In online shops with a wide range of products and in-depth product variety, the default search function of many shop systems often reaches its limits. The key to success lies in a powerful, fast, and intelligent search solution.

Practice shows: If customers do not find the desired item within a short time and without much effort, they leave the site and switch to another online shop. In short: They are gone – and usually do not return quickly. Furthermore, poorly sorted items, long loading times, or so-called "false positives" – i.e., unwanted or incorrect results – significantly reduce the willingness to purchase among potential customers.

Therefore, a successful search function in an online shop should primarily be intelligent, fault-tolerant, and powerful to display relevant products quickly and precisely.

The features "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus" offer exactly these advantages. Their technology is based on Lucene and enables a lightning-fast and reliable full-text search – even with millions of products. The result: A search that really works and leads customers to the desired product faster.

An important advantage of "MegaSearch" is that it operates without a fixed schema. This eliminates the time-consuming task of building a search index. At the same time, mapping allows you to strategically manage and customize the storage of your data. 

"MegaSearch" provides all essential features for a professional search solution:

  • Instant search (Search-As-You-Type)
  • Drill-Down Faceting
  • Alternative search suggestions ("Did you mean")
  • Search field weighting
  • Extensive configuration options

"MegaSearch" is far more than "just" a search function. Why? Quite simple: Thanks to its exceptional performance and scalability, the plug-in is ideally suited as the foundation for building shop categories with filtering options and is also optimized for large data volumes. 

Our "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus" solutions for Smartstore were developed with the highest standards of quality, security, and scalability. Through the use of extensive automated testing mechanisms – specifically unit and frontend tests – we ensure optimal updatability and seamless integration. The search is fully integrated into Smartstore and builds on existing features to ensure the most precise search results.

For maximum performance, with "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus", we rely not only on the powerful Lucene search technology. The plug-in acts as a highly scalable, efficient index for product categories and filter navigation, enabling precise faceting.

Functions of the "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus" plug-in:

  • Simple and fast integration without individual customization effort
  • 100% seamless compatibility with Smartstore standards
  • High scalability and superior performance
  • Powerful filter and facet control directly from "MegaSearch" or "MegaSearch Plus"
  • SEO-optimized URLs for filter results
  • Fault-tolerant search function with auto-suggest
  • Integrated Google Analytics connection for analysis and optimization
  • Intelligent, individually configurable relevance assessment
  • Modularly expandable and flexibly adaptable

Your advantages with "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus":

  • Higher conversion rate through top-class search results
  • Significantly increased performance
  • Greatly reduced time-to-market
  • Highly efficient faceting functions for better user guidance
  • Minimal effort for configuration and setup
  • Simple scaling to multiple systems without complex adjustments
  • Instantly improved search results
  • Sales increase of up to 10–33%
  • All in one comprehensive solution
  • Professional and reliable support

Smartstore MegaSearch – The state-of-the-art search technology directly from the developer: Optimize the search experience in your shop with Smartstore MegaSearch and make finding products for your customers a quick and successful experience. This allows your visitors to find specifically instead of searching time-consumingly.

What benefits does MegaSearch offer you?

The new MegaSearch in Smartstore impresses with exceptional speed: Even with millions of datasets, hits and suggestions are displayed in real time and with the highest precision. Already during the entry of a search term, a pop-up window appears below the search bar, presenting relevant suggestions and results for the current search.


N-Gram Search / Similar Terms: The "Did you mean?" function offers suggestions for terms similar to the search term. 

MegaSearch uses the "Did you mean?" function to intelligently complete or – if necessary – correct the entry.


If the separate plug-in "Search Logging" is installed, relevant top search terms are displayed based on previous search queries.

At the end of the search, the results are clearly grouped according to manufacturers, brands, and product groups. With just one click, relevant hits from a particular manufacturer or a selected product group can be displayed.

A powerful, precise, and intelligent search function is an essential success factor for your online shop. Smartstore MegaSearch offers a search experience that resembles the design and user guidance of Amazon – one of the world's most successful e-commerce platforms. With this advanced search technology, your customers can search the product catalog at lightning speed, find exactly the desired items, and significantly increase the likelihood of purchase. 

Functions of "MegaSearch":

  • Full-text search with pop-up window for articles
  • N-Gram search with similar terms: The intelligent "Did you mean?" function suggests related search terms
  • Highest performance – suitable for millions of article data
  • Category filters directly usable in search (see demo shop https://smartstore.com/de/demo-shops 
  • Search results can be specifically filtered by product groups
  • Comprehensive customization options for indexes, analyzers, queries, and filters
  • Efficient caching for optimal speed
  • Automatic index updating with individually adjustable intervals
  • Extended search syntax with spelling correction ("Did you mean?"), e.g. "Lep-Top" suggests "Laptop"
  • Intelligent auto-completion, e.g. "Samsung" suggests "Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge"
  • Category-based search, e.g. "washing machine" shows products in the home electronics category
  • Brand-specific search, e.g. "washing machine" suggests products from Bosch
  • Display of popular search terms, e.g. "iphone" suggests "iPhone 7 Plus Silver" (requires the SearchLog plugin)
  • Flexible sorting of search results
  • Targeted weighting of search fields to influence the order of hits
  • SEO-optimized URL aliases, also for filter functions
  • Detailed conversion and search statistics through the search logging plugin
  • Customizable abbreviation lists to increase hit rate, e.g. "36cm" finds "36 cm"
  • Expandable synonym lists for better search results, e.g. "Laptop" finds "Notebook"
  • Support for compound words, e.g. "glasses" finds "sport sunglasses case" (approx. 63,000 pre-defined terms included)

Additional features of "MegaSearch Plus":

  • Multilingual support: Without "MegaSearch Plus," only texts in the default language are searched
  • Multi-store support: Without "MegaSearch Plus," product-specific restrictions for various shops and customer groups are not considered
  • Extended facet search: Specification attributes and variants can be defined for the search and used for intelligent filtering
  • Attribute-based filtering: Without "MegaSearch Plus," no facet search by attributes is possible
Enterprise Search:

Scales and replicates search indexes to all available server instances, enabling high-performance search queries – even in web farms. The use of "Enterprise Search" requires Redis, as only Redis allows the use of the web farm option. Redis is included in the Smartstore Enterprise Commerce Edition.

Hits include all search terms:

By default search results were handled according to the OR logic, so they had to contain at least one of the entered search terms. This led to the number of hits increasing with more search terms. The MegaSearch option "Hits include all searched Terms" changes this behavior fundamentally. Here, all entered terms must appear in the search result (logical AND connection). As a result, the search results become more precise and targeted, the more terms are entered.

Especially with large datasets with many hits, this option is helpful as the hits often achieve the same score value, and the user has difficulty finding the relevant hits for them.

It should be noted that this new option increases the likelihood that the instant search shows no hits, while the regular search page still provides relevant results. This may occur when hits are found based on a field that is not considered in the instant search for performance reasons – such as the long description.

Another aspect is the potential slowdown of faceting, the more search terms are entered. This delay can be more noticeable with the option enabled.

Additional configuration options:

  • Products not available can be automatically pushed further back in the result list.
  • The stemmer responsible for word stemming can be set individually for each language.
  • If the option "Separate compound words" is activated (default), a search is conducted both for the compound and separate words. Example: A search for "wardrobe" finds both products with the term "wardrobe" and products with "closet". If this option is disabled, only the compound word is searched for (there are fewer search hits). 
  • Products can be assigned keywords to better control search results.
  • Keywords can be imported via the column "MegaSearch.Product.Keywords" of the import file in a product import.
  • The price settings determine which price is indexed. This affects the sorting and filtering of search hits by prices.
  • Much more...

Practical tips for conversion optimization with faceted search and filter navigation


Our customers should receive optimal support in product search and selection. The filter navigation and faceted search combined with "MegaSearch" and "MegaSearch Plus" are essential interactive tools for this purpose. Below you will find valuable tips and practical advice for optimizing the search function in Smartstore.

From a certain depth of assortment, faceted search and filter navigation become indispensable to enable customers to conduct targeted searches and product selections. It is crucial that these functions offer real added value by simplifying choices instead of complicating them with unnecessary elements.

The goal is clear: The navigation aid should intelligently narrow down product selection, guide customers specifically to relevant products, and deliver precise search results.

Background information:

What is the difference between filter navigation, faceted search, and sub-navigation (drilldown)?


Development of a visualization and interaction concept based on facet classification from TU Dresden. (Christian Röpke, Thesis from 15.06.2011) Study on facet classification at TU Dresden
These three types of navigation are frequently used on category pages in product overviews. A single method does not exclusively have to be used – a combination can also be sensible. While sub-navigation is usually placed in the left column, filter navigation and faceted search are often above the products or below the sub-navigation on the left. Placement on the right side of the screen is not recommended as it might be unfamiliar to users.

The faceted search allows a selection to be restricted based on different features, properties, or values. Filtering occurs step by step and in parallel, based on the so-called Flamenco model.


Classic filter navigation or faceted search?

Classic filter navigation allows results to be restricted based on specific properties. However, these restrictions are each based only on a single dimension and cannot, therefore, be combined simultaneously. In everyday language, faceted search is often equated with filter navigation today.

Sub-navigation

Sub-navigation (also known as "drilldown") is a filter method where a restriction is based on a fixed criterion that cannot be combined with others. This method is often used for subcategories. It guides the user step by step in a tree structure to the desired level of detail.

When should sub-navigation be used, and when is a faceted search recommended? This depends on the specific application context. For example, a customer should be able to select not just a single brand ("drilldown") but also multiple brands simultaneously ("multiple choice").



The type of navigation influences not only product selection but also technical aspects such as search engine friendliness. A sub-navigation often leads to a page change, where an independent URL opens. Therefore, "duplicate content" can occur with identical products – however, there are measures to avoid this. If filter navigation or faceted search is optimally used, this risk does not exist. 

    Which navigation is suitable for which assortments and from what assortment size?

    If the assortment is manageable and allows customers to get a good overview of the products without additional restrictions, a filter or faceted search is usually not necessary. Rather, it might unnecessarily restrict product selection and usability. A benchmark could be a product category with more than 50 items – or when users need to scroll through multiple pages to compare products.

    With assortments whose products are based on multiple dimensions and exceed a critical volume, a faceted search or filter navigation should be used. This way, customers can specifically narrow down products based on specific characteristics.

    Two examples of such assortments:

        • Fashion: In addition to the product type, size, color, material, and price, also play roles.
        • Electronics: There are numerous attributes such as functionality or price that users should be able to specifically filter.
        How should filter navigation or faceted search be structured?

        Four central aspects should be considered in planning:

        Structure and Content

        The crucial question is: Which attributes make sense?

        There are different approaches to determining relevant attributes. Customer surveys, involvement of product managers, analysis of mental models, or practical cases (e.g., using personas) can provide valuable insights here. It is essential to adopt the perspective of the customers and consider their thinking and ordering structure.

        Similar to mega-dropdowns (mega menus), certain aspects are essential when structuring content for filter options:

        • Grouping: Sensibly summarize related properties.
        • Order: Arrange attributes according to user expectations, considering existing ordering structures.
        • Balance: Groups should be neither too small nor too large, as an excessive number of filter options can quickly become confusing and off-putting.
        • Redundancy: Avoid unnecessary repetitions in groupings or properties.

        To maintain balance even with many filter options, it is recommended to display a maximum of five to ten options at once. Additional options can be displayed via a "More" element. Also, hiding less relevant filter groups can contribute to clarity. In this case, however, at least the first filter group should be expanded by default so that users recognize the functionality and availability of further filters.

        From a technical perspective, the attributes must be linked to products to enable structured and targeted enrichment of the database with relevant product properties.

        Type and Positioning

        Where should the filter function be placed? There is no general answer to this, but placement on the left side has proven to be particularly user-friendly because it meets the expectations of most users. Placement above the results is an alternative option, which can be particularly striking through appropriate design – especially since sub-navigation is often expected on the left side. A combination of both variants is conceivable, as long as no unnecessary duplications arise. However, positioning on the right side is rather uncommon in German-speaking countries.


        Placing the faceted search at the top can be problematic if the number of possible properties exceeds a critical mass. In this case, there is a risk that the faceted search becomes too large and not all products are visible. However, this problem can be balanced to some extent by using dynamic elements, such as navigation elements for expanding and collapsing ("show more / less").

        Layout, Design and Input Fields

        In layout and design, optical separation plays a crucial role – similar to dropdown menus. It is essential that the filter navigation or faceted search is clearly distinct from any sub-navigation that may be present.

        Similarly, grouped properties should be clearly distinguished from each other to facilitate the quick and intuitive recognition of these groups ("Scannability"). The title of a filter group should also be clearly distinguished from the associated filter properties.

        For design, as often in this context: Less is more. Customers should be able to rely on known and trusted mechanisms. An example of this is the use of checkboxes instead of individually designed elements with unfamiliar state displays.

        Two positive examples of successful design elements:

        • Color selection elements, where the colors are already visible in the display.
        • Sliders with a clear scale and clearly visible arrows as control or marking elements.


        In the second example, context and the specific area of use are crucial. If the slider is to be used in a particularly low or wide scale, two input fields might be more practical for the user. This should be checked on a case-by-case basis and ideally validated through user testing.

        Choice of Words

        The choice of words is essential for the success of the filter navigation or faceted search. The larger the assortment, the more intuitive and self-explanatory the navigation should be.

        The basic principles of web writing ("writing for the web") apply – analogously to the optimization of mega dropdowns (Mega Menu):

        • The term with the highest statement value should always be placed first to optimize readability and recognizability ("scannability").
        • Short and precise base forms like "Color" are generally better suited than gradient forms or calls to action like "Select Colors."
        • Designations must be clearly distinguishable and understandable. Terms like "Clear Filter" are clearer than alternatives like "Reset Filter," "Change Filter," or "Cancel Filter," as they avoid confusion for the user.

        How should the faceted search or filter navigation behave?

        User experience plays a crucial role in navigation as well. However, this aspect is often given too little attention, especially regarding the "Joy of Use" of these functions.

        For a successful user experience, the following four aspects should be considered:

        Speed

        Speed is irreplaceable – except by even higher speed!

        There is much truth to this. However, this fundamental principle should not be taken too literally. The crucial factor is that the system communicates to the user that the response of the website is directly related to their action – following the principle: "Action and Reaction."

        Without this immediate feedback, the impression of losing control can arise quickly.

        Thus, the speed of the interface's display and response has a significant impact on user experience and conversion rate. This is confirmed by numerous studies and user surveys.

        How can high speed be achieved?

        A complete answer to this question would go beyond the scope. Fundamentally, however, two main system-related factors influence the performance of a faceted search, filtering, sub-navigation, and the entire shop system:

        Backend: This includes the database, the server, caching mechanisms, and the system architecture.

        Frontend: Here, elements such as graphics, document structure, JavaScript, CSS, and caching play a central role.

        Once these technical foundations are optimized, there are further measures to boost performance:

        Animations and the handling of content – loading, timing, transitions, and fades

        Now that all the known buzzwords have been brought into play: How do these affect navigation behavior and user experience?

        Two key aspects of a good user experience are, on the one hand, targeted user guidance and, on the other hand, equipping control elements with a certain haptic ("tangibility"):

        "Operation should be intuitive and fun."

        Changes on the page should always be directly related to a user action and not occur randomly but in a targeted and controlled manner.

        In other words, as soon as a user sets or removes a filter, the system should respond by specifically showing or hiding products.




        To ensure animations do not appear hectic or jerky, changes should be displayed harmoniously to the customer. The following examples illustrate suitable animations for this context:

        Gently show and hide products

        Hiding should be slightly faster than showing. Experienced values suggest that 450 ms for showing and 250 ms for hiding are optimal.

        Scroll effect for expanding or reducing

        When expanding or collapsing filter groups, a scroll effect is recommended for better visibility. A suitable transition function, such as EaseOutBack or EaseOutQuad, ensures smooth display.

        Sliders and Alternatives

        Sliders should intuitively drag and drop along the scale. Ideally, input fields display the current values in real-time. Conversely, these fields should also allow input that updates the slider accordingly. Transition effects further improve the user experience.



        Targeted User Guidance

        By consciously and prioritized displaying content, the user's gaze can be directed to essential elements, and thus the focus can be specifically influenced.

        Here, the products are initially fully hidden and then sort them back in. However, this sometimes creates longer empty spaces, which were not bridged with a loading animation.

        Important Basis: High-Quality Product Data as Fuel for Smartstore

        In addition to mature functionality, a powerful product search in Smartstore requires high-quality product data. These form the basis for a precise and efficient search that meets buyer expectations. To ensure optimal search results – even with complex queries – we recommend our customers professionally prepare their product data. This is known as "Product Data Quality Management."

        More information on the topic "find search results" can be found here: MegaSearch Documentation & How do I configure the shop search with Smartstore MegaSearch?
        Do you have any questions on this topic? Or would you like to send us your feedback? Then you can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com or by phone from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at +4923153350.