Chemist Direct conversion rates soar with search technology
By Retail Technology | Monday August 4 2014
The online pharmacy store has reported that customers using its new site search function have 175% higher conversion rates
UK online healthcare and pharmacy Chemist Direct has reported that customers the search box on its newly relaunched website are turning out to be the most valuable.
Since the upgrade, handled by e-commerce provider SLI Systems, the retailer has noted that customers on the site generate 43% of the total value of the site, with a 175% higher conversion rate than those who don’t use search.
Putting 'search' to the fore
Making the search function more of a feature in its redesign means that customers on the Chemist Direct site that use search now have a bounce rate that is one tenth lower than those that don’t use search.
Speaking on the success of search on the site, Chemist Direct chief information Stephen Lovell said: “With an online catalogue of over 20,000 products and processing between 70,000 and 80,000 transactions each month, putting the right products in front of customers as quickly as possible is critical. The only way to do it well is using intelligent search.”
New website in 2014
The aim of Chemist Direct’s online revamp in January 2014 was to put the right products in front of the right customers as quickly as possible. Chemist Direct said it saw an immediate sales impact with conversion rates improving dramatically, by 175%, and search customers’ average order values increasing by 196%.
Chemist Direct deployed SLI Systems’ search box offerings, Learning Search and Rich Auto Complete. SLI Learning Search is an advanced site search solution, based on patented technology that learns from visitors’ site search activity and click-throughs, to deliver the most relevant results.
The technology also brings non-product information, such as user ratings, reviews, social content, blogs and videos, into search, to deliver a user experience that compels shoppers to buy.
Since launching in 2007, Chemist Direct has established itself as a leaking UK online pure play pharmacy business. It offers an online catalogue from prescription medicines to fragrance, toiletries and pet food.
