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Search bar

Customers use the search bar to quickly find items that they want to purchase. The search bar includes an autosuggest feature that provides relevant search suggestions to customers after they enter at least three characters.

The following image shows an example of suggestions when a customer types app in the search bar:

Shows an example of autosuggest when a customer enters the letters “app” in the search bar.

Suggestions are based on a calculated ranking using enhanced Instacart search engine logic. The logic uses data from your Instacart Marketplace storefront plus various factors such as popular products or products with higher sales volumes.

note

Searches completed on your Storefront site are not considered when ranking suggestions.

Thumbnail images​

The items in the search suggestions can include thumbnail images to represent the products or categories that best match the search term.

The thumbnail image comes from the product with the most conversions on your Instacart Marketplace storefront. A conversion is counted when a product is added to the cart from the search results page. If the product has at least three conversions, the product’s primary image is used as the thumbnail. Otherwise a generic image is used.

The following image shows an example of suggestions with thumbnail images:

Shows the search bar with suggestions for the term “ice”. Thumbnails appear next to each suggested search term.

When a customer initially clicks in the search bar, the bar can automatically display popular search terms. When a customer starts inputting text, the popular search terms disappear. Popular search terms are the most searched terms in the last seven days on Instacart Marketplace storefront.

The following image shows an example of popular searches:

Shows the search bar with a list of popular search terms.

Barcode scanner on mobile apps​

info

This capability is available with Storefront Pro 5.

In the mobile apps (iOS and Android), customers can scan product barcodes to find products in your catalog. When at home, customers can scan the barcode of a product they have on their shelves that they want to restock, and then they can add the found item to their cart or shopping list. When in a store, they can scan a product barcode and then add the found item to a shopping list. To use the scanner, customers must give the app permission to use their camera.

The following image shows the flow the customer can experience:

Shows four mobile images with the following steps: search bar with the scan icon, message to grant camera access, barcode in the camera view, and product details in the storefront.

The customer flow has the following steps:

  1. In the search bar, click the Scan icon.
  2. Allow access to the device's camera.
  3. Position the device's camera over the product's barcode.
  4. If the product is in the store catalog, the product details page is displayed. The customer can add the item to their cart or shopping list as usual.

If the product isn't in the catalog or the barcode wasn't captured correctly, a message explains the issue. The message includes a button that the customer can use to scan the barcode again, as shown in the following image:

Shows the error message and Retry button.

Keyword redirects​

Keyword redirects add suggestions in the search bar that send customers to any web page of your choice. Use keyword redirects to help customers find information outside of the catalog, highlight sales, or direct customers to specific collections.

When creating a keyword redirect, you can set the following properties:

  • Keywords. Associate up to 20 keywords. When a customer enters any of the keywords in the search bar, the redirect suggestion appears.
  • Effective dates. Schedule the redirect to be active for a set period.
  • Redirect URL. Set the redirect destination when a customer clicks the suggestion.
  • Text. Set the suggestion text to display in the search bar.
  • Thumbnail. Upload a thumbnail image to display in the suggestion.

The following animation shows a keyword redirect for the search term new years that suggests to Ring in the new year with wine and cheese. When clicked, the customer is directed to a custom New Years collection.

Shows an animation. A customer enters "New year" into the search bar. The search bar shows a suggestion with the text "Ring in the new year with wine and cheese" and a thumbnail of a bottle of wine. The customer clicks the suggestion and is redirected to a custom "New Years" collection with a selection of wines and cheeses.

Configuration​​

To create keyword redirects, use Instacart Platform Portal. For more information, see Manage keyword redirects.

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