There aren't many technology developments related to on-site search technology, but when they happen, they are indeed significant.
Case in point, Hawk Search, a product of Thanx media, has a new feature that enables brands to target users on site search results based on those user visitor demographics. The practice is used regularly in digital advertising campaigns and is proving quite important with the number of mobile-based searches being conducted.
The technology, dubbed Visitor Targets, aims to deliver more personalized results to end-users and enables merchandisers and retailers to dynamically optimize the experience for customers. Essentially, the functionality allows businesses to display custom banners and trigger merchandising rules based on the users location and source of a visit (as well as other retailer-defined categories).
"We think Visitor Targets will be one of the most exciting developments in site search technology in 2014," says Paul Matker, Thanx Media CEO. "At Thanx, we're constantly innovating to improve existing functionality and continuously adding new features that will increase conversions and help drive more revenue for our clients. For instance, Hawk Search will allow an online retailer to display winter coats to people in Chicago and short sleeve shirts to people in Florida during the cold weather months; even banners can be customized according to customer parameters."
