eCom Buzz

Rethinking eCommerce Search: What If Customers Could Actually Find What They’re Looking For?

AI-Powered Site Search - Conversational Commerce by SwiftOtter

“What if search on your site actually worked the way your customers expected?”

Search is broken.

No matter how beautiful your eCommerce store is, if customers can’t quickly find what they need—products, policies, orders, or answers—they’ll leave.

And traditional site search isn’t just outdated…

It’s actively costing you conversions.

In this game-changing episode of The eCom Buzz, SwiftOtter founder Joseph Maxwell introduces a smarter, AI-powered approach to search—designed specifically for real eCommerce stores.

🎥 Prefer to watch the video? Check it out here.

He also shares how you can get your store featured in this new video series, receiving a free, constructive audit that thousands will learn from.

Why Traditional eCommerce Search Doesn’t Cut It Anymore

Even with filters, categories, and predictive text, most site search tools are stuck in 2010. They rely on rigid rules, exact-match keywords, and limited indexing. They miss nuance. They ignore context.

The result?

Customers get flooded with irrelevant results
Product discoverability tanks
Support questions go unanswered
Bounce rates rise—and LTV drops

And here’s the worst part: you’re likely spending serious effort improving your product content, optimizing collections, and running ad campaigns—only to lose the customer at the very last step.

Conversational AI Search Is the Future—And It’s Finally Accessible

You’ve probably heard about AI-powered search or conversational commerce, but if you’ve looked into it, you’ve likely hit a wall:

Demos that don’t match your tech stack
Custom builds with huge dev costs
Slow, unreliable plugins that hurt performance
Tools that say “AI” but just repackage your old search engine

That’s why we built something better.

SwiftOtter’s Customer Discovery AI is a real, working solution that:

Understands natural language
Connects to your actual product and customer data
Updates automatically via Google Drive
Works seamlessly with BigCommerce
Requires zero complicated configuration

In other words: it’s fast, smart, and built for merchants—not just developers.

Conversational Commerce in Onsite Search by SwiftOtter on a custom BigCommerce Catalyst demo site.

What Can This AI Search Actually Do?

This isn’t a chatbot gimmick. It’s a functional search replacement—and more.

For Your Shoppers:

“Do you have waterproof hiking boots under $150?”
“Where’s my tracking number for my March order?”
“What’s your return policy for items bought on sale?”
“Are any insulated tumblers dishwasher safe?”

For Merchants:

Dynamically update content by editing a shared Google Doc
Connect product data, inventory, customer policies, and reviews
Add search to more than just the search bar—think product detail pages, customer account pages, and help centers
Replace rigid FAQs with contextual, real-time answers

Who Is This For?

While conversational AI benefits nearly every store, the best results come when:

You already have decent traffic and conversion but want to improve discoverability
You’re selling complex products that require customer education
Your customer service team fields repetitive questions that AI could answer faster
You want to provide a “wow” experience without a heavy dev lift
You’re on BigCommerce or willing to integrate with it for performance

It works across verticals—apparel, industrial, firearms, outdoor, home goods—and across both B2B and B2C sites.

Real-World Impact: What Happens When You Fix Search

Implementing Customer Discovery AI can lead to:

✅ Higher Conversion Rates

When customers find what they need faster, they buy more—especially on mobile.

✅ Reduced Support Load

Answers to shipping, returns, product specs, and account details are handled instantly.

✅ Increased Time on Site

Engaging, intelligent search drives deeper browsing and product exploration.

✅ Improved SEO

AI search can surface more pages in organic search by helping you structure and reuse your content better.

✅ Better First Impressions

Search is often the first feature new customers interact with. Make it count.

What Powers This (And Why It’s Different)

This isn’t just fancy UI.

It’s powered by:

Google Gemini for natural language processing
Google Drive for content management
BigCommerce for real-time product data
SwiftOtter integration to securely connect customer and order data

Unlike other AI tools, there’s no custom training required, no long onboarding, and no steep learning curve. It just works.

Want Your Store Featured?

We're inviting a handful of merchants to submit their websites for a FREE video audit.

This isn’t about roasting your site or calling out mistakes. It’s about spotlighting what’s already working—and showing how small, smart tweaks can lead to major conversion gains.

✅ You’ll preview everything before it goes live

✅ We'll focuses on opportunities, not problems

✅ Competitive info stays private

✅ You walk away with insights most people pay thousands for

This is especially for stores already seeing some success and looking to level up.

If you're interested, fill out the contact form below or email Joseph at [email protected].

Want to See It in Action—Using Your Data?

We'd love to provide a free, personalized demo using your store’s actual products, content, and real-world questions.