4.23% higher click-through rate on product overview pages thanks to self-learning ranking at A-Z Gartenhaus
A-Z Gartenhaus increased the click-through rate on product overview pages by more than 4% using a self-learning ranking system.
- Reduce Bounce Rate
Why you shouldn't do without faceted navigation
A look at the big players in e-commerce shows that faceted navigation should have long been standard for online shops with a large product range. Thanks to the various selection criteria that faceted navigation offers its users, they can narrow down the results page to suit their individual needs. We have summarized everything you need to know about faceted navigation in our blog article.
Here's what you can expect to find in this blog article:
How does faceted navigation work?
Faceted navigation using an example
What are the advantages of faceted navigation?
Conclusion: Just a few clicks to find the product you want
How does faceted navigation work?
It is not uncommon for the terms filter and faceted navigation(also faceted search) to be used interchangeably in everyday language. However, there is a fundamental difference between the two types of navigation: the effectiveness of the filtering. Unlike classic filter navigation, which only allows one-dimensional restriction of attributes of the same facet(e.g., filtering by color or material), faceted navigation allows the simultaneous and cross-facet selection of multiple criteria (e.g., filtering by color and material). Faceted navigation therefore allows search results to be filtered much more precisely and flexibly. It is particularly important for the information phase of the digital customer journey.
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Faceted navigation using an example
Let's assume that a customer is looking for a new shirt and goes to the corresponding product category "Shirts" in the online shop . Once there, they can narrow down the product selection according to their individual requirements using the intelligent search function with faceted navigation.
Since the customer is only interested in sporty, short-sleeved shirts, he decides to select only the"T-shirts" subcategory. Products that do not match this selection, such as long-sleeved shirts, will no longer be displayed on the results page. As a male customer, he also excludes women's and children's fashion in order to only see men's T-shirts. The faceted search also offers him the option of narrowing down the product selection to specific brands. Due to his preference for the brands "adidas" and "BENCH," he also wants to see only T-shirts from these two suppliers. The customer is looking for a plain T-shirt and therefore only selects the colors white, gray, and black. Since he does not want to spend too much money on the new T-shirt, he finally sets the price range to a maximum of 30 euros.
With the help of faceted navigation and its various filter options, users can narrow down the product selection according to their individual requirements.
This example illustrates how easy it is to optimize product selection with faceted navigation. By using appropriate filter options, the category page in our example was reduced from 22,595 to 12 products, which should make selection much easier for the customer.
However, faceted navigation is not only an important tool on a category page, but also for on-site search . Many online shops have already integrated semantic search into their systems, which understands search queries, applies them directly to the product search, i.e., to the faceted navigation, and thus displays relevant products.
What are the advantages of faceted navigation?
One thing quickly becomes clear: faceted navigation allows you to guide customers quickly and conveniently to the product they want. But other features also make it a helpful tool in your online store:
- The interface of a faceted navigation system is usually self-explanatory for users and therefore easy to use.
- The user can also adjust their selection in real time, for example, if they are not satisfied with the results, i.e., add or remove attributes at any time.
- The faceted search does not bind the user to a predetermined sequence; instead, they are free to make their own selection. This also means that the customer does not necessarily have to narrow down one or more attributes in every available facet.
In summary, this means more satisfied customers and, as a result,more conversions for you as a shop operator!
But be careful...
User-friendliness is essential for the success of your faceted navigation! If the interface is not immediately understandable, in the worst case scenario, your customers may not use it at all or may be reluctant to use it. To counteract this, it is therefore advisable to structure and display your facets in a meaningful way. At the same time, you should make sure that the number of facets and attributes is not too large and that theydo not repeat themselves, so as not to overwhelm or confuse the user.
For more information on creating a professional faceted search and what you need to bear in mind, see our blog article Filtering search results in a targeted and flexible way: What you need to consider when creating your faceted search.
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Conclusion: Just a few clicks to find the product you want
"Looking for a needle in a haystack" – that's how searching in online shops with a large product range must feel for many users. Faceted navigation provides the desired remedy here! Various facets and their characteristics can be used to customize the results page to the needs of each individual customer. This not only ensures greater customer satisfaction, but also increases conversions in your online shop.
Discover how Gartenhaus increased the click-through rate on product overview pages by 4.23%:
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Etienne Roser
Working student in marketing Etienne gained experience in personalization as a working student in marketing. His responsibilities included content creation, e.g., for our blog or our social media channels. In addition to his work at Epoq, Etienne studied marketing/sales/media.