I Want To Dance

I’d like to teach you four simple words - so the next time you come to a show – you could sing those words back at me, like they’re the only ones you know…


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I want to dance

(Frank Turner, “Four Simple Words”)

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This song has been playing on repeat in my head for the last month but I’ve been changing the lyrics just slightly to “Eight Simple Words”… let me explain

I’ve been looking at a lot of data for our clients – and I couldn’t help but shake a trend emerging… there was a correlation between query length (# of words) and ecommerce conversion rate.  I’d see the pattern once… then twice… then three times.  I never actually aggregated it or analyzed it but finally I snapped and strapped on my analyst hat.  

… it was almost perfect.  People who embraced AI Generative Search in the way it was intended were converting in the eCommerce ecosystem more… and more… and more.

How perfect?  An r-squared of .9439 perfect.  So not quite perfect but pretty damn close.

It makes sense though right?  Someone who types in “Dress” vs “Red Dress” v “Long Red Dress” v “Long Red Dress to wear to a Premiere” --- they’re at different stages of their buying journey.

The problem?  Site Search has sucked at long queries for a loooooooong time.  We as users are almost conditioned to search like cavemen: “DRESS!” “SHOES!”.  Site search has turned us into monosyllabic simpletons.

AI Generative Search is changing that.  Chat GPT just told me that its average query length is 7-15 words and that people use more words than on old search engines.  

Will consumer behavior follow?  

Don’t you sort of want to ENCOURAGE your users to search like that?  

Are you PROMPTING your users to search like that?

Is your site ready for that?

Well, as an avid online shopper – I would only say one thing as it pertains to using longer queries to improve my customer experience:
I want to dance.

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