We surveyed 1,245 builders of search experiences across a range of roles and industries to learn how their teams work together. We then analyzed this information to create our report, How Search Teams Work: Building Exceptional Search Experiences.
The report reveals insights on the business challenges faced by search teams. It examines their priorities, technologies, and collaborations between the roles that work together to create outstanding search and discovery experiences.
An inside look at the roles that build great search
In this eBook, we assembled some postcard views that provide a snapshot of the concerns, challenges, and soft skills that are most important for each individual role found on a search building team. For greater insights into search building teams, read the full report.
Role:
Executive Buyer
TOP CONCERNS
Customer experience, revenue growth, cost containment
TOP CHALLENGES
Technology gaps, budget shortfalls, market pressure
On search solutions, EXECUTIVE BUYERS...
- Value END-USER EXPERIENCE
- Base decisions on PRICE
- Prefer to BUY
How do EXECUTIVE BUYERS learn about search?
- 67% Online searches
- 62% Social Media
- 55% Product reviews
How do EXECUTIVE BUYERS prefer to learn new technology?
- 26% Experimenting directly
- 22% Video tutorials
What soft skills do EXECUTIVE BUYERS value most?
- 83% Problem solving
- 79% Teamwork
- 79% Leadership
What KPIs do EXECUTIVE BUYERS value most in search solution?
- 81% Customer Experience
- 79% Revenue
- 78% Cost containment
“Customer experience is my priority for search.”
Role: Developer
TOP CONCERNS
Lack of budget, lack of resources, executive buy-in
TOP CHALLENGES
Automating tasks, technology integration, data quality
On search solutions, DEVELOPERS...
- Value productivity, customer experiences, and innovation
- Prioritize based on site performance measures (uptime, latency, etc) and user behavior (traffic, return rate, click rate)
- Are split between BUY and BUILD
How do DEVELOPERS learn about search?
- 78% Online searches
- 64% Forums
- 59% Social media
How do DEVELOPERS prefer to learn new technology?
- 31% Experimenting directly
- 19% Documentation
- 18% Video tutorials
What soft skills do DEVELOPERS value most?
- 89% Problem solving
- 82% Teamwork
- 72% Communication
What KPIs do DEVELOPERS value most in a
search solution?
- 51% Productivity improvement
- 51% Process improvement
- 49% Customer experience
- 48% Innovation
“Our approach is to plan ahead and deploy slowly.”
Role: Product Manager
TOP CONCERNS
Performant search that delivers key KPIs, getting developer support, executive buy-in
TOP CHALLENGES
Increasingly complex technology, too many tools, lack of dedicated developer support
On search solutions, PRODUCT MANAGERS...
- Value SEARCH THAT MEETS USER EXPECTATIONS
- Prioritize based on USER NEEDS and CRITICAL KPIs
- Want MORE TECHNICAL SUPPORT – from both developers and easy-to-use low-code tools
How do Product Managers learn about search?
- 67% Online searches
- 39% Forums
- 33% Social media
How do Product Managers prefer to learn new technology?
- 22% Experimenting directly
- 22% Interactive demos
What soft skills do PRODUCT MANAGERS value most?
- 89% Communication
- 83% Empathy
- 78% Teamwork
- 78% Problem solving
What KPIs do PRODUCT MANAGERS value most for search?
- 87% Average order value
- 86% Conversion rate
- 84% Clickthrough rate
“My focus is to get other search stakeholders thinking strategically.”
Role: Marketer
TOP CONCERNS
Understanding user intent, crafting an outstanding user-focused search experience, adapting to change
TOP CHALLENGES
Lack of developer support, technical understanding, expertise, and increasingly complex technology
On search solutions, marketers...
- Use SOFT SKILLS to collaborate
- Are motivated by SALES METRICS
- Want NO-CODE and LOW-CODE tools plus DEVELOPER SUPPORT
How do marketers learn about search?
- 67% Online searches
- 66% Social Media
- 58% Product reviews
How do marketers prefer to learn new technology?
- 24% Video tutorials
- 18% Experimenting directly
- 17% Structured online courses
What soft skills do marketers value most?
- 77% Teamwork
- 74% Problem solving
- 71% Communication
What KPIs do marketers value most for search?
- 65% Conversion rate
- 64% Customer retention rate
- 61% Repeat purchase rate
“The right tools let me craft effective search solutions without knowing how to code.”
Role: Merchandiser
TOP CONCERNS
Responding to customer needs, creating unique shopping experiences, keeping users browsing
TOP CHALLENGES
Keeping pace with the market, software integration, knowing what customers want
On search solutions, MERCHANDIsERS...
- Use soft skills like EMPATHY to understand users
- Are motivated by TRAFFIC and CUSTOMER RETENTION
- Want to build DIGITAL WINDOW SHOPPING EXPERIENCES
How do MERCHANDIsERS learn about search?
- 58% Online searches
- 54% Social media
- 46% Product reviews
How do MERCHANDIsERS prefer to learn new technology?
- 26% Video tutorials
- 23% Experimenting directly
- 22% Hands-on workshop
What soft skills do MERCHANDIsERS value most?
- 77% Teamwork
- 76% Problem solving
- 75% Communication
What KPIs do MERCHANDIsERS value most for search?
- 63% Traffic
- 59% Customer retention rate
- 59% Average order value
“I build structured serendipity.”
Download your free copy of the full report
We asked 1,200+ global experts working on search teams on how they operate, collaborate and prioritize to create world-class search and discovery experiences.
Learn more on what teams value when it comes to decision-making, designing functionality, developing skills and incorporating emerging technologies like AI and ML to the benefit of their businesses and customers.
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