While Shopify’s default search feature assists customers in locating products, the Shopify custom search solution enhances the customer’s ability to make purchases. As merchants experience growth with their businesses, the limitations of the native search features will become evident. As brands continue to turn away from native search toward custom search ventures, the need for better performance, smarter search engines, and the ability to provide relevance to their customers is critical. This is where Expertrec comes into play.

What is a Shopify custom search?

Shopify custom search refers to an alternative to Shopify’s built-in search engine; it replaces or augments the default search engine to provide merchants with an advanced, customizable search solution that includes:

• Relevance & ranking of search results
• User interface (UI) & user experience (UX) design
• Filter & facet options
• Merchandise rules & guidelines
• Analytics & reporting tools

With a custom search solution, you receive a search experience tailored to fit your products and customers, rather than being limited to the “one size fits all” approach that comes with Shopify’s built-in search capability.

Why Native Shopify Search Falls Short

Shopify’s built-in search offers adequate functionality for smaller catalogs but has definite shortcomings:

• Poor handling of typos and synonyms
• Lacks a strong understanding of user intent
• Very limited ability to rank content
• Only provides a very basic level of analytics
• A generic auto-complete experience

The gaps identified above will result in lower conversion rates for stores with hundreds upon thousands of SKUs.

Expertrec: The Smart Way to Build Shopify Custom Search

Expertrec provides a custom search solution for eCommerce companies who want complete control over their search experience without being overwhelmed by the complexity of typical custom search solutions.

Expertrec integrates directly into Shopify and provides the merchant with an entirely customizable, AI-enabled search experience instead of the default search experience that Shopify offers.

Key Features of Custom Search from Expertrec

AI-Powered Search Relevance

Expertrec’s AI understands that the intention behind a query is more important than just keywords. This means that shoppers will always find the most relevant product, even if they enter a vague or long search query.

Autocomplete and Instant Search

While typing a search query, Expertrec displays:

• Product pictures
• Categories
• Popular searches
• Suggestions based on users’ previous searches

The presentation is designed to match the Shopify theme.

Smart Handling of Typographical Errors and Synonyms

Usage of alternate spellings, plural versions, or synonyms will automatically be captured by Expertrec. This will decrease the number of zero-result searches.

Advanced Filters & Facets

Expertrec allows merchants to create fully customized filters that can be optimized for speed and usability based upon the following: Price, size, brand, color, availability, and more.

Merchandising Guidelines

Easy to boost bestsellers, pin promotional items, hide out-of-stock items, and run promotional searches.

Full Design & UX Customization

Design & UX Customization Made Easy with Expertrec for Shopify Merchants

Expertrec simplifies the process of customizing search bar layouts, result page design, mobile/desktop behaviors, and color/font schemes/UI elements of a website or store. No prerequisite knowledge or extensive development work is needed to use these features.

Shopify’s Powerful Analytics for Search Engines

Expertrec provides you with an in-depth look at how consumers use search engines:

• The top terms searched for
• Searches that do not return anything
• Revenue received from searches
• The number of items converted per search term

Using this data allows you to make changes in your products and inventory based upon what real customers demonstrate through their searches.

Shopify Custom Search vs. Default Search

Why Shopify Stores Choose Expertrec

Shopify brands choose to work with Expertrec in order to:

• Increase their conversions
• Decrease their bounce rates
• Enhance their ability to discover products
• Easily increase search performance as your brand grows

From new direct-to-consumer brands to large Shopify stores that have multiple product listings, Expertrec provides an easy yet powerful method for your custom search functionality.

Final Thoughts

A custom search for your Shopify store is now a requirement for running a successful store versus an optional tool. With consumer demand for speed, accuracy, and personalization of their search experience, Expertrec meets all 3 needs without creating lag time for your store’s online experience.

If you want to make sure that your search functionality is doing everything possible to generate more revenue for your Shopify store, then make sure you check out Expertrec.com