Search & Product Discovery

The episode thoroughly explores how customers discover products through search, filtering, and comparison—particularly relevant for stores over 250 products where the buying journey shifts from simple browsing to comparison-based decision making. Sam discusses the challenges of making filtered views discoverable when platform filters aren't indexable, explaining why dedicated collection pages are essential for capturing search traffic. The conversation covers how to analyse search behaviour to understand discovery patterns, the importance of granular categorisation for helping customers find specific product variations, and how collection pages serve as the primary entry point for new product discovery, capturing more impressions than product pages themselves.

Siddharth explains the shift from product-specific to context-aware searches, where customers search for 'summer party dress' rather than technical descriptions. The episode covers how modern search engines can understand images and match them to user intent, making this essential listening for anyone wanting to improve their product discoverability.

Learn how search bar data becomes a goldmine for product development, with Matthew sharing how tracking "unicorn" searches led to a $500k product launch. Discover why even sites with 4-5 products need search functionality for intelligence gathering, and how analysing what customers search for but can't find reveals your next million-dollar opportunities.

Discover why advanced on-site search capabilities are becoming critical for both B2C and B2B success. Learn about search functionality differences across platforms and implementation strategies for better product discovery.

Explore advanced product discovery techniques including AI-powered shop assistants that help customers find products through intelligent search and contextual recommendations. Learn how to create discovery experiences that go beyond traditional search, helping customers explore your full catalogue rather than just finding specific items. Discover methods for reducing the long tail problem through better product discoverability.

Explore strategies for helping customers find what they need through intelligent personalisation, including geo-targeting for international visitors and contextual messaging based on browsing behaviour and traffic sources.

Discusses how customers navigate through buying guides and product pages, clicking back and forth to find sizing information and specifications. Emphasizes the importance of internal linking and helping customers discover the right products.

Neil discusses how different customer types use search and discovery features differently, using Amazon as a case study for accommodating multiple search behaviours. The conversation covers designing for customers who know exactly what they want (above-the-fold simplicity) versus those researching options (detailed information deeper in the page). The Eurostar seat map story illustrates how search and discovery interfaces must match customer mental models rather than internal logic to be truly effective.

Explore how customers find products through search, including optimising for both on-site search and external search engines. Learn about navigation best practices, category structure, and helping users discover products through improved findability and search functionality.

Understand how customers find products on your website and optimise their discovery journey. Kevin discusses the importance of helping visitors find what they need quickly, whether through on-site search, navigation, or product recommendations that enhance both user experience and SEO performance.