Want to help visitors find products the moment they start typing? By default, WooCommerce offers a simple search without live results or SKU search. Merchant’s Real-Time Search module shows a well-designed AJAX results modal below the search bar with live suggestions.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up and enable the Real-Time Search module in Merchant.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve installed and activated the Merchant plugin on your WordPress site. If you’re using premium modules, ensure you have Merchant Pro installed and active.
Here’s what it looks like on the frontend of a WooCommerce store, created with our Botiga theme:
Open the Real-Time Search module
Open your Merchant dashboard by clicking the Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area.
Under the Improve Experience heading, click the Real-Time Search module to open its settings page:
Configure the module
Before adding real-time search to your site, we recommend you configure its settings. In the Settings section on the module’s page, you get access to the following options:
- Results Amount Per Search – Set the number of products shown inside the search results modal.
- Results Description – Choose whether to display the product description or the short description field of the products in the results modal.
- Results Description Length – Set the number of words of the product descriptions shown in the search modal.
- Results Order By – Order the results by product name, published date, modified date, random, or product price.
- Results Order – Show the products in ascending or descending order.
- Results Box Width – Set the width of the search results modal in pixels.
- Display Categories – Show product categories among the results when the search term matches a category name.
- Enable Search by SKU – When checked, the module returns results based on both product name and SKU (stock keeping unit) number.
Once the settings are configured, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
Enable the module
If you’re happy with the design, click the Enable button to activate the module:
Frequently asked questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about the Real-Time Search module in Merchant.
Can customers search by SKU?
Yes. Check the Enable Search by SKU option and the module returns results based on both the product name and its SKU number.
Can I show product categories in the results?
Yes. Turn on Display Categories and matching product categories appear in the results when the search term matches a category name.
How many results does the modal show?
You control that with the Results Amount Per Search setting, along with the order and modal width.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up and enabled the Real-Time Search module in Merchant to help visitors find products instantly.
Next, would you like to let shoppers preview products from the results? Check out our guide on Quick View to learn more.
