How smart search handles typos, meaning and filters in your store
Smart search works as soon as it is installed. It finds the right products when a shopper misspells a word, it understands what a search means instead of matching letters, and it lets shoppers filter results inside the search. You do not need to configure anything to get these three.
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Typos no longer end the search
Most shoppers search on a phone, with one thumb, in a hurry. Extra letters, swapped letters and missing letters are normal. A search like "lapptop" or "headphons" still brings up laptops and headphones, so the shopper never sees an empty page because of a slip of the finger.
Arabic adds its own variations. The search treats أ and ا, ة and ه, and ى and ي as the same letter, so عبايه finds your abayas and احذيه finds your shoes, however the shopper happens to write them.
Search that understands meaning
Shoppers often describe a need instead of naming a product. Search for "a gift for a gamer" and the results show gaming headsets, keyboards and gaming PCs, even though none of them has the word gift in its name. The same goes for "gift for dad" in a perfume store, or a search that mixes languages, like جوال samsung.
This also covers dialect. The search understands Gulf, Saudi, Egyptian and Levantine Arabic, so a shopper does not have to guess the exact word you used in your product title.
Filters right inside the search
A broad search like "smartwatch" or "abaya" can return many products. Shoppers can narrow them on the spot: one tap on black, and only black watches remain. They do not need to leave the search for a category page and start again.
You decide which filters appear and in what order, under Search › Customize dynamic filters tree. That has its own guide.
What this means for your store
Every search that ends with the right product is a shopper who stayed. Fewer empty pages and fewer irrelevant results mean more people reach a product page and the cart. You can see what your shoppers search for, and which searches find nothing, in Search Analytics.
How to set it up
- 1Open your storefront on your phone and search for a product with a deliberate typo, such as one extra letter.
- 2Search an Arabic word written another common way, with ه instead of ة or ا instead of أ.
- 3Describe a need instead of a product name, like "gift for dad", and check the results make sense.
- 4Search a broad word, then tap a filter such as a colour or size and watch the results narrow.
- 5Note any word your customers use that still finds nothing. It is a candidate for a search synonym.
Common questions
Do I need to set anything up for typos, meaning and filters?
No. All three work as soon as AlFinder is installed and your products are synced. Setup is only needed if you want to change how the search looks or fine-tune its behaviour.
Does it understand Arabic dialects and mixed Arabic and English?
Yes. It understands Gulf, Saudi, Egyptian and Levantine Arabic, and searches that switch between Arabic and English, such as جوال samsung.
Can I make the search more or less forgiving with typos?
Yes. Under Search › Advanced Search Settings, Search typo edit distance sets how many wrong letters are corrected, from 0 to 2, and Semantic search sensitivity sets how broadly meaning is read. The defaults suit most stores.
What if shoppers use a word that still finds nothing?
Add it as a synonym under Search › Manage Synonyms, so the search knows it means the same as a word in your catalog. Meanwhile, set a helpful no-results message under Search › Customize search results.
