Approximately 70% of Top 100 EC Companies Face Issues with Search Accuracy. Only 32% Handle Synonyms: The 'Operational Wall' Revealed in a Survey of 100 Major Companies
A survey by DGBT on the top 100 EC sites in Japan reveals that while 78% handle spelling variations, only 32% successfully manage synonyms. Half of the sites fail to provide guidance when searches yield zero results, highlighting the need for AI/LLM solutions to overcome operational limits.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 13:30 (2h 58m after Collected)
DG Business Technology, Inc. (A Digital Garage Group company / Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director & President/CEO: Kazunori Shimizu, hereinafter: DGBT), a provider of comprehensive digital business support, has released the 'Site Search Survey 2026 of 100 Major EC Sites,' an independent investigation into the internal search UI of EC sites operated by the top 100 EC companies by sales*1 in Japan.
This survey provides data showing that the 'operational wall' remains unresolved even after the widespread adoption of search engines with advanced processing capabilities.
■ Background
Users who utilize site search on EC sites generally have a clear idea of the products they want to purchase and are considered a segment with high purchasing intent. Therefore, how accurately they can be guided to a product at the moment of search greatly affects the conversion rate. Understanding whether the company's search function meets user expectations and continuously improving it is a critical initiative directly linked to sales.
Since 2010, DGBT has provided the EC site search service 'NaviPlus Search,' supporting search improvements for over 350 EC sites. Through this process, it has become clear that many EC sites are not fully utilizing their search functions, leaving significant room for performance enhancement.
Recognizing these challenges, we have continuously conducted surveys on the actual state of site search targeting top EC sales companies since 2015, aiming to visualize the current status of search functions on each EC site and provide hints for improvement. This marks the 7th iteration of this survey. The survey items are repeatedly reviewed in line with EC industry trends and technological advancements, currently employing an evaluation system with 5 axes and 25 items. Furthermore, to ensure accuracy aligned with actual user experience, this survey is conducted entirely through visual inspection by staff.
■ Survey Summary
1. 'Handling of Orthographical Variants' more than doubled in 3 years—Utilizing high-precision search engines has entered the 'standard' phase.
2. Over two-thirds of EC sites have inadequate synonym handling—The 'Operational Wall' is an industry-wide challenge.
3. Lack of 'hospitality' when 0 hits occur is the deciding factor in user drop-off—Half of the sites do not even show guidance for a re-search.
■ Survey Result Topics
1. 'Handling of Orthographical Variants' more than doubled in 3 years—Utilizing high-precision search engines has entered the 'standard' phase
The 'handling of orthographical variants,' which automatically absorbs input variations such as hiragana/katakana or full-width/half-width characters, improved significantly from 33% in 2023 to 78% in 2026. The background to this is the widespread adoption of internal site search engines with advanced processing capabilities. As a result, the fundamental issue where search results are not displayed due to superficial keyword mismatches is being resolved on many EC sites.
2. Over two-thirds of EC sites have inadequate synonym handling—The 'Operational Wall' is an industry-wide challenge
The score for handling 'synonyms'—words with the same meaning but different expressions, such as 'sumaho' and 'smartphone' or 'kutsushita' and 'socks'—is only 32%, meaning that over two-thirds of the sites are inadequately responding to them. It was revealed that about half of the sites cannot handle synonyms at all, potentially preventing users from reaching their desired products, as different products are displayed depending on the words used for the search.
Handling synonyms requires continuous operation, such as dictionary registration and configuring related terms. However, there is a limit to manually keeping up with product replacements and trend changes. The 'operational wall' of synonym registration is thought to be the underlying cause in many cases where companies say, 'We installed a site search engine, but it's not producing the results we expected.'
3. Lack of 'hospitality' when 0 hits occur is the deciding factor in user drop-off—Half of the sites do not even show guidance for a re-search
Along with the issues in search accuracy, the response when search results are zero was also brought to light. A total of 47 sites (50%) only displayed messages like 'Nothing was found' or 'Search results: 0,' failing to provide guidance that prompts users to take the next action, such as presenting keyword candidates or recommendations.
Even with improved search accuracy, cases where results are zero due to out-of-stock items or input errors are inevitable. Abandoning 'customer service' towards the user at that very moment directly leads to drop-offs and lost opportunities. The very moment a user with high purchasing intent takes the action of searching is precisely when a design showing the next move is crucial. Mechanisms that encourage the user's next action, such as presenting related keywords, recommending similar products, or offering a category search UI, are required to improve the search experience.
■ 2026 Outlook: AI/LLM utilization will resolve the 'Operational Wall'
Handling of orthographical variants has more than doubled in three years, and superficial keyword mismatches are mostly being resolved thanks to the spread of highly functional search engines. However...
This survey provides data showing that the 'operational wall' remains unresolved even after the widespread adoption of search engines with advanced processing capabilities.
■ Background
Users who utilize site search on EC sites generally have a clear idea of the products they want to purchase and are considered a segment with high purchasing intent. Therefore, how accurately they can be guided to a product at the moment of search greatly affects the conversion rate. Understanding whether the company's search function meets user expectations and continuously improving it is a critical initiative directly linked to sales.
Since 2010, DGBT has provided the EC site search service 'NaviPlus Search,' supporting search improvements for over 350 EC sites. Through this process, it has become clear that many EC sites are not fully utilizing their search functions, leaving significant room for performance enhancement.
Recognizing these challenges, we have continuously conducted surveys on the actual state of site search targeting top EC sales companies since 2015, aiming to visualize the current status of search functions on each EC site and provide hints for improvement. This marks the 7th iteration of this survey. The survey items are repeatedly reviewed in line with EC industry trends and technological advancements, currently employing an evaluation system with 5 axes and 25 items. Furthermore, to ensure accuracy aligned with actual user experience, this survey is conducted entirely through visual inspection by staff.
■ Survey Summary
1. 'Handling of Orthographical Variants' more than doubled in 3 years—Utilizing high-precision search engines has entered the 'standard' phase.
2. Over two-thirds of EC sites have inadequate synonym handling—The 'Operational Wall' is an industry-wide challenge.
3. Lack of 'hospitality' when 0 hits occur is the deciding factor in user drop-off—Half of the sites do not even show guidance for a re-search.
■ Survey Result Topics
1. 'Handling of Orthographical Variants' more than doubled in 3 years—Utilizing high-precision search engines has entered the 'standard' phase
The 'handling of orthographical variants,' which automatically absorbs input variations such as hiragana/katakana or full-width/half-width characters, improved significantly from 33% in 2023 to 78% in 2026. The background to this is the widespread adoption of internal site search engines with advanced processing capabilities. As a result, the fundamental issue where search results are not displayed due to superficial keyword mismatches is being resolved on many EC sites.
2. Over two-thirds of EC sites have inadequate synonym handling—The 'Operational Wall' is an industry-wide challenge
The score for handling 'synonyms'—words with the same meaning but different expressions, such as 'sumaho' and 'smartphone' or 'kutsushita' and 'socks'—is only 32%, meaning that over two-thirds of the sites are inadequately responding to them. It was revealed that about half of the sites cannot handle synonyms at all, potentially preventing users from reaching their desired products, as different products are displayed depending on the words used for the search.
Handling synonyms requires continuous operation, such as dictionary registration and configuring related terms. However, there is a limit to manually keeping up with product replacements and trend changes. The 'operational wall' of synonym registration is thought to be the underlying cause in many cases where companies say, 'We installed a site search engine, but it's not producing the results we expected.'
3. Lack of 'hospitality' when 0 hits occur is the deciding factor in user drop-off—Half of the sites do not even show guidance for a re-search
Along with the issues in search accuracy, the response when search results are zero was also brought to light. A total of 47 sites (50%) only displayed messages like 'Nothing was found' or 'Search results: 0,' failing to provide guidance that prompts users to take the next action, such as presenting keyword candidates or recommendations.
Even with improved search accuracy, cases where results are zero due to out-of-stock items or input errors are inevitable. Abandoning 'customer service' towards the user at that very moment directly leads to drop-offs and lost opportunities. The very moment a user with high purchasing intent takes the action of searching is precisely when a design showing the next move is crucial. Mechanisms that encourage the user's next action, such as presenting related keywords, recommending similar products, or offering a category search UI, are required to improve the search experience.
■ 2026 Outlook: AI/LLM utilization will resolve the 'Operational Wall'
Handling of orthographical variants has more than doubled in three years, and superficial keyword mismatches are mostly being resolved thanks to the spread of highly functional search engines. However...