MarketLive news: a new world of content and on-site search

Merchants know on-site search is essential to their businesses — and they know there’s room for improvement. While the workhorse of a feature contributes to a third of eCommerce revenues, according to the MarketLive Performance Index, most merchants rate their own on-site search capabilities as middling. In a survey by technology researcher Forrester, the majority of businesses reported their on-site search initiatives were only moderately successful, with just 1 in 5 rating their efforts 8 or higher on a 10-point scale.

To complicate matters, the demands of on-site search are only growing more complex. With merchants not only finding new ways to merchandise and classify products, but also creating a raft of value-added content not directly connected with an individual SKU, on-site search tools must now present a variety of information to fulfill shoppers’ diverse needs, while at the same time making it easy to connect with relevant products quickly.

That’s why we’re so excited about our latest major technology release, which includes an array of on-site search features, including faceted navigation for content as well as products. Our content management tool has received enhancements as well, making content even easier to integrate with products.

As MarketLive CEO Mark Pierce told Internet Retailer, “For specialty retailers to compete, content is becoming more and more critical … The search engines are providing higher rankings to sites that have authenticity, which comes from unique links and unique content.”

The Cost Plus World Market site, which is using the technology, features a number of sections that display robust content alongside related product recommendations. The World Food Truck section, for example, uses an interactive map to spotlight regional recipes, with related products displayed beneath.

A search for “Lamps” includes lamp categories as part of the faceted results. Clicking on “Mix and Match Lamps” brings up a results page that integrates gift suggestions for decorators and an invitation to join the loyalty program among individual results.

To learn more about these features, read the official press release. Additionally, we’re showcasing the new technology at IRCE — find us at booth #1403.