Companies operating a sophisticated B2B eCommerce website need to ensure they maximise their product offerings and make them as accessible as possible to all their customers. 

As eCommerce and online ordering is designed to make product browsing as simple and straightforward as possible, it is imperative that companies provide their customers with a straightforward and intuitive process. 

If you have a large product catalogue, it is vital that you make finding products as simple as possible. For products that are similar, a regular site search system may be redundant. However, with comprehensive product attributes and a fully featured faceted search, filters will allow customers to find exactly what they need quickly and easily. They can even compare features before making a final selection. 

 This functionality is especially useful in e-commerce, where it allows customers to quickly filter through a large inventory of products. By applying specific criteria, such as color, size, or price range. For example, instead of sifting through thousands of items, a customer can filter to view only 15 dresses that match their specific preferences. 

It’s a common misconception that faceted search and filter search are the same, as both are designed to help narrow down search results by eliminating options that do not meet specific criteria. However, the similarities end there. 

Search filters typically offer broad, generic categories that users can select to quickly exclude certain pages or results on a website. These filters can be applied either before conducting a search or after the results are displayed. 

The main difference lies in their flexibility. Search filters are static, meaning they remain unchanged regardless of the search results. In contrast, faceted searches can be either static or dynamic, adapting to the search results to provide more relevant filtering options. 

There are many benefits customers can experience when using a faceted search. The first is that information overload is managed. Managing information overload is essential when users are faced with an overwhelming number of options. Faceted search addresses allow users to refine results using relevant filters and facets, making it easier to navigate and pinpoint exactly what they are looking for. It’s an effective tool for managing complexity and preventing information overload. 

Secondly, faceted searches improve content and product discovery. While a customer’s time and attention are limited, the content on your website is abundant. Just because something exists online does not mean it’s easily discoverable. With faceted search, customers can easily navigate through an extensive product catalog, finding what matters most in a sea of options. This ensures that even less popular items are accessible and discoverable. 

Faceted searches also enhance broad queries by enabling users to filter through the website’s offerings based on specific attributes like topic, color, size, or brand. This allows customers to refine their searches with sensible faceted classifications, helping them quickly locate the most relevant products. 

Finally, a faceted search assists users with limited domain knowledge. Facets offer an opportunity to educate users about notable features and attributes related to their search. By including facets, you can bring awareness to specific product options, guiding users toward more informed decisions. 

Dynamic filtering in faceted search refers to the process of adapting the filters or facets available to a user based on their specific search query and intent. This approach contrasts with static faceting, where a fixed set of filters is displayed for all searches, regardless of the context or relevance. To enhance the user experience and help customers find what they are looking for quickly, a website can implement dynamic faceting. Unlike static filters, which remain the same for every product category, dynamic faceting adjusts the filters based on the user’s search.