The bad news, however, is that text-based site searches aren’t always smart enough to figure this out. This means convoluted search results, lost conversions and frustrated customers when a precise keyword isn’t submitted.
Clearing up the confusion
Without manually being there to understand what someone is trying to explain, how can you expect to help them find what they’re looking for? It seems like a tricky task, but it’s one that’s made infinitely simpler with the help of Celebros’ semantic search and natural language processing (NLP).
Think of natural language processing like a thesaurus-dictionary-spell checker combo. It’s a function that serves three unique purposes; sometimes simultaneously, sometimes individually depending on the search query:
- It corrects misspellings to help make sense of queries that may have been improperly typed and submitted, thus eliminating null results.
- It utilizes a comprehensive dictionary to distinguish variables and characteristics from brands and proper nouns.
- It matches terms to a thesaurus to help propagate results based on applicable variables that may have been indiscriminately defined.
This all-sides approach to understanding exactly what has been typed into a search box makes NLP a critical resource in connecting consumers with products.
Coaching customers
Semantic search can play a pivotal role in helping your customers learn to be better searchers, in addition to providing them with what they’re looking for. Correcting their queries to be more in-line with your website means helping them adjust their outlook on the rest of your products. For example:
If Jill searches for “soft sweater” and is returned results for cashmere and chiffon sweaters, she’ll correlate “soft” with “cashmere” and “chiffon.” NLP makes this connection automatically, providing real-time education for future, similar queries Jill might make.
As customers find value in accurate semantic search results, they’ll also begin to explore beyond what they know they’re looking for, into products they’re likely to be looking for. NLP makes it possible to decipher customer values based on the words and phrases they’re using. Another example:
If Dan searches for “men’s sweater” he’ll get sweaters specifically for men. This selection will include a range of options, including cardigans, cowl-neck, zip-ups, fleeces, etc. As Dan further refines his search by what he likes, NLP will be able to recommend items that complement his preferences because it understands his needs. So, if Dan enjoys blue cardigans, he might also get recommendations for complementing shirts and ties to match his outfit, based on what past customers have purchased.
Words are powerful
Though customers might not always have the words they need to tell you what they’re looking for, if they’re able to describe it, NLP can tackle the heavy lifting to bring results to fruition. Text-based search can’t do this.
Celebros’ smart search engine dynamics utilize NLP and semantic cues to best-process a search query to return optimal results—we’re the only Magento Premier Partner that’s capable of doing this! We understand the power of words and communication, and how essential it is to be on the same page as your customers. Take us out for a test drive on Magento 1 or 2 and see for yourself just how powerful semantic search can be in closing the communication gap.
