Experiments that improve search results in retail

One experiment that turned dead ends into conversions and proved that fixing what breaks quietly can have a very loud revenue impact.

• WHO: E-commerce & CRO teams
• INDUSTRY: Retail
• IMPACTED PAGES: Search results page, Product Listing Pages

Experiment 1: Redirecting zero-result searches to relevant recommendations

Hypothesis: When customers see no search results, they often leave or disengage. Redirecting these queries to a machine matching system can surface relevant alternatives, keeping users engaged and encouraging further interaction.

Image source: Optimizely

Results:

Takeaways:

1. Turning zero results into conversions: redirecting failed searches to relevant product recommendations significantly reduced drop-off and improved engagement, with a +2.11% increase in CTR and +2.74% revenue uplift.
2. Improved customer experience drives revenue: by eliminating dead-ends in the user journey and offering helpful alternatives, the experiment delivered an annualized NMV gain of $3.68M, proving that small UX improvements can have major commercial impact.

A dead-end search result is a fixable problem

When search returns nothing, most visitors leave. That exit is a signal most teams never act on. The Experimentation Ideation Agent surfaces test ideas for zero-result handling, recommendation logic, and query redirects. The kind of fixes that are invisible when they work and expensive when they do not.

Fix the dead end. Then see what it looks like when every signal across your experience gets the same treatment.

See experience optimization in motion