What is predictive search?

Predictive search is a search feature that displays real-time suggestions as a customer types into a website’s search bar. It predicts what the user is looking for and suggests relevant products, collections, pages, blog posts, or search terms before the full query is entered.

Benefits of predictive search:

• Helps customers find products faster.
• Reduces typing effort and search time.
• Improves product discovery with relevant suggestions.
• Displays matching products, collections, pages, and articles instantly.
• Reduces zero-result searches by suggesting popular or related terms.
• Improves the overall shopping experience.
• Increases customer engagement and time on site.
• Can improve conversion rates by guiding shoppers to relevant products.
• Supports mobile users with faster and easier navigation.
• Helps merchants promote popular or high-converting products.

Example for a jewellery brand:

When a customer starts typing “oval dia…”, predictive search may instantly suggest:

• Oval Diamond Engagement Rings
• Oval Lab-Grown Diamond Rings
• Oval Solitaire Rings
• Oval Diamond Wedding Bands
• Related blog posts or buying guides

This allows customers to quickly find the products or information they need without typing the entire search query.

On Shopify, predictive search can be enabled through compatible themes and customized to provide a faster, more intuitive shopping experience that enhances product discovery and increases sales.