You can configure settings for the search feature by clicking Settings in the shop admin panel menu and then clicking Search.
Search mode
Whether the search should be word based (better for searches for words or phrases) or exact match (better for searches for product codes).
Search fields
Which details of products should be searched. The search feature can be set to search over any combination of the product code, name, summary, and description.
How word-based searches work
If the search mode is set to word based, the search is performed in the following way:
- The search query is split into words
- Words of one or two letters are removed
- Very common words (such as the and of) are removed
- Each product is given a score based on how many of the words in the search query appear in the product details, and how often those words occur within that product compared to the whole list of products
- Results are listed in descending order of score
For example, a search for blue dress would match a product called Blue pleated dress. However, a search for blue would not match a product with the code DRESSBLUE as these are different words. This makes word-based searches better for searches for words or phrases.
How exact match searches work
If the search mode is set to exact match, the search lists all products whose details contain the exact query, even if this matches only parts of words.
For example, a search for blue would match a product with the code DRESSBLUE. However, a search for blue dress would not match a product called Blue pleated dress as the word pleated occurs between the two halves of the search query. This makes exact match searches better for searches for product codes.
