| Feature |
Default Search |
BRADsearch |
| Search engine type |
MySQL / database full-text |
contextual search engine |
| Typo tolerance |
✗ |
✓ |
| Synonym matching |
Manual only (or none) |
✓ automated |
| Attribute-level search |
✗ |
✓ |
| Multi-attribute queries |
✗ |
✓ |
| Zero-result recovery |
✗ |
✓ |
| Visual autocomplete |
Text-only / basic |
✓ Rich with images |
| Search analytics |
Minimal or none |
✓ Full dashboard |
| Multilingual accuracy |
Weak |
✓ Per-language indexing |
| Merchandising |
✗ |
✓ |
| Cost |
Included with platform |
Subscription |
How Default Platform Search Works
PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Magento, and Shopify all ship with built-in search. The exact engine differs by platform, but the shared principle is the same: a keyword or full-text lookup over product titles, descriptions, and sometimes tags. It returns records where those fields contain the search string, weighted by field priority.
This was an adequate approach when ecommerce catalogues were small and buyers searched for exact product names. In 2026, it is not. The limitations are architectural - they cannot be fixed with configuration alone.
How Each Platform's Default Search Differs
The failure modes below are shared across platforms, but each one gets there its own way - worth knowing if you're evaluating the specific store you run.
- PrestaShop uses MySQL full-text search with weighted field scoring. Synonyms must be configured manually in the back office, category by category - a task that is almost always neglected - and relevance degrades on large multilingual catalogues.
- WooCommerce is the starkest case: it is WordPress search applied to a shop. It searches posts and pages alongside products (so a blog post can outrank a product), can't search variants or SKUs, and has no concept of product attributes.
- Shopify runs a keyword index over titles, descriptions, tags, and SKUs. It indexes product-level data, not variant-level, so multi-attribute queries like "size 42 brown leather derby" can't be combined, and synonym handling is manual and basic.
- Magento ships a heavier search stack, but out of the box it still leans on keyword matching without intent understanding, and tuning it for professional or B2B query patterns takes significant engineering effort.
Where Default Search Fails
One typo = zero results
MySQL matches strings. It does not understand intent or phonetics. One misspelling returns nothing, and buyers leave.
"Millwaukee drill" → 0 results | "baterija Makita" → 0 results (word order wrong) | "bosch dril" → 0 results
Technical and multi-attribute queries fail
Buyers who know exactly what they want - "cordless impact driver 18V brushless 1/2 inch" - get poorly ranked noise. The engine matches individual terms across fields with no understanding of which product best fits the combined query.
No analytics - you are flying blind
Default search does not tell you which queries fail, which products are never found, or where revenue is leaking. You do not know your zero-result rate. You do not know which searches end in a bounce. You cannot act on data you don't have.
Performance degrades at catalogue scale
MySQL full-text was not designed for tens of thousands of products with complex attributes, variants, and cross-referenced specifications. Search slows, relevance worsens, and the database load increases as the catalogue grows.
BRADsearch Replaces It With
A smart search engine. BRADsearch understands what buyers mean, not just what they typed. Typos, word order variations, phonetic matches, synonyms, and professional terminology all resolve correctly.
Visual autocomplete. Product images, prices, and category hints appear as buyers type - not a plain text dropdown. Buyers see what they are about to find before they press enter.
Full analytics. Zero-result queries, top searches, click-through rates, conversion by search term - all in a real-time dashboard. You can see exactly where buyers get stuck and fix it.
Per-language indexing. Each language variant of your catalogue is indexed independently. Lithuanian buyers searching in Lithuanian, French buyers searching in French - each gets accurately matched results in their own language.
Merchandising. Boost specific products, pin items to query results, suppress underperforming listings - without touching code.
What Merchants Measured in A/B Tests
These are verified results from live stores that replaced default PrestaShop search with BRADsearch.
+126%
Search conversion lift
Saugima.lt - PrestaShop, verified A/B
+63%
Search conversion lift
Automotive parts retailer - PrestaShop, verified A/B
20% → 6%
Zero-result rate
Apparel retailer - multilingual store
Keep default search if…
- Your catalogue has fewer than a few hundred products with simple naming
- Your buyers always search exact product names with no typos
- You have no budget for a search investment and conversion is not a priority
- You are in early stage and have not yet validated product-market fit
Switch to BRADsearch if…
- You have no idea what your zero-result rate is (it is almost certainly above 10%)
- Buyers with typos or non-standard queries leave without buying
- Your catalogue has grown beyond a few hundred products
- You want search analytics to make merchandising decisions based on real data
See what your buyers are actually searching for
BRADsearch installs on PrestaShop and Magento without developer work. Start a trial and see your real zero-result rate within 24 hours.