🆚 Shopify product finder vs Shopify Search and Discovery: See how they compare

The challenge of helping customers find the right products in Shopify stores

Helping customers find the right product in your Shopify store is key, but many still leave empty-handed. Most shoppers don’t know exactly what they need. They browse, compare, and if they’re not sure, they’ll leave. Traditional search and filter systems don’t always guide them to the best match, as they rely on shoppers knowing what keywords or categories they’re looking for.

Are you looking for a way to truly help your customers find the right product? Then Shopify offers a built-in discovery tool to improve search and navigation: the Search & Discovery app. But that’s not all: you can also decide to implement a Shopify product finder.

We’ve compared the two solutions to see what the use cases are for each and had a look at the key features and benefits to help you decide which one is the right one for you. We’ll start by showing the key differences at a glance, then follow up with more details on both options. Let’s get right into it.

Shopify product finders vs Shopify Search & Discovery: the key differences

Before we dive into all the details - let’s have a look at the key differences between both solutions:

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Read on if you want to understand more about how these features work and why they can be helpful for different use cases. 

What is the Shopify Search & Discovery app?

Shopify’s Search & Discovery app is designed to improve how customers navigate your store and find products. It gives merchants more control over search results, filtering options, and product recommendations, making it easier for shoppers to browse and discover relevant items.

Key features of the Search & Discovery app

• Customizable search to fine-tune search rankings and control what products appear for certain queries.
• Filtered navigation to refine searches based on product attributes like size, color, or price.
• Product recommendations to help suggest complementary or alternative products to increase purchases.
• Analytics to understand the search and discovery performance. 

Use cases for Shopify merchants

The main reason for Shopify merchants to install the Search and Discovery app is to create a user-friendly shopping experience. Here’s what they achieve with it: 

• Improve product discoverability: Help customers find relevant products more easily with enhanced search and filtering.
• Improve the customer experience: Make navigation smoother and reduce frustration by offering structured ways to explore products.
• Make data-driven decisions: Gain insights into customer navigation habits to optimize store layout and product placement.
• Optimize search to boost products: Adjust search rankings and recommendations to highlight bestsellers and strategic products.

Besides the Search & Discovery app, Shopify also acquired Vantage Discovery, to make smarter product recommendations. 

Vantage Discovery: Shopify’s new AI solution for product recommendations

In a move to strengthen its discovery capabilities, Shopify acquired Vantage Discovery, an AI-powered search and recommendation platform. This acquisition enhances Shopify’s AI capabilities. With this technology Shopify merchants can expect:

• Product recommendations based on AI
• Automated merchandising to reduce manual setup and maintenance
• Improved product discovery on how customers find and interact with products

With this acquisition, Shopify aims to help merchants and shoppers connect with the right products more effectively. As of yet it’s unclear what the price point for Vantage Discovery will be, and whether it’s set to replace Shopify Search & Discovery entirely.

Importantly, while merchandising and discovery tools like Search & Discovery and Vantage Discovery assist customers who already have a sense of what they need, they don’t provide guided assistance for those who are undecided.

So how does a Shopify product finder compare? Let’s take a closer look.

What is a Shopify product finder?

Search & Discovery is a powerful tool, but many online retailers choose to combine it with Shopify product finder to help customers even better.

A product finder is an interactive tool that guides customers to the right product via a series of smart questions. Instead of relying on search filters, a product finder acts as a digital sales assistant that makes selection easier and more intuitive.

Key features of a Shopify product finder

• Interactive questions to understand customer needs and preferences.
• Smart filtering and dynamic logic that adapts based on real-time input.
• Product Recommendations that connect shoppers to the most relevant product.
• Difference between must-have and nice-to-have features for better advice.
• Flexible placements on various pages of your Shopify store.
• Zero-party data collection to capture customer intentions.
• Integrations with Shopify, ESP, CDP, GA4 for personalization and retargeting.
• AI features to easily set up and scale product finders.

How product finders reduce the stress of choice

Too many options can overwhelm customers, causing them to abandon their shopping basket. Product finders are addressing this issue by providing structured customers with guidance on their purchase decision.

Webshops use product finders to:

• Providing a personalized shopping experience
• Improving product discovery
• Increase conversions and sales
• Reduce returns
• Reducing the pressure on customer service
• Setting up data-driven marketing campaigns
• Optimizing product offerings based on customer preferences

Product finders are particularly powerful for web shops with a complex product range and/or an extensive range of products. In these sectors, they prove their worth time and time again:

• Health & Nutrition: Recommend supplements or health products based on personal goals, preferences, and uses.
• Garden & Outdoor: Help customers choose the right garden and outdoor products based on material, space, and style preferences.
• DIY (Do It Yourself): Determine the best products based on brand preferences, specifications, and applications.
• Electronics: Make complex specifications manageable by matching customers with the right product based on wishes and use cases.
• B2B: Help business customers find the right products by connecting them to the right specifications through smart, targeted questions.

Instead of letting customers search endlessly through product pages, product finders work as digital sales assistants. They filter options in a smart way and direct customers directly to the best match.

Shopify product finders vs Shopify Search & Discovery: which one do you choose?

If your online store mainly has customers who already know what they're looking for, the Search & Discovery app is a great choice. But if you have a wide range of products or complex products, or want to provide better guidance to customers, a product finder is the better option.

Best of all? You can combine both tools. Search & Discovery helps shoppers who already know what they're looking for, while a product finder helps doubters. Webshops with product finders see an average of 40% more conversions and fewer returns.

By using both tools, you'll provide the best shopping experience for every customer — whether they want to find something quickly or need personal product advice.

Why Aiden is the best product finder for Shopify stores

Do you really want to help customers make their purchase decisions and see this reflected in your results? Then it's time to add Aiden to your Shopify store. Our AI-driven product finders work as an experienced sales assistant and effortlessly guide shoppers to the right product.

Our adventure started with a simple truth: ”Customers who can't decide, won't buy.” The frustration of shoppers struggling with their buying decision inspired us to write a book with exactly that title. From there, we developed a software solution that addresses the problem at its core.

There are now more than 1,500 product finders live in Europe, and Aiden is the most used guided selling software for e-commerce brands that want to increase conversions, reduce choice stress and improve customer satisfaction. Our data-driven approach has helped webshops achieve 91% completion rates, an average CTR of 60% and up to 2.5x more conversions.

Built for scalability and seamless Shopify integration

Aiden isn’t just about better product discovery — it’s built to scale. Effortlessly launch, refine, and optimize product finders for every category in your Shopify store. Here’s how Aiden sets you up for success:

• AI-powered optimizations: Use Aiden AI to set up, refine, and scale product finders in each category without starting from scratch.
• Flexible product feed control: Filter and import the products you want to include in your product feed based on rules and filters.
• Effortless expansion: Easily add new products without manual reconfiguration
• Flexible placement: Add product finders wherever you like and have full control over the layout to match branding.
• Seamless integration: Connect Aiden to Shopify, ESPs, CDPs, GA4, and other e-commerce platforms.
• Advanced insights and analytics: Benefit from 5+ years of experience in guided selling at 150+ online stores and get access to an impact dashboard for in-depth and real-time performance insights. 

Don’t just take our word for it:
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"Aiden's product finders help our customers make the right product selection in a very accessible way, with incredibly high conversion rates. Additionally, Aiden's team truly is a business partner. By integrating their platform with our CDP, we are able to activate and enrich existing profiles, which is highly valuable." - Eduard Brenninkmeijer, CEO, Vitaminstore

Read more about what our customers say and what online shoppers say about Aiden on our website.

Of course, we can tell you all about it, but experiencing it yourself works better. Schedule a free demo and learn how Aiden is improving your Shopify shop and e-commerce strategy.