Consumers are increasingly having trouble finding the right items when shopping online. A new survey from Constructor reveals the search struggles and slowdowns people have when they search and browse e-commerce websites, excluding Amazon.
Most shoppers (68%) cite search difficulties as the top frustration on retail websites, with 44% of respondents saying it takes them at least 3 minutes of scrolling until they find the right product. For 21%, this search time extends to 8 minutes or more.
These search struggles often happen due to unclear phrasing, which leads 41% of people to have to “frequently” or “always” reformulate search queries to get e-commerce search engines to understand what they mean. 85% do so at least “sometimes.”
Lack of personalisation is another pain point, as 44% of shoppers feel that even when using their favourite retailer’s website, they are treated like new customers, receiving generic recommendations despite their previous purchases and engagement.
However, shoppers indicated they would shop more frequently (62%) and choose that retailer first (42%) if they were confident in having an excellent search and product discovery experience.
As consumers become more comfortable using generative AI tools like ChatGPT in their daily lives, there’s an opportunity for retailers to leverage such technology for product discovery. GenAI could help shoppers find the best products, finish search queries, or provide an AI shopping assistant that offers personalized recommendations or in-stock suggestions.
Nate Roy, Strategic Director of E-commerce Innovation at Constructor, highlighted the growing interest in applying generative AI to e-commerce, noting the rapid pace of innovation. However, he cautioned against implementing AI just for the sake of it, emphasising that retailers are shifting focus to solutions that deliver lasting value for both their businesses and customers.