Summary:
Seasalt’s online presence has expanded dramatically in recent years, but site search suffered from poor visibility and an uninviting prompt. Working with ecommerce solution provider Klevu, the company methodically tested different search bar variants over several months, measuring for usability, clicks and purchases. After the tests, new search bars were released that were prominent but did not overwhelm the surrounding content, boosting sessions with site search 9% on desktop and 42% on mobile, while revenue from site search rose 16% on desktop and 47% on mobile.
Objectives and aims:
British clothing brand Seasalt was formed in 1981 and now has over 70 shops. The Cornish company, which sells maritime-inspired clothing, had begun substantially expanding its online presence during the COVID pandemic with the help of the ecommerce solutions offered by Finnish agency Klevu.
As the importance of ecommerce to the company grew, Seasalt identified site search as a crucial area for improvement, as it suffered from poor visibility and an uninviting prompt on both mobile and desktop sites. As a result, it was underused, making it harder for customers to view Seasalt’s full range of products, and affecting revenue. Seasalt elected to undertake a methodical approach to A/B testing, with multiple variants and designs tested over several months.
Implementation, execution and tactics:
The improvements to site search began with research of industry best practices and competitor sites. Seasalt and Klevu recognised that UX was vital, and that there was no one-size-fits-all solution: what works for one brand may not work for another. Multiple search bar variants were designed and implemented on a testing platform, with success measured through specific goals, including the number of clicks and purchases. The team started off with desktop A/B testing before following this with more complex mobile tests.
On desktop, to improve visibility and make site search more appealing, approaches included increasing the size and varying the position of the search bar, as well as using contrasting colours to highlight it. The testing of these variants between April and May 2022 led to a 5.5% increase in overall usage of site search. One variant outperformed the others, with its good location, visibility and contrast resulting in increased clicks. The search bar now stretches across the top of each webpage, above the category links, with a grey background and a straightforward “Search for products…” call to action (CTA).
Interestingly, this winner wasn’t the variant that was expected to win, demonstrating that an informed decision, reached by defining clear goals and monitoring metrics, can defy assumptions and deliver unexpected results.
While the winning design was developed, a new campaign was built in analysis tool Insider with the winning variant at 99%. It ran until the new search campaign was released in September 2022.
On mobile, the search icon is often hidden among other icons in the header bar, making it difficult for customers to find and use quickly. The team tested various designs, including changing the placement of the search icon and using a search bar with a white or grey background. Usability was also key: Seasalt did not want to annoy users with a search bar that disrupted their browsing experience.
Tests were carried out over 27 days and revealed that all variants with the search bar pinned open resulted in in a clear uplift, with a 27% increase in search usage on mobile. However, there was no clear winner between the variants. The campaign was continued with the control group turned off, and the two variants that performed best were then tested further. The variation that provided the best user experience and brand value was then implemented on the site.
Results:
Since the release of new search bars:
- desktop sessions with search increased 9% YOY, with revenue from these sessions rising 16%
- mobile sessions with searched increased 42% YOY, with revenue from these sessions rising 47%