As a part of our Companion Weblog Highlight sequence, I not too long ago sat down with John Murcott, EVP of Merchandise and Technique at HawkSearch, to speak about one of the crucial neglected progress engines in B2B eCommerce: search.
When most distributors take into consideration eCommerce technique, the main focus usually goes to product content material, web site design, or ERP integrations. However as John jogged my memory, “Search is the place purchaser intent meets the net expertise. If a buyer can’t discover what they want in seconds, the sale is already misplaced.”
That hit dwelling for me as a result of the info backs it up: in response to Nosto, 69% of patrons will abandon a web site if search fails to return related outcomes throughout the first few queries.
From Key phrases to Conversations
One of many greatest shifts John and I mentioned is how patrons’ expectations have modified. They’re not happy with fundamental key phrase search that requires actual phrases or half numbers. As an alternative, they need search to behave like an “reply engine” that permits you to have conversations with it, together with utilizing jargon, business phrases, synonyms, technical attributes, and even pure language questions.
As John put it, “Patrons aren’t enthusiastic about how your system is configured. They simply wish to kind in what they know, whether or not that’s a product nickname, a producer’s half quantity, or perhaps a drawback assertion and get the suitable outcome instantly.”
With AI, we now have the flexibility to take belongings like guarantee guides, set up sheets, and spec paperwork and make them searchable and actionable. Meaning no extra digging via static PDFs—simply direct, related solutions when clients want them.
What Distributors Ought to Contemplate
After I requested John what distributors needs to be enthusiastic about as they consider their search methods, he highlighted three key areas:
- Relevancy – Search should persistently return the suitable product the primary time.
- Velocity – Patrons anticipate outcomes immediately, particularly when inserting repeat or pressing orders.
- Intelligence – Search ought to get smarter over time, studying from clicks, purchases, and deserted queries.
I cherished how John summed it up: “Search needs to be a residing system, one which grows smarter every single day you employ it. It’s not nearly discovering a SKU; it’s about understanding purchaser intent and context.”
That’s precisely why Unilog partnered with HawkSearch—to make these capabilities accessible for distributors of all sizes, not simply the biggest enterprises.
Turning Search Into Development
Search is not only a back-end characteristic; it drives progress by rising conversion, engagement and buyer satisfaction. Distributors who prioritize fashionable search capabilities are seeing double-digit will increase in conversions and better common order values. Extra importantly, they’re creating frictionless shopping for experiences that strengthen loyalty.
For me, that is the guts of it: in B2B, search isn’t nearly finishing a transaction. It’s about decreasing friction throughout the complete buyer journey. When patrons really feel supported, they hold coming again.
My key takeaway: Search is not only a characteristic; it’s a progress engine. With the Unilog Platform and our partnership with HawkSearch, distributors can ship smarter, extra intuitive search experiences that flip each question into a possibility.
Able to see smarter search in motion?
Be part of us for our upcoming webinar: “Boosting B2B eCommerce with AI-Pushed Search & Suggestions.”
Along with HawkSearch, we’ll discover how AI-driven product discovery can rework the client expertise and drive actual progress for distributors.
Date: October 14th, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM EST
You’ll study:
- Why Unilog partnered with HawkSearch
- How AI delivers extra related outcomes and suggestions
- A stay demo of HawkSearch built-in with CX1 CIMM2
- Plus, a Q&A session with our specialists
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