A monthly blog series spotlighting the innovative solutions, people, and partnerships powering B2B digital transformation—one partnership at a time.
How Smarter Search Is Redefining the B2B Buying Experience
As part of our Partner Blog Spotlight series, I recently sat down with John Murcott, EVP of Products and Strategy at HawkSearch, to talk about one of the most overlooked growth engines in B2B eCommerce: search.
When most distributors think about eCommerce strategy, the focus often goes to product content, site design, or ERP integrations. But as John reminded me, “Search is where buyer intent meets the online experience. If a customer can’t find what they need in seconds, the sale is already lost.”
That hit home for me because the data backs it up: according to Nosto, 69% of buyers will abandon a site if search fails to return relevant results within the first few queries.
From Keywords to Conversations
One of the biggest shifts John and I discussed is how buyers’ expectations have changed. They’re no longer satisfied with basic keyword search that requires exact terms or part numbers. Instead, they want search to act like an “answer engine” that allows you to have conversations with it, including using jargon, industry terms, synonyms, technical attributes, and even natural language questions.
As John put it, “Buyers aren’t thinking about how your system is configured. They just want to type in what they know, whether that’s a product nickname, a manufacturer’s part number, or even a problem statement and get the right result immediately.”
With AI, we now have the ability to take assets like warranty guides, install sheets, and spec documents and make them searchable and actionable. That means no more digging through static PDFs—just direct, relevant answers when customers need them.
What Distributors Should Consider
When I asked John what distributors should be thinking about as they evaluate their search strategies, he highlighted three key areas:
- Relevancy – Search must consistently return the right product the first time.
- Speed – Buyers expect results instantly, especially when placing repeat or urgent orders.
- Intelligence – Search should get smarter over time, learning from clicks, purchases, and abandoned queries.
I loved how John summed it up: “Search should be a living system, one that grows smarter every day you use it. It’s not just about finding a SKU; it’s about understanding buyer intent and context.”
That’s exactly why Unilog partnered with HawkSearch—to make these capabilities accessible for distributors of all sizes, not just the largest enterprises.
Turning Search Into Growth
Search is no longer just a back-end feature; it drives growth by increasing conversion, engagement and customer satisfaction. Distributors who prioritize modern search capabilities are seeing double-digit increases in conversions and higher average order values. More importantly, they’re creating frictionless buying experiences that strengthen loyalty.
For me, this is the heart of it: in B2B, search isn’t just about completing a transaction. It’s about reducing friction across the entire customer journey. When buyers feel supported, they keep coming back.
My key takeaway: Search is not just a feature; it’s a growth engine. With the Unilog Platform and our partnership with HawkSearch, distributors can deliver smarter, more intuitive search experiences that turn every query into an opportunity.
Ready to see smarter search in action?
Watch our recent webinar: “Boosting B2B eCommerce with AI-Driven Search & Recommendations.”
Together with HawkSearch, we explore how AI-driven product discovery can transform the buyer experience and drive real growth for distributors.
You’ll learn:
- Why Unilog partnered with HawkSearch
- How AI delivers more relevant results and recommendations
- A live demo of HawkSearch integrated with CX1 CIMM2
- Plus, a Q&A session with our experts
