A clear scope
What STORE SEARCH means here
Onsite search is a shopping experience in its own right.
Onsite Search and Merchandising owns the specific workflow and deliverables described below; related pages supply complementary work and should not duplicate its scope.
The buyer problem
Where the work makes a difference
Customers may use familiar names that the catalogue does not recognise, or see irrelevant promoted products above useful results. Search improvements need both relevant data and clear merchandising rules.
Examine what customers type, which results they see and where they get stuck. Improve the catalog attributes and search rules that connect their language to relevant products, while keeping merchandising choices transparent and useful.
The specific work
What we investigate and improve
- Review anonymized search terms, zero-result queries and refinement behavior.
- Map synonyms, product attributes and availability rules.
- Test filters, sorting, recommendations and result relevance.
- Assess platform feature, privacy and permission requirements before changes.
BrownBag’s approach
From evidence to useful improvements
Inspect actual search tasks
Review anonymised queries, zero-result patterns and important product-finding journeys. Identify vocabulary gaps, missing attributes and result rules that place unsuitable products ahead of useful ones.
Improve relevant catalogue signals
Prepare synonyms, attribute corrections and merchandising rules for the agreed sample. Test filters, availability handling and ranking choices with the commercial owner, confirming the platform features and permissions needed.
Evaluate task completion
Run representative searches on desktop and mobile and validate measurement events. Compare result quality and progression with appropriate controls or qualified cohorts, noting that search users may already have stronger buying intent.
Your handover
What you receive
- Search demand and zero-result diagnosis.
- Attribute/synonym and merchandising-rule plan.
- Representative relevance test set.
- Experiment and monitoring specification.
Evidence, with context
How we measure progress
- Zero-result and poor-result rates
- Search-to-product and search-to-cart progression
- Task completion
- Revenue per search session with selection-bias caveats
Scope your next step
Bring us the problem you want to solve.
These details help us agree the deliverables, responsibilities and review points:
- Anonymised search queries and result diagnostics where available
- Product attributes, stock rules and search platform details
- Merchandising priorities and the owner of ranking or synonym rules
Start with a focused scope. We confirm access, implementation ownership and any platform eligibility before the work begins.
Your questions, answered
Is onsite search the same as Google SEO?
No. It improves search inside the store, although better catalog data and navigation can support the wider SEO program.
Does higher conversion among search users prove search caused it?
No. Search users may already have stronger purchase intent. Use controlled tests or qualified comparisons where possible.
Should unavailable products disappear?
It depends on the query and replenishment policy. Show useful alternatives and clear availability without misleading the shopper.