(New York, NY - October 21, 2004) -- JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM), today announced the results of the recently released report titled, "Retail Site Search: Site Ranking and Best Practices", an analysis of the Web site search experience at leading retail Web sites. According to a proprietary framework developed by JupiterResearch, drugstore.com offers the best site search of the 42 online retail sites studied. Other top search implementations include 1800Flowers.com, CompUSA.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Sears.com. Each offers strong basic search elements and rose to the top of the JupiterResearch ranking based on their use of proactive merchandising features to help influence consumer decision-making.
Search is critically important to the profitability of an online retail site. A recent JupiterResearch consumer survey found that 45% of consumers know what item they will purchase when they get online to research a Web purchase. Therefore, retailers have a great opportunity to influence consumers while they are searching for products. But many online retailers are not following best practices. For example, just 55% of the top online retailers offer the ability to refine search results by brand, price and style, a search capability that consumers say they use more than any other. "Retailers must look beyond simply presenting a list of products in search to adding features that ease and enhance the shopping and discovery process," said Patti Freeman Evans, Retail Analyst, JupiterResearch.
The JupiterResearch site search evaluation framework, which is available to JupiterResearch clients as a tool they can download and use to rate their own search implementation, starts with the must-have features like ubiquitous access to search and relevant results that list customer-friendly product names and price. If retailers do nothing else, they can present products to customers via search in a simple, yet useful, listing. The framework also gives weight to the presence of enhanced navigation capabilities, such as faceted search or dynamically generated attributes that allow searchers to narrow the list of products via features that are important to them and makes the experience more efficient and personally relevant.
The complete findings of this report as well as the JupiterResearch site search evaluation framework that retailers can use to rank their own site's search functionality are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online. For more information on the report or the JupiterResearch Retail research service, please contact Kieran Kelly, Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service at 1-800-481-1212 or researchsales@jupitermedia.com.
About Jupitermedia Corporation
Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM), (www.jupitermedia.com), headquartered in Darien, CT, is a leading global provider of original information, images, research and events for information technology, business and creative professionals. JupiterWeb, the online division of Jupitermedia, operates four distinct online networks: internet.com and EarthWeb.com for IT and business professionals; DevX.com for developers; and ClickZ.com for interactive marketers. JupiterWeb properties include more than 150 Web sites and over 150 e-mail newsletters that are viewed by approximately 20 million users and generate approximately 300 million page views monthly. Jupitermedia also includes: JupiterImages, one of the leading images companies in the world with over 3.5 million images online serving creative professionals with products like Comstock Images, Thinkstock Images, Thinkstock Footage, Photos.com and Clipart.com; JupiterResearch, a leading international research advisory organization specializing in business and technology market research in 18 business areas and 14 vertical markets; and JupiterEvents, which produces offline conferences and trade shows focused on IT and business-specific topics, including Search Engine Strategies and Wi-Fi Planet.
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Contact:
Lisa DiGiacomo
Marketing and Public Relations Associate
203-662-2870
ldigiacomo@jupitermedia.com
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All current Jupitermedia Corporation press releases can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.jupitermedia.com/corporate/press.html.
