How can I sort search results by product type in my online store?

[FMS-DEV]

Good afternoon everyone,

I would like help regarding changes to my store's Search engine. I was trying to change the way the search is done in my store.

I would like to be able to change my search to sort the items displayed, for example if a user is searching for a certain brand, it brings the bags first, then the glasses, then watches, etc.
As it is today, the search returns the items shuffled , including bags, watches, glasses in a random order and all mixed.

Anyway to change the search engine and hence get the search.results sorted in my search.liquid file?

Thank you

[Moira]

Hey, @FMS-DEV!

This is Moira from the Social Care team at Shopify. Thanks for posting, and a very warm welcome to the Community!

Storefront search is based on query parameters that determine what information is returned, and how it’s returned, in the search results. In addition to the search query itself, there are parameters that allow you to customize the search in the following ways:

• Only search for certain resource types

• Choose whether unavailable products are returned, and where in the results

• Enable partial word matches

I found a great tutorial on helping you customize your storefront search results I'd like for you to check out. You can further display search results based on availability or only display results based on certain parameters. I trust this will help guide you in the right direction. If anything is unclear, please let me know, and I'd be happy to clarify further.

Design Time

You didn't mention which theme you are using, but we might be able to help if it's one of ours! Find your theme and version by heading to:

• Admin > Online Store > Themes > Customize Theme > Theme Settings.

All paid Shopify stores, using a Shopify-developed theme, are allotted 60 minutes of free design time to use as they please. Depending on the complexity and size of the merchant's request, we can usually accommodate changes within a couple of business days. Although Shopify can help you with many customizations, keep in mind that Shopify can't help with certain tasks which are listed here in our Design policy.

If you're using a paid theme, then your theme was made by a third-party developer and Shopify's Support team can't help you with it. If you need help customizing a paid theme, then consider hiring a Shopify Expert. Similar to free themes, some kinds of customizations aren't supported because of limitations associated with the theme or Shopify admin.

Otherwise, how is the rest of your store coming along? While you're working on your website, I highly recommend checking out Shopify Compass. We have a course on website design that goes through how to set up a website that suits your brand well. There are other courses too, from analyzing your data to marketing to your target customers. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.

Best regards,

[FMS-DEV]

Good morning Moira,
Thanks for the quick feedback and also for the information shared.
We are using Wokiee theme, version 1.0.8
Could you please tell me if we have access to this 60 minutes of free design time?

I had previously checked the options available in the Storefront search documentation, but I didn't find anything that helps to sort the products in the search engine. I know there is a SORT filter for arrays, but it doesn't work in my scenario as I have several tags per product, unless there is a way to catch one specific tag to be sorted by...
My idea was to create tags such as priority-0, priority-1, priority2... and make the search return what is priority-0 first, then priority-1 and so on. It would be a way to order my products displayed in the search, but I couldn't implement this in my code. 
Any other hints on how to solve this?

Thank you 

[Moira]

Hi @FMS-DEV,

Thanks for getting back to us!

Wokiee is a third-party theme, meaning it was not developed by our own Shopify team. Unfortunately, it does not qualify for design time but you do have the option to reach out to the developers directly to see if this is a request they would support. I have linked the Wokiee developer's info below:

• Wokiee - Multipurpose Shopify Theme by p-themes | ThemeForest

While the ability to sort products by specific tags in the search engine is not currently available, I completely understand the need for this, so I'm glad to submit this feedback to our development team. It's not an immediate and guaranteed solution, however, we do consider your suggestions when we release updates on our platform. Updates are published on our Shopify Changelog page.

As a workaround, I have gone ahead and done some digging to see if an app could provide the functionality you are after:

• Smart Product Filter & Search | Shopify App Store - Filter products instantly by price, size, color, tag, vendor, brand, collection, and more. Easy to install and custom your filter menu.

• Smart search bar & search icon | Shopify App Store - Deep data smart search engine: It searches by product name, type, description, collection, vendor, tags, barcode, or SKU search.

• Product Filter & Search | Shopify App Store - Set product ranking in search engine

Let me know if any of the app suggestions will work for you, if not, I am happy to reach out to our technical team for further insight!

Additionally, whilst being on the topic of product pages, you may like to have a look at our article on Writing Product Descriptions That Sell. One of the points in the article is to focus on your ideal buyer when you write your product descriptions. What kind of person are they, and what language can you use to ensure they feel like you're talking to them directly? Increasing the font size for readability and using easy to scan bullet points is also a good point.

Cheers,

[FMS-DEV]

Thanks for your support Moira, I'm relatively new to the shopify community and the support has been great and fast so far.
I already have another ticket open with the Shopify technical team to analyze this issue and possibly reach a solution, I am waiting for their return via email. 

I've tested the apps you suggested and unfortunately they don't meet my needs, despite having amazing filter features. It's great to know the options available in case I need them someday.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

[Moira]

That's great to hear! We are so glad to be on this entrepreneurial journey with you. I would recommend reading our guide on getting support from the Shopify Community here so you are best equipped when looking for support through these forum boards. 

Don't forget you can ask us anything anytime here or through our live support!

All the best,