Survey: 84% of shoppers struggle with search filters

Consumers often struggle to find what they are after when online shopping, leading to “decision fatigue.”

According to a new survey from Software Advice of more than 5,500 global consumers, most online shoppers start their product search on retailer websites (52%), search engines (67%) or e-commerce marketplaces (46%). However, unhelpful search results, including sponsored, inaccurate, or irrelevant product listings make shopping more difficult.

Over three-quarters (77%) of consumers regularly use search filters when browsing online. Still, users told Software Advice that filters are often incorrectly applied to products (45%), lack a helpful degree of specificity (44%), or are too sparse to meaningfully narrow product selections (34%).

“This abundance [of inaccurate results] creates a frustrating experience that leads to decision fatigue, causing many shoppers to abandon their carts or avoid e-commerce sites with poor search functionality,” said Molly Burke, senior retail analyst at Software Advice.

Despite their importance, consumers also noted having trouble finding trustworthy reviews, contributing to overall decision fatigue. Only 34% of respondents trust reviews made by social media influencers, indicating a need for more genuine customer reviews. A similar number of consumers (30%) say they start their product search on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

Software Advice noted two key factors that complicate the online shopping journey. First, consumers are inspired by social media trends, but most make their final purchases outside of social platforms. Second, many retailers fail to incorporate trending social media keywords into their website, including search functionality and product information.

“Retailers need to improve their discoverability on search engines while enhancing their own website’s search functionality to better match customers with products they really want,” said Burke. “Making reviews easier to digest helps influence purchase decisions and cuts down on costly returns.”