Imagine that a customer arrives at your Shopify store with the request “a beautiful black dress for a summer get-together.” While the customer has a clear preference, he may not have specific knowledge of the name of the object in question.

Now imagine what the chances are that the search option of your shop will understand only the title of the product.

This is the reason why AI-powered search comes in handy.

If you wonder how to make your Shopify store optimized for AI search, the answer is not just to install an AI search tool. You have to take care of your product information, search experience, filters, synonyms, and how your search engine understands comments from your customers.

Here are 7 easy ways of making your Shopify store more user-friendly from the point of view of AI search and customers.

1. Begin with Improved Product Information

AI search can work only on the information it has.

If product descriptions are brief, inconsistent, or lack necessary information, your search engine lacks information to understand what the customer is looking for.

As an example, instead of using just “Blue Running Shoes,” you should provide details about the shoes in terms of the type of shoe, material, purpose, size, colour, and other important characteristics.

A customer may type “lightweight shoes for jogging,” even though the actual name of the product is “Blue Sprint Runner.”

Thus, the better the product information is, the more chances there are for AI search to succeed in creating a correlation between the search and the product.

2. Consider Apart from Exact Keywords

Take this quick test.

All these phrases describe the same product.

Traditional keyword searches may face trouble when people do not use the same words as in the product description. However, powered by AI technology, the AI-based search is capable of understanding how various words correlate and what needs customers have.

In short, Shopify sellers should look at things from the perspective of the customers.

3. Ensure That Your Search Can Comprehend Typos

Let’s be honest. Have you ever mistakenly typed “shose” for “shoes?” Well, your customers must have too. A simple typo need not make for a frustrating user experience that ends on a “no results found” page. This is where typo tolerance can play a great role.

The AI search should correctly understand many of the common typographical errors that can help customers reach the shopping destination. The features offered by ExpertRec, including typo-tolerant search, autocomplete options, the use of synonyms, and intelligent search, will help customers to find what they seek even with faulty input.

4. Add Synonyms That Your Clients Actually Use

Many buyers can apply completely differentiated terms and categories for the same product.

While one buyer may search for “sneakers,” another buyer may type in “trainers.” Someone else may just type in the words “sports shoes.”

Your Shopify catalog may be using only one of these expressions.

That is why synonyms can be used while optimizing your store for AI searches.

AI-powered search for Shopify stores

Help shoppers find exactly what they mean with ExpertRec

ExpertRec helps Shopify stores deliver intelligent search with autocomplete, typo-tolerant search, synonyms, relevant results, and powerful search analytics. Give shoppers a search experience that understands how they actually search.

Make Shopify Search Smarter →

AI-powered search • Autocomplete • Typo tolerance • Search analytics

5. Make Filters Work with Search

Search allows your clients to find the right place. The main function of filters is to reduce the list of options available.

Assume an example where a customer searches for ‘running shoes’ and receives a list of around 300 items. This is good, but it does not make sense.

What would make a huge difference is to allow customers to filter those results by size, price, brand, color, availability, or type of product.

Shopify has already introduced a Search & Discovery app that helps merchants to control filters, customize search results, and also to provide product suggestions. Nevertheless, developing stores may require more sophisticated search options since their catalogs and clients’ requests become more sophisticated.

The most crucial point is to combine search and filtering instead of treating them separately.

6. Test Search like a Real Customer

A very interesting activity you may conduct at your Shopify store.

The “Mystery Shopping” Activity.

The first thing you should do now is to open your store just like you visit it for the first time; next, try to find a particular product by typing its exact name in your search bar.

Once you find that product, try searching for it with a different name or phrase that has the same meaning, which is a synonym of the same.

After that, make a spelling mistake intentionally while typing the search request.

Then use a phrase instead of the name of the searched product.

Example: instead of searching for “women’s black handbag,” type “black handbag for women office.”

Now ask yourself – did you find what you wanted?

In case the answer is “no,” it means that it is a good chance to think about how to improve your search process.

Bear in mind that testing only those searches which you know work is incorrect. You should test “bad” or illogical searches as well.

7. Upgrade from Basic Search to AI-Powered Search

Shopify offers basic search tools to its store owners, but these tools can present challenges when it comes to small stores. As the store grows, managing the rules of searching becomes difficult.

An AI-based solution like ExpertRec can help out in this case.

ExpertRec is a solution for Shopify store owners that delivers a smarter search experience. ExpertRec has several functionalities, including AI search, autocompletion, typo tolerance, synonyms, personalized search results, and analytics. It’s useful for growing stores that can have more complex searches by their clients without any need to develop search functionalities.

What Should You Optimize First?

You don’t have to work on your Shopify store all at once.

Your focus should be on the product details first, then customer queries, keywords, mistakes, filter searches, and searches that yielded no results. Once you understand the weaknesses of your current search tool, you will know where to use AI.

Remember that search optimization is not about helping customers search; it’s about helping your store understand its customers.

It’s important that a shopper can input their thoughts and find what they need.

That’s how modern Shopify stores should operate.

Take a look at ExpertRec and its Shopify search tool powered by AI so shoppers can locate products with ease, terminology, and great accuracy.

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