📖 This article will help you learn how to manage, create, and edit Boost AI Search & Discovery's Merchandising rules.
⚠️ This feature only works for Boost AI Search & Discovery V2 and above. To find out which version of our app your store's current theme is installed with, please follow this article.
⚠️ Collection Merchandising add-on subscription is required.
List of merchandising rules for the Collection Page
The first thing you see when going to Visual Merchandising is the rule listing page. The rule listing page is divided into two tabs: “Commerce Search” and “Collection Page”.
The “Collection page” tab displays all rules that apply to all collection pages of the store. Here you can organize the rules, see what they're doing, edit existing rules, and create new ones.
Quickly search for a rule
You can easily search for a rule by collection name. The search bar is located at the top of the rule listing page.
Filter out rules based on status and/or active period
You can quickly filter the rules based on status (Enabled, Disabled), or filter by the active period of the rule.
Enabled means the toggle of the rule is on;
Disabled means the toggle of the rule is off.
Enable/disable the rules by switching the toggle
You can enable/ disable the rules by switching the toggle in the first column.
Manage rules by name and date range
The rule applied for all collections is marked with the star icon.
If a rule is displayed with an “Expired” label, it means the validity period is over and the rule is no longer active.
View how a rule is affecting your site
The merchandising strategies for each rule are represented as icons. The icons will be highlighted (in bold) if the rule is set with that strategy. By hovering over the highlighted icon, you can view a description of the strategy being used.
Creating new merchandising rules for the Collection Page
⚠️ The Merchandising rules are applied only when the sort option is set to Sort by Manual. Please enable this setting to ensure that the rules work properly. You can check how to enable the Manual sort options here.
Creating rules for specific collection
⚠️ This rule will affect only the collection page that you have selected when creating it.
Step 1: Click the “Add new rule” button
From the app’s admin, go to “Merchandising” > Click “Add new Rule” > Select “Collection Page”.
Step 2: Set rule conditions
Rule name: You must enter a name for the rule.
Active date: You can optionally set the validity period of the rule by clicking on the date range box.
Apply to: Select the “Specific collection page” option > Select the collection where you want this rule to be applied.
⚠️ One collection can be included in one rule only.
Step 3: Set merchandising strategy
⚠️ For Merchandising strategies that require conditions, the Metafield attribute is not yet supported. We are continuously working to enhance our features and hope to include this functionality in future updates. Stay tuned for further announcements, and thank you for your understanding.
You can apply up to 4 merchandising strategies including “Pin”, “Boost”, “Demote”, and “Hide” for a rule that applies to a specific collection page. The settings for each strategy you selected are shown on the right side of your screen.
The strategies are set in the priority order (highest to lowest) as: Hide > Banner > Pin > Filter> Demote > Boost.
Pinning Products
You can pin up to 7 products on the first 7 positions for the selected collection page.
⚠️ This rule only works when you enable Relevance/Manual sorting on the collection page.
Drag and drop each product to the desired position. Pinned products will be highlighted with a pinning icon in the preview section. You can un-pin the product and return it to its original position by removing the pinning setting.
Boosting Products
Boosting rule allows you to promote products with certain attributes to the top of your collection page. The rule will continue to stay in effect and re-order your products in real-time even if the product information may vary.
⚠️ This rule only works when you enable Relevance/Manual sorting on the collection page.
Under the “Boost product” section, you can set up the conditions for the boosting rule by deciding on which attribute of the product can activate the rule.
You can add maximum 3 set of conditions and 3 product attributes for each condition.
Click “+ Add” to add a new condition and “+ Add another set of conditions” when you want this rule to have multiple sets of conditions. Products that meet all the conditions you select will appear at the top of your collection page.
For example, you want to boost a group of shoes that matches the below conditions:
The color is equal to black; and
The vendor is equal to Aldo; and
The price is less than 50 USD.
In the preview section, you can see the products that match your settings are displayed on top of the collection page, and after the pinned products (if have).
Demoting Products
Our "Demote" strategy allows you to decrease the visibility of specific products by creating rules that push them down in your collection page.
⚠️ This rule only works when you enable Relevance/Manual sorting on the collection page.
For example, you have identified women's shoes of Sketcher Vendor that are not selling well and want to reduce their visibility in search results. You can create a "Demote Rule" that pushes these shoes down in search rankings and prioritizes other, more popular shoes instead.
Under the “Demote product” section, you can set up the conditions for the demoting rule by deciding on which attribute of the product can activate the rule.
You can add a maximum of 3 sets of conditions and 3 product attributes for each condition.
Click “+ Add” to add a new condition and “+ Add another set of conditions” when you want this rule to have multiple sets of conditions.
Hiding Products
This rule allows you to hide products that have low sales or engagement, are seasonal or temporary, or are out of stock, from appearing on the collection page. You can pin up to 7 products to the selected collection page.
💪 This rule is effective for all types of sorting on the collection page.
Under the “Hide product” section, you can set up the conditions for hiding rule by deciding on which attribute of the product can activate the rule.
You can add a maximum of 7 sets of conditions and 3 product attributes for each condition.
Click “+ Add” to add a new condition and “+ Add another set of conditions” when you want this rule to have multiple sets of conditions.
Banner
⚠️ This rule only works for Boost AI Search & Discovery V3 and above. To find out which version of our app your store's current theme is installed with, please follow this article.
Banners are a popular merchandising strategy that involves using images on your storefront to link directly to specific products or landing pages.
💪 This rule is effective for all types of sorting on the search results pages.
How to use
Set Banner Position in Product List:
By default, the banner will be placed first on the product list. You can reposition the banner anywhere between positions 1 and 6 on the product list. Any changes you make will be reflected in the preview.
Name Your Banner:
Enter the desired name for your banner in the “Banner Name” field.
Select a Banner Image:
Choose an image for your banner by uploading it. Make sure the image meets the necessary specifications to ensure it displays correctly on your store. Accepted file formats are .jpg, .jpeg, and .png, with a maximum file size of 2MB.
Note: The banner will be shaped like a product item in your live theme, including the product image and product information.
Set Redirect Link:
Enter the URL that the banner should redirect to when clicked.
Open Redirect Link in a New Tab:
If you want the link to open in a new tab, select the checkbox for “Open redirect link in a new tab.”
After Completing Your Setup:
Once you’ve filled out all the fields, the details of your banner will appear in the Summary section, just like other strategies.
You can click on View the banner on your store to quickly preview how the banner will look on your store.
In the preview section, the banner you’ve set up will be displayed on the search results or collection pages.
Step 4: Review & Finish
To create a rule for your front store, click on the "Review & Publish" button and ensure that your settings are correct. Once you have confirmed everything, select "Publish" to enable and apply the rule immediately.
If you need to make further adjustments before publishing the rule, you can choose to "Save as draft." In this case, the rule will not be enabled and will not apply to your store until you decide to enable it later on.
Creating rules for all collection pages
⚠️ Currently for the All collection pages option (which means your merchandising rule will apply globally for every collection), the only available Merchandising Strategies option is Hide.
Step 1: Click the “Add new rule” button
From the app’s admin, go to “Merchandising” > Click “Add new Rule” > Select “Collection Page”.
Step 2: Set rule conditions & Settings
Rule name: You must enter a name for the rule.
Active date: You can optionally set the validity period of the rule by clicking on the date range box.
Apply to: Select the “All collection pages” option.
Conditions of “Hide products”: Any products that match the conditions specified in the rule will always be hidden on all collection pages.
You can add a maximum of 5 sets of conditions and 3 product attributes for each condition.
Step 3: Review & Finish
To create a rule for your front store, click on the "Review & Publish" button and ensure that your settings are correct. Once you have confirmed everything, select "Publish" to enable and apply the rule immediately.
Editing merchandising rule
To modify a rule that you have created, you can either select the name of the rule or click on the Edit icon in the Actions column.
Review and update the rule information as needed, such as the rule name, date range, and conditions.
Save the changes you made to the rule by clicking the “Review & Publish” button.
To delete a rule that you have created, click on the Delete icon in the Actions column and confirm on the popup to remove the rule.
Tutorial video
Check out our tutorial video on how to use the Visual Merchandising feature:
Should you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our dedicated support team via [email protected].