Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, preferences and eccentricities — it’s part of what makes us unique! When it comes to shopping for products — especially online — these preferences can be very refined and often, finding exactly the product we want in a sea of options becomes nearly impossible. This is why so many online shoppers turn to on-site search functions to help them.

e-Commerce managers know that there are a variety of tricks out there for drawing people deeper and deeper into their online stores. From splash pages and banners, to recommendation features and popups, it’s easy enough to grab people’s attention when they’re on your site and show them things they might like.

But what about when it comes to showing them what they need?

What’s the conversion rate for your e-commerce website? According to the e-commerce industry giant Magento, the average across all online retailers is usually only about three to five percent. In fact, few retailers find themselves ever achieving higher than eight to nine percent (outside of the site search segment), even during peak sales periods.

The secret to being successful in sales is to know who you’re selling to. Being able to tailor a unique sales pitch, speak in the right tone and accentuate the right selling points can be the difference between closing a deal and losing a lead. e-Commerce managers know this better than anyone.

Retail environments are constantly changing and innovating based on emerging trends, cultivated data and customer feedback — the strive to understand your customers and meet their demands is an ongoing one. Understanding the customer means meeting their needs with ease, which can mean anything from higher checkout totals, to more frequent return purchases, to word of mouth advertising that brings in new customers.