Website search can be frustrating for both customers and businesses.

Website search has long lagged in digital experiences, frustrating customers and costing companies revenue. Even though personalization and AI have revolutionized other parts of the customer journey, search functions still often rely on outdated, manual systems. However, a new wave of AI-powered solutions is changing this—offering real-time relevance, automation, and omnichannel integration. The transition is already underway and is happening faster than many in retail and e-commerce expect.  

Customers often struggle to find relevant products, services, or content on many websites. Traditional search platforms rely on outdated methods that require significant manual work from companies. Spell corrections, synonyms, and search rules need manual adjustments, leading to high maintenance costs. Even features like autofill and automatic spell-check often work inconsistently, frustrating users and leading to lost sales opportunities.

New players are emerging in the market

A new wave of search solutions is on the rise, often from the Martech sector, including vendors of CDP systems, personalization engines, and AI-driven tools. These new players focus on automation and AI to eliminate the manual work required by traditional search platforms. Instead of relying on human input for spell corrections and synonyms, they use machine learning models to optimize search performance in real-time. 

One of the biggest benefits of these new players is personalization. They can tailor search results based on click data and web activity, as well as CRM data such as in-store purchases—ensuring customers see the most relevant results. Additionally, these solutions integrate seamlessly into omnichannel personalization strategies, enabling companies to deliver a unified and consistent experience across multiple touchpoints. This builds on search tools that are fully integrated with customer data platforms or marketing tools. 

The problem with traditional website search

For many years, traditional platforms have dominated website search by offering companies highly customizable search features. However, these solutions require extensive manual work. Companies must constantly adjust spelling corrections, add new synonyms, and define complex search rules. This continuous effort to provide relevant search results demands extensive resources—something many organizations lack. 

Moreover, traditional search platforms lack the ability to integrate with other Martech tools. They operate in isolation, without leveraging customer data for personalization or analytics. The result is a static and often frustrating user experience, where search results do not meet user needs. 

The revolution in website search

New players are now entering the market with AI-driven capabilities that transform website search into an automated, personalized, and cross-channel experience: 

• AI-powered chat-based searches – Tools like Dynamic Yield and Insider allow customers to chat with an AI bot to find the right products, enhancing both accuracy and engagement.

• Personalized search results – Search engines now adapt to customer preferences, purchase history, and behavior in real-time, ensuring the most relevant results appear first.

• Omnichannel personalization – Search results can now include discounts, recommendations, and interactions from multiple channels, creating a seamless shopping experience.

• Automated search optimization – AI-driven platforms handle spelling corrections, synonyms, and other optimizations automatically, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.

The new players shaping the future of search

Several new players are leading the development of a new type of website search:

• Insider – Combines automation, personalization, omnichannel features, and AI-powered chat searches as well as a sales assistant based on large language models (LLM).

• Bloomreach – Focuses on automation, personalization, and cross-channel search experiences.

• Dynamic Yield – Offers AI-driven chat searches, particularly aimed at industries like fashion and furniture.

Why it's time to act now 

The new generation of search platforms offers significantly better functionality than traditional solutions. More importantly, since the market is still in flux, many of these new players prioritize growth over profitability. This means companies can implement next-generation search platforms at a reasonable cost today—gaining a competitive edge before these solutions become standard and prices rise.

For companies looking to enhance their digital customer experience, this is a golden opportunity to transition to AI-powered search solutions that deliver higher engagement, better conversion, and a smoother user experience.