Product Search

Customers can search for products using three different methods. Any of the methods can be eliminated by removing it from the supplied store templates or by creating a new template that does not contain the feature - although we cannot think of a reason why a store manager would want to make it harder for a customer to find a product, the option is available.

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Browse Products

Customers can search for products by clicking preconfigured hyperlinks in the Browse Products menu on the lefthand side of the store templates. The hyperlinks can point to specific product categories, subcategories, or manufacturers and even products that are currently sale priced. The browse products menu is contained in an included HTML file that can be edited and formatted as needed.

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For more complex products, the hyperlinks in the Browse Products menu (or other hyperlinks in the site) can link to intermediate search pages that help the customer further refine their search. HostedStore supports multiple search criteria generated from checkbox form elements or from comma delimited (any delimiter can be specified) text in a text or textarea form element. Furthermore, the search parameters can be set to ensure that all of the multiple criteria apply (AND search) or at least one of the multiple criteria apply (OR search). This flexibility allows for the creation of search forms that will support detailed and specific searches.

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Quick Search

The quick search form at the top of each store template allows the customer to type in a search term or search terms without distinguishing exactly how the term is to be applied. By default the search term is matched against any products that contain the term in the product name, category, subcategory, manufacturer, or description. Like just about everything else with HostedStore, that too can be modified.

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Advanced Search

An advanced search form enables customers to search for products based on the fields placed in the form by the store manager. As with intermediate search pages, fields can be searched using checkbox selections and delimited text. Our experience has been that an advanced search form is seldom used if the Browse Products menu provides enough product breakdown.

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Search Results

Results from any of the search methods are returned in a simple list format. If no products are found that meet the search criteria, then an appropriate message is displayed along with the Advanced Search form.

Each product displays with a thumbnail image and the name of the product, both of which are hyperlinks to the product detail page where more information can be provided to help the customer make a purchase decision. A brief description and current product pricing and many more options are available to display as well.

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