Zero-results search
A zero-results search is a query that returns nothing: a typo, a synonym the catalog does not use, a product name in another language or an item you do not carry. Each one is a shopper who told you what she wanted and got a blank page.
What it means
Every store has them, and most stores never read them. The causes are mundane: "trainers" when the catalog says "sneakers", a missing accent, a brand name split in two, a category word instead of a product word. The fix is in two places: the search itself (suggestions from the first keystroke, synonyms, tolerance for typos, a fallback to the closest category) and the catalog (the words shoppers use, added to the product data).
Why it matters for a store
A blank result page is the highest-intent exit a store has. The shopper typed a need. Reading the zero-results log weekly is the cheapest merchandising work there is: it tells you which products to add, which words to map and which categories to rename.
An example
A home store sees "duvet 200x200" return nothing because sizes are stored as "200 x 200 cm". The agent maps the pattern, the query returns the duvets, and the store adds the size format to its feed so the next query works everywhere.
How the agent uses it
The sales agent suggests products from the first keystroke, tolerates typos and falls back to the closest match instead of an empty page, and it reports the queries that still return nothing.
Related terms
See also Personalized site search, Merchandising rules (boost and bury).
See which of last week's visitors you missed
Thirty minutes, with your store and ad accounts open. Then 30 days free. A holdout group decides: if the agent doesn't add orders in 30 days, you don't pay.
Book 30 minutes
You'll talk to one of us.