How we build composable ecommerce experiences with Algolia.

Algolia is worth it once your catalogue is big enough that search is how most people shop. On large catalogues, customers who search convert far better than customers who browse, so it is often the highest return change available.

We get the index right first. What is searchable, what becomes a filter, how variants group together. Then we build search as you type, filters and merchandising rules. The search data also tells you what customers want and cannot find, which is worth as much as the search itself.

Is Algolia right for my ecommerce brand?

Who it's for

Brands with enough products that customers cannot browse their way to the right one, and enough traffic that better search moves revenue rather than just feeling nicer.

Catalogues in the thousands, not the dozens
Categories with heavy filtering, like size, fit or compatibility
Teams who want to merchandise search results without a developer

What it solves

Shoppers can't find products that are sitting in the catalogue
Search returns irrelevant results on long-tail queries
Merchandising has no control over ranking or promotion
Nobody knows what customers are actually searching for

Common questions about integrating Algolia search for your ecommerce brand.

Does site search actually affect ecommerce revenue?

Yes, and disproportionately. Visitors who use search are already further along in deciding, so a bad result costs you a customer who had all but committed. On large catalogues, search sessions typically convert several times better than browsing ones.

What does Algolia do that my platform's built in search does not?

It tolerates typos and synonyms, ranks on your rules rather than keyword matching alone, returns results as the shopper types, and lets merchandisers pin, boost and bury products without a deploy. Native platform search generally does none of that well.

How much does Algolia cost?

Algolia prices on search requests and records, so cost tracks your traffic and catalogue size rather than your revenue. Brands are sometimes caught out by autocomplete firing a request per keystroke. Getting the implementation right keeps the bill predictable.

How long does an Algolia implementation take?

Three to six weeks for a typical mid-market catalogue. Indexing and the search interface are quick. The time goes into deciding what should rank highly and why, which is a merchandising conversation more than a technical one.

Can Algolia power category and collection pages too?

Yes, and this is where a lot of the value sits. Running collection pages through the same index means filtering, sorting and merchandising behave consistently everywhere, instead of search and browse feeling like two different websites.