Picture this: a consumer is navigating through your Shopify store in search of a black leather handbag. They start typing “black leat…” in the search field, but don’t get any results. They try a different spelling, click on Enter, but still can’t find what they need.

What happens after? Most likely, they move away and search for the product somewhere else.

That’s a minor issue that can cost you dearly as an owner of an online store. Customers often don’t remember the exact name of the item they are searching for and of course, they don’t want to type the whole sentence while looking for it.

This is where auto-complete becomes a useful tool.

First, What Exactly Does Shopify Autocomplete Do?

Shopify autocomplete, known as predictive search, shows users suggestions while they input text in the search bar.

For instance, if someone inputs “run” in the search bar, it will suggest the following:

• Running shoes
• Running shorts
• Running jackets
• Running accessories

Instead of making the user finish typing the entire query and look through the results, autocomplete helps them find the information.

Shopify’s predictive search can suggest search terms, products, collections, content pages, and articles. However, the list of suggested options will vary depending on the theme and search settings.

The key question is if the suggested options are useful for users.

Why Is Autocomplete Not Working Properly on Your Shopify Store?

Rather than modifying anything, it’s critical to identify the underlying cause of the problem.

Here are some of the common issues faced by Shopify store owners.

Suggestions fail to provide results while typing.

There are occasions when the predictive search might not be switched on in the active template. Moreover, the custom template or conflicting JavaScript can stop the suggestions from appearing.

Users receive irrelevant search suggestions.

When searching for a cotton kurti and discovering polyester dresses in the suggestion box, the search process might be functioning correctly yet not helping the user. This indicates that some issues are present in product data, matching rules, or search results.

Typing errors result in no results at all.

When users look for “sneekers” instead of “sneakers” and have to start the search again.

The dropdown menu for suggestions is messy.

When there are too many products, irrelevant suggestions, and excessive information, people can experience problems with searching.

6 Ways to Make Autocomplete Work Better in Shopify

You do not necessarily have to totally revamp your Shopify search capabilities. Simply making a few changes might suffice.

1. Check Whether Predictive Search Is Enabled in Your Theme

This is the simplest solution possible.

Go to your Shopify admin area and head to the following section:

Online Store→ Themes→ Customize

See if your current theme is predictive search compatible and whether the predictive search feature has been activated in your search settings.

It may be enough to simply enable the option, only if your theme is already one of those that allows for predictive search.

If your store is using customized themes, you may have to require a developer’s assistance to check your implementation of predictive search via the necessary Liquid sections and JavaScript.

2. Give Your Products Better Names and Descriptions

Search suggestions are limited by the quality of the product information.

For example, if you sell shoes, having a product entitled “Classic Collection 01” gives little information to buyers.

On the other hand, a name such as “Women White Casual Sneakers” is much more informative.

Thus, ensure that your products have:

• Definite title for the product;
• Informative descriptions;
• Product category.
• Producer and company information.
• Practical tags and variants of the product.

Shopify’s algorithm relies on the searchable parameters, including product titles, descriptions, tags, category, and brands.

Ultimately, giving some effort into making product descriptions can result in a tangible monetary gain.

3. Don’t Let Small Spelling Mistakes Stop a Purchase

Take a moment to reflect on how users perform a search. Users are often typing very quickly and shorting words and phrases, resulting in incorrect product names.

If your search engine operates solely on exact matches, shoppers can experience issues finding products that already exist in your store.

It would be worthwhile to incorporate a search engine with a typo-friendly algorithm such as spell-checking or autocorrection, which makes it easier for shoppers to find the products they are interested in without needing to fix their typos personally.

4. Show Product Information That Helps Customers Decide

Simply presenting a product with its name may not be sufficient.

Customers are usually looking for the confirmation about obtaining the correct product.

For example, if a user wants to find a blue cotton shirt, the person can identify it thanks to the image and name.

However, be careful with the information displayed in the dropdown as too much information can hinder the process.

5. Make Autocomplete Comfortable to Use on Mobile

A large number of internet shopping is done online via mobile devices, yet some shops offer a terrific experience on desktop yet neglect mobile experience.

Test your Shopify store directly on a real smartphone.

Is it easy to click on the search bar? Are the results clear? Does the dropdown hide important information? Is it easy to swipe through the results without closing the search?

Finally, check that your customer has the option to clear their search, close the suggestions, and view the complete results page.

A successful mobile shopping experience should be just as good as the desktop one.

6. Look at What Customers Are Actually Searching For

Many store owners don’t realize that their customers’ searches can tell them what type of products to offer, but it’s true.

Let’s say several customers were looking for something like “plus-size party dresses,” and your autocomplete was not offering anything useful to them.

This could point to a problem with your product data, lack of synonyms, or to a possibility to improve your search settings.

Conduct a regular review of your search analytics. Get to know your frequent searches, searches returning no results, and the terms leading to product clicks.

Make use of your findings in order to modify your products and search options rather than coming up with guesses.

Can ExpertRec Help Improve Shopify Autocomplete?

If you have made use of Shopify’s traditional predictive search and are in search of more strength in how the customers find products, then a dedicated search solution can help you.

The Smart Search Bar specializes in providing autocompleted and instantaneous search suggestions for your customers to make searches easier.

Let’s say you have a fashion shop that deals with everything from dresses to tops and accessories.

One of your potential customers enters the search phrase “party wear”.

Instead of just showing the products that have this phrase in their name, you can use synonyms and your search configuration.

This way you will help your customers find related products by using different search phrases.

To implement it in practice, you can install the ExpertRec Smart Search Bar from the Shopify App Store and set it up through its settings.

A Few Things Worth Checking Before You Finish

After you’ve implemented all of your changes, it’s time to check if everything is working properly. You should confirm this by testing your product search as if you were a user yourself.

Use the following queries in your testing:

• The full name of a product
• The first few letters of the product name
• The name of a product with a typo
• The brand name or category name
• The name of the product variant such as a size or a color

Check whether the suggestions shown on both mobile and desktop devices are pertinent to the search.

Final Thoughts

Autocomplete appears to be relatively small in scope, but it significantly influences the manner in which people use your Shopify store.

When customers can quickly search for products without performing the same search over and over or scrolling through numerous pages, the process of shopping becomes much simpler.

To get started, it is sufficient to improve the product descriptions, look for the predictive search settings in your theme, and learn what is being actively searched by your customers. If you want something more comprehensive – a solution like ExpertRec can make it possible for you to create a more effective search experience.

In the end, there’s no reason why customers should face any problems finding your products.