Search Term Associations

Search term associations suggest additional, different, or replacement products in search results. They can also link search terms to a selected landing page in the store. Search term associations are used as a product recommendation strategy to increase store sales when customers search for products, as the search submission is modified to increase or target search results.

What are some examples of search term associations?

Here are some examples of search term association activities that Product and Catalog Managers can create using the Catalog tool:

• If a shopper searches the store for a laptop, you can define synonyms to include similar products in the search, such as notebook, netbook, or computer, to potentially increase the amount of search results that are returned. In this example, the search results include those for laptop, plus the search results for the notebook, netbook, or computer synonyms. This is helpful, for example, if your store sells many types of laptop computers.
• If a shopper searches the store for a laptop, you can define replacement terms such as computer or desktop to modify the potential search results. In this example, the search results include the search results for the computer or desktop search terms, while optionally ignoring the original laptop search term. This is helpful, for example, if your store does not sell laptop computers, but does sell desktop computers.
• If a shopper searches for a laptop, you can define the resulting landing page as a custom store page, showcasing a particular brand's laptop computers or other related products. Landing pages can also be used to promote certain activities in the store. For example, if a shopper searches the store for wish list, you can define the resulting landing page as the My Account: Personal Wish List page.

What are the benefits of search term associations?

WebSphere Commerce search, which includes support for search term associations, provides the following key business benefits:

• Integrated search management tooling for business users in the Management Center, allowing business users to leverage site search behavior and other Precision Marketing triggers to offer product recommendations and promotions.
• Use as a product recommendation strategy to increase store sales.

Which user roles use search term associations?

WebSphere Commerce search capabilities are easily leveraged by the following user roles:

• Marketing Managers who want to define business rules to support various search functionality and influence search results for product merchandising to increase conversion rates.
• Catalog and Product Managers who want to proactively influence search results and integrate search with merchandising and marketing.

 Demo

Infocenter Link : http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wchelp/v7r0m0/topic/com.ibm.commerce.admin.doc/concepts/cwnsearchtermassoc.htm