Onsite Search Optimization
Zurn
Zurn, a leading manufacturer in engineered water solutions, had a non-responsive and unwieldy online product catalog. We turned it into a seamless website experience that resulted in improved site performance and customer engagement.
The Challenge
Zurn was using an out-of-the-box search feature that came with their website platform. Given that search tools baseline features, users were receiving inaccurate search results and they had no filtering option to narrow down the options. In addition, there was no single area to conduct a search. For example, if a user needed information on a product, they would have to go to the “Product” tab or if they were looking for tools, they needed to go to the “Tools” tab. Zurn needed a search tool that allowed users to search the way it made most sense to them.
On top of all this, Zurn has a massive product catalog. Each product was attached to specification documents, related articles, and imagery. Development and UX would need to sift through a great deal of metadata to configure the search to the results.
Our Solution
UX Design and Development
Ascedia’s UX team and development teams worked together to build out a more granular yet streamlined search experience. Our UX designers had to get into a user’s mindset to design a search filtration system that was specific enough without being overwhelming.
As a result, we designed a nested filter tool on the left-hand side of the search page, where options would expand or minimize based on the criteria selected. On the back end, development needed to build out a search tool smart enough to pick up on contextual cues; if a user didn’t enter enough detail, the tool could auto-suggest keywords and serve the most relevant content.
Azure Search Recommendation
After interviews and collaboration with Zurn’s team, Ascedia recommended Microsoft Azure to replace their current search product. An open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform, Azure met the needs Zurn’s scale.
Results
Today, Zurn has an all-encompassing search tool where users could search for products, tools, or documentation from any starting point and in any language. They could search by SKU#, partial SKU#, or high-level keywords. Because we implemented within Zurn’s website platform, it had a native feel for administrators. They had the capacity to update or add new products and metadata independently. By providing a clear UX and development strategy, Zurn’s site is easy to follow and manage, and is flexible for future product and e-commerce needs.