From search bar to checkout: How to build a frictionless product discovery journey

Ellie Ho

August 8, 2025

August 7, 2025

•

3 min read

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In eCommerce, a sale is won or lost in a matter of seconds. Issues like irrelevant search results, confusing filters, or slow load times create friction, driving customers away. Each of these moments is a point of friction, leading directly to higher bounce rates, abandoned carts, and lost revenue.

This guide will help you spot those hidden obstacles and show you how to pave a smooth, profitable path from the search bar to the checkout using Boost Commerce.

Friction Point	The Frictionless Solution (Using Boost Commerce)	The Business Impact
Irrelevant or "no results found" from search	AI-powered search with NLP and Typo Tolerance	Lower bounce rates, higher conversion from searchers
Confusing or overwhelming product filters	Dynamic Filters and a clean, Mobile-First UX	Increased engagement, higher conversion from browsers
Generic, one-size-fits-all collection pages	Behavior-Driven Personalization and Performance Ranking	Higher product click-through rates, increased AOV
Lost upsell opportunities at checkout	AI-Powered Recommendation Widgets on the checkout page	Measurable increase in Average Order Value (AOV)

Why small friction points during the customer journey cost you big sales

When customers can't find what they want quickly and intuitively, they assume you don't have it. Let's look at the most common culprits.

Poor or irrelevant search results: The search bar is the single most important tool for high-intent shoppers. In fact, about 30% of visitors will use site search as soon as they arrive. When they type in a query and get “no results found” or a page full of irrelevant products, you’ve not only failed them, you’ve likely lost them for good.

Globally, search abandonment costs retailers over $2 trillion annually.

Confusing and clunky filters: After a search, filters are the next step to narrow down choices. Shoppers who use filters are highly engaged and convert at a rate two to three times higher than those who don't. The problem? A staggering 84% of eCommerce brands provide a poor filtering experience. Overwhelming options, slow updates, and a confusing layout lead to choice paralysis, resulting in less confident purchases.
A slow or unoptimized mobile experience: Mobile devices now generate the majority of eCommerce traffic, yet mobile conversion rates consistently lag behind desktop. The Baymard Institute identifies poor product discovery as a key reason for this gap. Slow-loading search results, tiny filter buttons, and a clunky interface make finding products on a smaller screen a chore, causing shoppers to abandon their sessions.
Static, one-size-fits-all listings: Many stores present the same collection page to every single visitor. This static approach completely ignores shopper intent. A customer browsing floral patterns should see floral items prioritized at the top, while another looking for a specific brand should see that brand highlighted. A generic experience feels impersonal and makes discovery feel like work.

How to create a seamless shopping experience from Search to Checkout

Eliminating friction means upgrading your toolkit. It’s about moving from a static, manual approach to a smart, automated system that anticipates and adapts to your shoppers' needs at every step.

Start with a search bar that thinks like a shopper

Your search bar should be your smartest salesperson. Instead of relying on basic keyword matching, which often fails, you need an intent-based search engine. This means using technology that understands what your shoppers are really looking for.

Natural language processing (NLP): An advanced search solution uses NLP to understand synonyms, themes, and complex queries. It recognizes that "running shoes" and "jogging sneakers" are the same thing, and it can handle more complex queries like "men's waterproof jacket for hiking."
Typo tolerance: A simple typo shouldn't lead to a dead end. Smart search automatically corrects misspellings ("shrit" becomes "shirt"), ensuring the customer always receives relevant results.
Zero-result mitigation: The "no results found" page should be a thing of the past. If a specific search yields no exact matches, the system should intelligently suggest alternative products, related categories, or trending items to keep the shopping journey alive.

Guide shoppers with smarter filtering and navigation

Once shoppers land on a collection page, the filters should empower them, not confuse them.

Dynamic filters: The filter options should update in real-time based on the products in the collection. If there are no "extra small" sizes available, that option shouldn't be shown. This prevents the disappointment of clicking a filter only to see no results.
Mobile-first UX: On mobile, use features like sticky filters that remain visible as the user scrolls. This allows them to easily refine their choices without having to scroll all the way back to the top of the page.
Clear and simple design: Reduce choice paralysis by organizing filters logically and maintaining a clean design. A great user experience here builds confidence and encourages deeper exploration of your catalog.

Personalize the path with dynamic ranking and merchandising

This is where you move from a static store to a dynamic, living marketplace that adapts to every click.

Behavior-driven personalization: Track shopper interactions in real-time. If a customer clicks on several blue dresses, the ranking algorithm should automatically boost other blue items to the top of their results.
Performance-based ranking: Let your data do the work. Automatically promote your best-selling, most-viewed, or highest-converting products to ensure they get maximum visibility, increasing sales and profitability.
A/B test your strategies: Take the guesswork out of merchandising. With modern tools, you can A/B test different strategies to optimize your results. For example, you can test whether boosting products from one brand performs better than boosting another, using data to make decisions that directly impact your bottom line.

Boost AOV with smart recommendations at checkout

The final frontier for reducing friction and increasing revenue is the checkout page itself. With Boost’s new product recommendation feature for checkout, you can add one last, helpful touchpoint.

Personalized recommendations: This widget uses AI to analyze the items in the cart and the shopper's behavior to suggest products they are uniquely likely to love. It’s a powerful 1:1 marketing tool that creates a "just for you" moment.
Frequently Bought Together (coming soon): This classic cross-sell automatically shows items that are commonly purchased together. If a customer is buying a camera, you can suggest a memory card and a case, making it easy to add essential accessories.
Related Items (coming soon): This AI-powered widget can suggest either complementary products (to complete a look) or alternative products (similar items they might also like), giving you total flexibility to upsell and cross-sell.

Frictionless discovery isn't a Feature, it's your Future

In a competitive market, a seamless, personalized product discovery journey is crucial for eCommerce success. Implementing smart search, dynamic filtering, AI personalization, and strategic checkout upsells creates an effortless customer experience and drives powerful business results.

Start auditing your discovery journey today and eliminate friction with Boost’s complete product discovery platform.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How does personalizing product listing pages increase sales?

Personalization increases sales by reducing the time it takes for a shopper to find a product they love. By automatically ranking products based on a user's browsing behavior (e.g., showing more blue items to someone who has clicked on blue dresses), you are making your catalog more relevant to them. This increases engagement, click-through rates, and ultimately, the likelihood of a purchase.

2. Will adding recommendation widgets at checkout slow down the page or distract customers?

No. Modern recommendation widgets, like those offered by Boost, are built using Shopify's fast and secure Checkout Extensions. They are designed to be lightweight and load asynchronously, meaning they won't impact the checkout loading speed. When implemented correctly with relevant suggestions, they act as a helpful final touchpoint rather than a distraction, often leading to a higher AOV.

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Ellie Ho

•

Content Marketing Specialist

August 8, 2025

•

3 min read

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From search bar to checkout: How to build a frictionless product discovery journey

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