The Difference Between Product Recommendation Systems
by Jess Erdman, Content Marketing LeadNovember 2021
The best things in life take time. And, when it comes to product recommendation systems, taking an extra few minutes can make all the difference in showing your customers relevant, accurate product recommendations.
Each product recommendation system is different, based on the underlying technology that supports each. Unsurprisingly, product recommendation systems are becoming more and more accurate based on new technologies.
In this article, we’ll go over:
The YesPlz Product Recommendation System is built to understand your store’s products and make fashion-forward recommendations. You can learn more about how our Product Recommendation System works in this blog.
Let’s dive into product recommendation systems.
In the past, product recommendation systems were based on matching the texts of a product title to a recommended product. So, if your customer were to search for the word “boots,” they would see recommended products that are boots. Easy, right?
But, once we begin to introduce more complex search terms into the mix, it becomes proportionally more complicated. For example, if your customer were to search for the term “white boots,” they might receive a mix of recommended products--some which are white, and some which are boots.
Text-based search is limited to the quality of the keywords. The customer searching for a product needs to know which search terms to type in. And, on the other side, the eCommerce company needs to have a system that can recognize both keywords and search intent.
The complicated fashion taxonomy behind text-based search can limit the success of a product recommendation system. If your customer is searching for a white boot and receives recommended products that include a running sneaker, it’s unlikely that they will click through to an entirely different product.
Product recommendations should be within the same category and/or complementary to the search--for example, a winter jacket search might return winter accessories or other winter jackets in a similar style.
The sheer complexity of different product attributes (for example, a white boot description could include heel height, type, and material). Any combination of these text-based keywords could create a different set of product recommendations, depending on which keywords are selected.
Keyword-based product recommendations are unpredictable, especially as product searches become more complex.
And, from the point of view of the retailer, it’s overwhelming to create product descriptions. It’s hard to create a balance between product descriptions that are easy for a keyword-based search engine to understand--and to create product descriptions that are engaging and fun for customers to read. You shouldn’t have to make a trade-off that can affect customer engagement.
What’s the solution for a problem with serious consequences, such as customers not completing sales or bouncing from websites?.
Keyword-based search is burdensome for customers and retailers. Enter visual search.
No more vague contextual clues for a computer to likely misinterpret. No more strange product recommendations that include inaccurate sub-categories of the original search.
Visual search can completely change the course of product recommendation systems. Customers are more engaged and more loyal. Through visual search, customers can also experience online shopping that’s closer to in-store. All in all, visual search has countless advantages, especially when building a product recommendation system.
When setting up a product recommendation system, whether text-based or visual, the technology needs time to scan products to create the recommendations. Text-based search can take a few minutes to learn 100 products. Visual recognition can take up to 10 minutes to learn 100 products.
But, back to the original question:
The answer is obvious--the best things in life (and product recommendations) take a few minutes more to set-up.
When you first install the YesPlz Product Recommendation System on Shopify, you’ll be greeted with a screen to get started and connect your store. You also have the option to learn more about the YesPlz Product Recommendation System.
After you connect your store, our artificial intelligence will study your store’s products in order to make the best possible recommendations to your customers. By taking the time to truly learn your store’s products, our product recommendation system will be able to give quality recommendations that lead to higher click-through rates.
YesPlz secured $1.51 million in total seed funding and we are excited to announce the launch of the world’s first visual search filter that helps style online consumers through personalized AI technology. By selecting just a few design parts, the AI-powered filter makes it possible to instantly provide suggestions from thousands of clothing and footwear options.
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YesPlz is led by CEO and Co-founder Jiwon Hong and CTO, Sukjae Cho. Hong has spent her career building search and recommendation engines, and Cho brings experience as a former member of the Microsoft XBox team and ML engineer. The founding members have teamed up to leverage AI technology to create an ingenious and personal experience that brings the best of offline shopping, online.
\r\n“This launch has been a labor of love - of fashion and of user friendly technology,” shared Jiwon Hong, CEO and co-founder of YesPlz. “It’s a dream to finally launch the world's first AI based visual search filter that allows for an intuitive, fun and curated online shopping experience. No more endless scrolling down to see irrelevant clothing.” With this investment, we look forward to growing our team and scaling our production right away.”
\r\nKeeping up with constant updates to technology and fashion trends can be both expensive and difficult to execute. To address this challenge of the e-commerce industry, YesPlz has created a universal ‘fashion language’ relatable to any consumer, through their Style Filter. The unique search capabilities of the filter allow consumers to visually communicate their style preferences, guiding the YesPlz proprietary algorithm to deliver search results curated for that consumer. The filter empowers consumers to find a product they are looking for without having to be a fashion expert.
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“With the challenges of living in a Covid-19 world, online shopping has only increased,” shared Gyyoung Kim, EVP of KOLON Industries, Inc. FnC Organization, the leading global fashion company in Korea. “As an online retailer, creating the best virtual shopping experience you can is even more critical than it ever was. What YesPlz has created both empowers the consumer today and makes it personal with their innovative technology.”
\r\nBoston Consulting Group (BCG), reports that COVID-19 lockdowns have led to an uptick in first-time e-commerce shoppers. 14% of consumers in the United States and 17% of consumers in China bought fashion items online for the first time because of the pandemic.
\r\nWhile the Style Filter debuted with its first international client in Korea - Kolonmall.com - in September of this year, the company is planning additional client launches for this fall and the end of the year, in time for the busy holiday shopping season.
","published":1,"pub_date":1603756500,"publishedon":1603756500,"alias":"yesplz-raises-1.5mm-in-seed-funding","template":12,"resource_author":"33","resource_cta-text":null,"resource_cta-link":null,"resourcecta":null,"resource-ebook":null,"tags":"48","chips":null,"preview_picture":"/assets/images/yesplz-funding-blog.jpg","detail_picture":"/assets/images/funding-annmnt-blog-notext.jpg","subtitle":"by YesPlz"},{"id":59,"pagetitle":"YesPlz Product Recommendation System vs. Others","introtext":"Each product recommendation system is different, based on the underlying technology that supports each. In this article, we'll go over the history of product recommendation systems, how visual search affects product recommendations, and the YesPlz system.","content":"The best things in life take time. And, when it comes to product recommendation systems, taking an extra few minutes can make all the difference in showing your customers relevant, accurate product recommendations.
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Each product recommendation system is different, based on the underlying technology that supports each. Unsurprisingly, product recommendation systems are becoming more and more accurate based on new technologies.
\r\n\r\n
In this article, we’ll go over:
\r\n
The YesPlz Product Recommendation System is built to understand your store’s products and make fashion-forward recommendations. You can learn more about how our Product Recommendation System works in this blog.
Let’s dive into product recommendation systems.
\r\n
In the past, product recommendation systems were based on matching the texts of a product title to a recommended product. So, if your customer were to search for the word “boots,” they would see recommended products that are boots. Easy, right?
But, once we begin to introduce more complex search terms into the mix, it becomes proportionally more complicated. For example, if your customer were to search for the term “white boots,” they might receive a mix of recommended products--some which are white, and some which are boots.
\r\n
Text-based search is limited to the quality of the keywords. The customer searching for a product needs to know which search terms to type in. And, on the other side, the eCommerce company needs to have a system that can recognize both keywords and search intent.
\r\n\r\n
The complicated fashion taxonomy behind text-based search can limit the success of a product recommendation system. If your customer is searching for a white boot and receives recommended products that include a running sneaker, it’s unlikely that they will click through to an entirely different product.
\r\n\r\n
Product recommendations should be within the same category and/or complementary to the search--for example, a winter jacket search might return winter accessories or other winter jackets in a similar style.
\r\n\r\n
The sheer complexity of different product attributes (for example, a white boot description could include heel height, type, and material). Any combination of these text-based keywords could create a different set of product recommendations, depending on which keywords are selected.
\r\n\r\n
Keyword-based product recommendations are unpredictable, especially as product searches become more complex.
\r\n\r\n
And, from the point of view of the retailer, it’s overwhelming to create product descriptions. It’s hard to create a balance between product descriptions that are easy for a keyword-based search engine to understand--and to create product descriptions that are engaging and fun for customers to read. You shouldn’t have to make a trade-off that can affect customer engagement.
\r\n
What’s the solution for a problem with serious consequences, such as customers not completing sales or bouncing from websites?.
\r\n\r\n
\r\n
Keyword-based search is burdensome for customers and retailers. Enter visual search.
\r\n\r\n
No more vague contextual clues for a computer to likely misinterpret. No more strange product recommendations that include inaccurate sub-categories of the original search.
\r\n\r\n
Visual search can completely change the course of product recommendation systems. Customers are more engaged and more loyal. Through visual search, customers can also experience online shopping that’s closer to in-store. All in all, visual search has countless advantages, especially when building a product recommendation system.
\r\n\r\n
When setting up a product recommendation system, whether text-based or visual, the technology needs time to scan products to create the recommendations. Text-based search can take a few minutes to learn 100 products. Visual recognition can take up to 10 minutes to learn 100 products.
\r\n\r\n
But, back to the original question:
The answer is obvious--the best things in life (and product recommendations) take a few minutes more to set-up.
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When you first install the YesPlz Product Recommendation System on Shopify, you’ll be greeted with a screen to get started and connect your store. You also have the option to learn more about the YesPlz Product Recommendation System.
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After you connect your store, our artificial intelligence will study your store’s products in order to make the best possible recommendations to your customers. By taking the time to truly learn your store’s products, our product recommendation system will be able to give quality recommendations that lead to higher click-through rates.
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Your product data will be synced with YesPlz AI, and finally, you’ll decide where to display the recommendations and be able to customize the types of recommendations:
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The final recommendations displayed to customers will look like this:
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Relevant, fashion-forward product recommendations. A search for a brown, men’s dress shoe will give product recommendations that are within the same fashion category and style.
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As you can see, good things take time--and that includes product recommendation systems. While the YesPlz Product Recommendation System takes the time to study your products, the system can truly make the best possible recommendations for your customers.
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You can try the Product Recommendation System here--and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts!
","published":1,"pub_date":1635771600,"publishedon":1635771600,"alias":"yesplz-product-recommendation-system-vs.-others","template":12,"resource_author":"35","resource_cta-text":null,"resource_cta-link":null,"resourcecta":"[]","resource-ebook":"79","tags":"49","chips":null,"preview_picture":"/assets/images/yesplz-blog-cover-images-3.jpg","detail_picture":"/assets/images/yesplz-blog-cover-images-4.jpg","subtitle":"The Difference Between Product Recommendation Systems"},{"id":117,"pagetitle":"12 Product Filter Examples for Fashion Website","introtext":"Service planning is hard when you’re trying to integrate technology with service offerings. In this guide for fashion eCommerce, we go over step-by-step, how to plan fashion product filter powered by AI. You can also discover our product filter templates for fashion websites to help you along the way.","content":"Service planning is hard when you’re trying to integrate technology with service offerings. What do you offer? How do you know whether you’re planning too little or overplanning? And how do you even begin?
Fashion eCommerce stores know this dilemma all too well: you want to integrate new service offerings, and you know that there’s a lot of technology out there to help: but where do you begin?
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By taking the time to plan your service offerings, you’re setting up your eCommerce for success.
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Vertical Product Filter
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What technology should you integrate?
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Fashion artificial intelligence (AI) is artificial intelligence that understands the ins-and-outs of fashion. Fashion AI can understand fashion taxonomy, and even develop fashion taste that fits your customers. It can include search, recommendations, personalization–and can perform the same job as a helpful in-store sales associate.
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The number of ways to implement fashion AI are dizzying–and many fashion eCommerce stores are concerned about the implementation process. But, once you start to break down the steps to create an action plan, it’s not as overwhelming.
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Nearly every major retailer is using fashion AI in some form, from predictive analytics to search. Utilizing fashion AI will help your brand keep up with the competitive industry landscape, and stay ahead of competitors.
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You can learn more about all of the benefits of fashion AI in our Complete Guide to Fashion AI.
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By following the below checklist, you can make sure that fashion AI planning and integration is seamless, and aligned with your eCommerce’s goals.
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If you’d like more in-depth advice on creating a service plan, contact us for a free 20-minute consultation where we can go into more details.
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Step 1: Define service scenario.
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Forget all of the different types of technology, and the question of whether technology can help or not. First, define the service scenario. But, how? We recommend identifying either a pain point or an experience that has the potential to delight your customers. Perhaps you find that customers are struggling to complete their purchases after repeated search attempts. Or, customers simply aren’t engaging with product recommendations. You’ve identified your pain point.
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Alternatively, some eCommerce stores want to go above and beyond their competitors–by creating experiences that not only solve problems, but delight and bring joy to customers. In this case, you can brainstorm different scenarios.
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Some examples could include:
-a style quiz
-a personal wardrobe
-daily style curation over email
The opportunities are sky-high for those eCommerce brands willing to look into the future.
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Step 2: Make the logic in order to implement the service.
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Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic wand you can wave to translate the service into some form that your website can understand. But, there is good news: it’s not as difficult as it seems.
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Simply set a rule for your service. Let’s say you’re planning to integrate recommendations into a product page. You can set a rule to show recommendations from the most popular brands first. Or most-clicked products. Or visually similar products. You can set the rule yourself.
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Tip: The more attribute data you have, the more services you can create. For example, you can use fashion AI to pull only “floral print” tops or “spring vibe” skirts that match the tops, and display the collection under the spring banner “Our spring collection.” Fashion AI makes this easy.
\r\nStep 3: Test with users.
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Without a test run with users, you won’t know how the service is helping or delighting your customers. By testing and measuring, you can know the actions that users take. Are your customers clicking more products? Placing more items in a shopping cart? End up purchasing more items overall?
\r\nStep 4: Refine usability and polish design.
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After testing, you’ll likely receive feedback that will cause you to go back and refine the service design. Don’t worry–it’s completely normal (and troubling if you don’t have any feedback to implement). This will get you closer to the service implementation that your customers want.
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Step 5: Continuous reiteration
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Part of the design process includes continuous reiteration–because nothing is ever perfect. There’s always room for improvement, and by implementing a mindset of continuous reiteration, you can continue to stay on top of the latest trends and keep customers satisfied.
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Do you have an idea to improve your fashion eCommerce, but lack the engineering resources to implement it? At YesPlz AI, our fashion AI can power your ideas. We have multiple templates for you to choose from that are powered by fashion AI.
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Tips and tricks for personalizing your eCommerce
Why personalization is the key to eCommerce success this holiday season
Common mistakes made by eCommerce companies
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Save time, but don’t sacrifice on quality with pre-built, customizable templates from our library. We have templates for fashion search, product recommendations, and mobile filters. In addition, each template category design is customizable, so you can install the template that works best for you–including the design that suits your website.
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Our templates are more than aesthetically pleasing–they’re also powered by real, trained fashion AI. We’ve spent years training our fashion AI to understand the ins-and-outs of fashion, from product attributes to product recommendations, resulting in templates that are powered by technology.
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When templates are well-built and well-designed, they offer a seamless way to integrate a new service offering into your online store. At YesPlz, our templates are comprehensive–and customizable, so you’re not stuck integrating a template that doesn’t fit your business needs.
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Fashion search: Our Style Filter makes search navigation easy by using a virtual mannequin to narrow down search results and filter by product attributes/occasion
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Product recommendations: Whether your customers want similar products or to complete their look, our product recommendations can find what they’re looking for
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Personalization engine: An engine that learns shopper preferences, tastes, and behaviors, and creates curated collections for them
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Image tagging: Our technology can quickly and accurately tag product attributes from images, setting up your eCommerce to implement powerful personalization tools
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We compiled fashion search templates after years of interviews with users about their preferences and search behavior. All of our templates are powered by fashion AI, eliminating the need for manual tagging. Here's a sample of our templates (you can download the full template eBook below).
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Side Filter
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Hybrid Filter
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Different Look
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Curious to see mobile and more design template ideas and use cases for your website?
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Download our free template ideas:
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Tips and tricks for personalizing your eCommerce
Why personalization is the key to eCommerce success this holiday season
Common mistakes made by eCommerce companies
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Tip: You can always plug in our fashion AI to make the template come to life without the burden of manual tagging.
","published":1,"pub_date":1651579380,"publishedon":1651579380,"alias":"how-to-plan-a-new-service-using-a.i","template":12,"resource_author":"33","resource_cta-text":null,"resource_cta-link":null,"resourcecta":"{\"fieldValue\":[{\"resource-cta_text\":\"Schedule a free 20-minute consultation\",\"resource-cta_link\":\"www.yesplz.ai/contact\"}],\"fieldSettings\":{\"autoincrement\":1}}","resource-ebook":"120","tags":"48||49","chips":null,"preview_picture":"/assets/images/12-1-22_1.jpg","detail_picture":"/assets/images/12-1-22_2.jpg","subtitle":"A YesPlz Guide"},{"id":128,"pagetitle":"Battle of eCommerce Search Filters: UO vs. In the Style","introtext":"Ecommerce search filters affects not only how customers find products, but the overall experience. In the first of our product filtering battle series, we put Urban Outfitters and In the Style to the test based on YesPlz filtering criteria.","content":"\r\n
Ecommerce search filters impact not only how your customers find products, but the overall user experience. Despite the thousands of search solutions available, only 16% of eCommerce websites provide a “positive” filtering experience.
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How can the majority of fashion eCommerce companies improve the fashion search experience? We created the answer in YesPlz’s Product Filter Evaluation Checklist–a guide for fashion eCommerce when evaluating their own product filtering.
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Today, we’re going to apply the product filter checklist to two filters: Urban Outfitters (UO) and In the Style, and based on YesPlz criteria, determine which filter is stronger.
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Tips and tricks for personalizing your eCommerce
Why personalization is the key to eCommerce success this holiday season
Common mistakes made by eCommerce companies
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Based on our own research and user research from The Good, we’ve determined the following criteria for product filter & search:
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The subtle differences in fashion language can cause users to become confused, overwhelmed, and simply miss out on your products because of a lack of understanding.
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Ideally, you should look to your customers for cues on language to describe products–if your customers aren’t using the term “cap sleeves” to describe a sleeve type, then you shouldn’t either.
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Using consistent, easy-to-understand language in eCommerce search filters helps guide users to the products they’re looking for while continuing to discover your product catalog.
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Our research shows that users have an “open search mindset”--they want to search within broader categories, but still have a checklist in mind for fit and silhouette.
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For example, “statement dresses for work that hide my arms” is how users actually think about search–but users are limited by burdensome, unhelpful product filter & search. By offering thematic filters, users can quickly navigate to the occasion they want, and continue to explore.
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Unfortunately, manually creating thematic filters can cause inaccurate search results and waste hours of time, due to human error and subjectivity. Even the most sophisticated fashion experts may define a “work dress” differently from each other.
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Fortunately, fashion AI can learn to correctly tag based on theme, removing human error.
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Even the most open-minded shopper wants to filter by specific product specifications like price and size.
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Product type and material are the second most asked-about specifications. And finally, an ideal product filter & search solution will also include product filtering by style, such as neckline, sleeve length, and silhouette.
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Product specifications should be organized in a way that makes sense to the browsing experience (and not include long lists of text filters).
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Product specification-rich filters will be meaningless unless users can easily make changes like adding or removing them. An ideal eCommerce search filter navigation experience will include:
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Users are more sophisticated now than ever, and the standard for product filter and search has risen in the past 2 years. Users expect to have a superior mobile search experience, optimized specifically for small screens. And, shoppers are unwilling to read heavy text filters on mobile–meaning that visual cues are becoming more common to guide users.
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Faceted product filtering is also becoming more common, allowing users to filter based on multiple selections (for example, color and sleeve type). This requires more advanced data management on the part of the retailer, as certain product specifications will be excluded depending on the search results. However, faceted product filtering is a more seamless way for users to search for clothing.
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Based on the above criteria, we’re comparing the product filter & search at Urban Outfitters and In the Style, two retailers with large product catalogs.
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We’ll rate each retailer for each of the 5 YesPlz eCommerce search filter checklist items, with a maximum score of 5 out of 5.
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Winner: It's a tie!
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Urban Outfitters: 👠👠👠(3/5)
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In the Style: 👠👠👠(3/5)
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Urban Outfitters’ language is (mainly) easy for shoppers to understand, with universal terms like “halter” and “square neck” to describe necklines.
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In the Style, on the other hand, didn’t include the naming of style product attributes. Even when product specifications like size are named, they’re difficult to understand. The naming conventions for size at In the Style are inconsistent, bouncing from numbers to years, making it difficult to understand what the product specifications are referring to.
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However, In the Style explains each type of filter selection (like “Bardot Dresses”) with a text explanation, which we think adds value for the user.
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Room for Improvement:
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There is language that could be improved in Urban Outfitter product filtering, such as “mock neck.” Other language on the website included terms that could be difficult to decipher, like “babydoll” tops. Alternatively, we like that Urban Outfitters is actively thinking about fashion jargon–by placing “mock neck” in the same category as “turtleneck,” the user can infer that a “mockneck” is similar to a “turtleneck.”
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In the Style chose to explain eCommerce search filter terms using sentences, which becomes very text-heavy for users that are browsing and looking for a visual experience.
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Winner: In the Style
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Urban Outfitters: 👠👠(2/5)
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In the Style: 👠👠👠(3.5/5)
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Urban Outfitters chose to curate their thematic filters to include “festival outfits” and “sun shop”--but we’d love to see more thematic filters that fit the mood and vibe. Users can also find thematic filters under each product category (for example, choosing a “casual” or “going out dress” after selecting “dresses”). Oveall, there simply weren’t enough thematic filters offered–and the filter categories were subjective with inaccurate search results.
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In the Style offers thematic filters as well, ranging from “graduation dresses” to “occasion dresses.” Although the categories were sometimes difficult to decipher, there was a richer offering than Urban Outfitters–for example, we saw “Wedding Guest Dresses” included alongside “Daytime Dresses”; “Summer Dresses”; and “Graduation Dresses”--all very unique and relevant occasion/themes.
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Room for Improvement:
\r\nSimply offering thematic eCommerce search filters isn’t enough.
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One of the biggest problems with thematic filters is inaccurate search results, often stemming from problems with fashion tagging. Shoppers not only expect to see thematic filters, but accurate search results under their selections. This becomes more difficult to achieve in thematic filters, because of the subjectivity of humans when tagging manually.
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Urban Outfitters chose to curate their thematic filters to include “festival outfits” and “sun shop”--but we’d love to see more thematic filters that fit the mood and vibe. Users can also find thematic filters under each product category (for example, choosing a “casual” or “going out dress” after selecting “dresses”). Overall, there simply weren’t enough thematic filters offered–and the filter categories were subjective with inaccurate search results.
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After selecting “party” dresses at both retailers, we were met with mixed results, ranging from patterned orange to floral dresses. Urban Outfitters search results also showed pants, clearly in the wrong product category.
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Perhaps it is our own bias, but we would expect to see a mix of sequins and black dresses under “party and going out dresses.”
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Eliminating subjectivity in thematic filters is key–and fashion AI plays an important role in creating accurate, consistent occasion filters.
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Winner: Urban Outfitters
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Urban Outfitters: 👠👠👠(3/5)
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In the Style: 👠(1/5)
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Key product specifications like price, size, color, pattern, and material should be included in filters, as well as style attributes like neckline, sleeve type, and fit. Urban Outfitters does a good, if not inconsistent job, of providing this information–users can easily filter by neckline or sleeve type.
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In the Style, however, does not include filters for style attributes, making the search experience frustrating for users with specific style preferences.
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Room for Improvement:
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While we love that Urban Outfitters is starting to include material, not all of the products are being captured by the eCommerce search filters (likely a problem due to fashion tagging). For example, there are 540 dresses listed, but only 37 materials tagged. This means that shoppers are missing out on products.
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Winner: Urban Outfitters
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Urban Outfitters: 👠👠👠👠(4/5)
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In the Style: 👠👠(2.5 /5)
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We found Urban Outfitters filters to check all of the boxes: truncated filters, easy to add and remove filters, and filters like price and size that were strategically located at the top.
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On the other hand, In the Style filters had categories with only one selection, and seemed to be a long list of attributes without thinking about usability. In the Style filters were straightforward and showed the number of matching products for each search parameter, which is helpful for users. However, we wish that the filters included color chips and labels to make them more readable and easier to navigate.
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Poorly planned information hierarchy leads to dead-end searches, and frustrated shoppers, making the overall experience overwhelming.
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We also recommend never showing users a zero-search results page. Users are likely to bounce after seeing the message below:
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Room for Improvement:
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We also recommend skipping broad curation categories like “new arrivals” as they’re not impactful, especially for retailers with thousands of products. We’d also like to see less text, and more visual cues from both retailers.
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Winner: Urban Outfitters
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Urban Outfitters: 👠👠👠(3/5)
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In the Style: 👠👠(2/5)
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Faceted Filters: When searching for a “blue, long-sleeve dress,” a user isn’t looking for either a blue dress or a long-sleeve dress; she wants to see the combination of the two. Through faceted filters, users can quickly navigate through product specifications to create their ideal combinations. However, retailers should beware of leading users to dead-ends as they continue to filter.
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Urban Outfitters has strong faceted filters, allowing users to seamlessly shop their preferences. In the Style, on the other hand, does not offer faceted filters, which does not mirror the way that users naturally search. In the Style includes basic filtering options with limited advanced options in top navigation–and while their filters “get the job done,” they could be more advanced.
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Mobile UX: We liked that Urban Outffiter’s mobile filters allowed us to select and unselect items, and were generally easy to navigate. However, we would prefer that mobile filters don’t take up the full screen, because that requires users to toggle back and forth between selections, making it more likely that they’ll bounce.
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In Urban Outfitters, users have a horizontal filter option to select “product category,” but all of the other filter categories require users to click to a vertical filter.
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In the Style has all filter options in a vertical filter that takes up the entire page, and is difficult to navigate because it isn’t truncated. It seemed like the experience was not especially designed for mobile.
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Room for Improvement:
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On smaller screens, space is key–and taking up too much space with text can lead users to miss important information. By incorporating visual cues, which naturally align with the mobile experience, retailers can play on the strengths of mobile (capturing user attention in a highly visual platform) and keep users engaged.
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The Final Scorecard:
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