19.1% of site visitors use search functionality

DoubleClick found that 19.1% of Web site visitors in Q2 2004 used the search function, up from 15.1% a year ago. Search now drives 8.4% of online sales, with most shoppers still browsing online menus. Software company Endeca said its 120 clients who adopted advanced search tools saw an average of 20% increase in order size and 30% increase in conversion rates for customers using search, who as a group have a higher conversion rate than visitors who don't use the tool. Conversion rate for a retailer's online business tends to range between 2.5% to 4%, according to the software firm.