoute, has seen a 40% increase in CTR directly from email recommendations by providing highly targeted content for each shopper profile. They have also capitalised on key customer milestones and personalised follow-up activity.

Must-haves:

- Apply personalised product and content recommendations strategies to your marketing emails, order confirmations, and returns confirmations.

Make it easy for your customers to buy from you

These features can help you improve results across the board. From increasing customer engagement, reducing cart abandonment, boosting sales, improving customer satisfaction, and building customer loyalty.

If you make it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for and discover new products, you’ll be rewarded in the long run. Those providing a fast, simple, relevant, and personalised product discovery journey, win loyal customers and enjoy higher revenues.

To delve into more product discovery must-haves explore our product discovery buyer’s guide.