// e-commerce · site search

AI site search: what a search that understands earns a store

By Vladimir Skvortsov, hands-on CTO · 13 November 2026 · 4 min read

$300B

lost by retailers every year when shoppers can't find what they search for.

76%of shoppers say a failed search cost the store the sale

48%went and bought it somewhere else

52%abandon the whole cart if they can't find one item

56%of online stores still fail at search

Short answer: a typical store search matches the words a shopper types. That works for “green puffer jacket”, and fails as soon as the shopper describes a detail: a bamboo handle, puff sleeves, pearl buttons, a square toe. I ran five searches on a luxury fashion catalog of 2,010 products, the same words in two stores. Typical search made 1 sale worth €990; search that understands made 5 sales worth €5,659.

Same shoppers, same searches

Five searches typed live, the same words in both stores. Each store keeps count of what the shopper buys and what its search costs. 47 s, with subtitles.

Read what the video says

Two online stores. Same products, same shoppers. The only difference is the search. A green puffer jacket. A simple search, and both stores make the sale. A bag with a bamboo handle. That detail is only in the photo. Only one store finds it. A dress with puff sleeves. One store shows puffer jackets. The other finds the sleeves, and sells. A cardigan with pearl buttons. Again, only one store can see them. Boots with a square toe. Another sale for the store that understands. Five searches. One sale against five, for less than three cents of search. Want to run a pilot? Text us.

What happened in each search

The searches from the video, on a luxury fashion catalog of 2,010 products: what a typical store search returned, next to a search that understands the request. When both find the right thing, both make the sale. When the shopper asks for a detail that only the photo shows, only one does. Prices are the brands' recommended retail prices.

Each search is typed once, and both stores get exactly the same words.

1. A simple search: both get it right

green puffer jacket

Typical searchMatches the words

Stone IslandStone Island Puffer jacket - Military Green€990

MM THE CUBEMM THE CUBE Puffer jacket Greengo€415

Tom FordTom Ford Puffer jacket Ultralight Microfiber Down€3,790

Green puffer jackets. A sale.

Search that understandsReads the whole request · 7 matches

The North Face Moss green 1996 Retro Nuptse down jacket — The North FaceMoss green 1996 Retro Nuptse down jacket€294

BurberryBurberry Puffer jacket Highlands€1,250

Green puffer jackets. A sale.

2. A detail only the photo shows

bag with a bamboo handle

Typical searchMatches the words

Ganni "Bou East/West Shine" Shoulder Bag — Ganni"Bou East/West Shine" Shoulder Bag€475

Needles "Tool Tote" Travel Bag — Needles"Tool Tote" Travel Bag€395

DONE! Black nylon beauty case — DONE!Black nylon beauty case€115

Bags, none with a bamboo handle. No sale.

Search that understandsReads the whole request · 1 match

GucciGucci Handbag Removable Shoulder Strap€1,980

The bag with the bamboo handle. A sale.

3. A detail of the cut

dress with puff sleeves

Typical searchMatches the words

WoolrichWoolrich Puffer jacket Madison€650

FendiFendi Puffer jacket Down Heritage€2,800

Puffer jackets: it matched “puff”, not the sleeves. No sale.

Search that understandsReads the whole request · 2 matches

FARM RIO Short multicolour dress with matching belt — FARM RIOShort multicolour dress with matching belt€294

A dress with puff sleeves. A sale.

4. A small detail

cardigan with pearl buttons

Typical searchMatches the words

Khaite "Nora" Cardigan — Khaite"Nora" Cardigan€1,460

Extreme cashmere Little Lamb Goat Cashmere Cardigan — Extreme cashmereLittle Lamb Goat Cashmere Cardigan€551

Valentino Jacquard patterned cardigan Toute la V red/navy blue — ValentinoJacquard patterned cardigan Toute la V red/navy blue€1,890

Cordera Mélange merino wool cardigan — CorderaMélange merino wool cardigan€462

Cardigans, none with pearl buttons. No sale.

Search that understandsReads the whole request · 1 match

The cardigan with pearl buttons. A sale.

5. A detail of the shape

boots with a square toe

Typical searchMatches the words

Stuart WeitzmanStuart Weitzman Boots Power 75€895

Sartore "Velour 45MM" Ankle Boots with Zipper — Sartore"Velour 45MM" Ankle Boots with Zipper€730

Golden Goose "Wish Star" Cowboy Ankle Boots — Golden Goose"Wish Star" Cowboy Ankle Boots€890

Boots, none with a square toe. No sale.

Search that understandsReads the whole request · 1 match

Aeyde "Medea" Knee-High Boots — Aeyde"Medea" Knee-High Boots€695

Boots with a square toe. A sale.

It pays for itself

Better search costs less than a hundredth of a dollar per query. The numbers below are simple arithmetic on the figures above, not a forecast.

$3Ba year back for retailers if better search recovered just 1% of the sales lost today.

$0.005per search to run the search that understands.

1 orderof €300 every 60,000 searches covers the running cost. Every sale after that is profit.

Sources

$300B, 94% irrelevant results: Google Cloud and The Harris Poll, 2021 (US retail; surveys of 10,000+ shoppers).
76%, 48%, 52%: Google Cloud, 2021 (US shoppers).
56%: Baymard Institute, E-commerce Search UX benchmark 2026 (170+ sites).
Search results: live tests on a 2,010-product luxury fashion catalog, November 2026. Running cost as counted in the video, rounded up.

More from me: the free MVP System Design playbook, the ProCode Extended course, and all articles.

// ai search pilot

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