Intelligent Search Functionality

B2B catalogs have unique search challenges that standard keyword matching can't solve: part number lookups, spec-based filtering, cross-reference searches, and multi-language supplier data. Virto's search layer handles all of these—combining a semantic AI layer that understands synonyms, intent, and partial queries with structured catalog intelligence that maps results to your specific taxonomy and business rules. And because it's provider-agnostic, you're never locked into a single engine.

Virto Commerce delivers an advanced search that seamlessly adapts to your personalized catalog, customers, and business rules, available through Virto’s Commerce Innovation Platform—a composable, headless, PaaS eCommerce solution for B2B, B2C, and D2C.

Choose your search provider, control facet ordering, and deliver relevant results across catalogs of any size—with no-code configuration and AI enhancement built in.

• Cross-dimensional search
  Users can search within a brand, in a virtual category, across only in-stock products, or inside specific attributes, such as material or technical specs.
• Search beyond text—barcode & SKU scanning
  Faster than typing, barcode and SKU scanning instantly retrieve exact product pages or order forms. Compatible with handheld scanners, mobile cameras, and POS hardware, it’s ideal for B2B reordering, inventory checks, and click & collect (BOPIS) workflows. 
• AI Intent Search 
  Understands what buyers are looking for—even when they describe it in their own words rather than SKUs or exact product names. A query such as "the metric version of the 3/8 fitting we use for line 4" will surface the right products without a direct keyword match. The semantic layer adapts to your catalog's specific terminology and can be extended with domain-specific AI models for vertical depth. Includes real-time monitoring, classifier adjustment, and request replay to keep search quality sharp over time.
• Faceted search 
  Facets—category, brand, availability, attributes, price, and custom fields—are tied to the product schema and configured by merchandisers. Business-driven facet ordering lets catalog managers set display priority on filter values, replacing alphabetical defaults with business-driven display order.
• Personalized suggestions & promoted results
  Predictive type-ahead delivers personalized, segment-aware suggestions based on past purchases and views. It highlights seasonal pushes and promoted results, offering different content for retail and wholesale buyers.
• Role-based & logic-driven search behavior 
  Results are tailored to B2B roles. Procurement managers will see contract pricing and bulk SKUs, whereas retail buyers will see consumer-friendly packs and list prices. Access-controlled catalogs restrict product visibility per account, and AI or business logic boost results based on user intent or segment.
• Merchandising tools for total control
  Ranking rules enable fine-tuning search results based on relevance, stock levels, profit margins, and recency. Synonyms and redirects capture alternate search terms, while boosting and stop words elevate accuracy. Reports on top queries, zero-result searches, and trends provide valuable business insights.
• Extensible architecture
  The semantic layer can be extended with domain-specific AI models for industries with specialized technical nomenclature—and because it's built on Virto's API-first, model-agnostic architecture, it connects to any search provider or external AI system without lock-in.
   

Virto supports out-of-the-box integrations with leading search engines, helping you choose the technology that best fits your scale, budget, and performance needs.  

Every integration enables real-time indexing for up-to-date search results, supports multi-language search for global catalogs, and is fully compatible with Virto’s facets, personalization, and merchandising rules.  

• Elastic Search (8 & 9): Open-source with powerful relevance tuning, scalable to millions of SKUs, and supporting complex queries with low latency—ideal for enterprise catalogs and custom scoring rules. 

• Elastic App Search: Quick to deploy, has built-in relevance tuning, analytics, and developer-friendly APIs.

• OpenSearch: Fully open-source, community-driven, supports self-hosted clusters and Amazon OpenSearch Service. Added May 2026.

• Azure Cognitive Search: Microsoft’s cloud-native, AI-powered search-as-a-service, ideal for Azure-centric deployments.

• Algolia: Ultra-fast hosted search with excellent instant-search UX and built-in personalization, suited for high-interaction storefronts.

• Lucene: Core open-source library behind several search engines, ideal for specialized or embedded implementations. 

Any other search provider can be integrated with Virto Commerce to align with your goals and preferences.  

• Fewer zero-result searches: The semantic AI layer resolves part numbers, synonyms, informal descriptions, and intent-based queries—reducing dead ends across complex, multi-supplier catalogs.
• Elevated customer experience: Seamless search for both simple and complex queries creates a positive, frustration-free experience across the platform.  

• Increased conversion rates: Precise and relevant search results reduce friction and bounce rates, helping customers find what they need and place orders faster. 

• Efficient product discoverability: Intent and context processing, fuzzy and proximity search, and term boosting make search results more accurate and relevant, helping users quickly identify the best products.

• Operational efficiency: Advanced search reduces the need for manual filtering or engaging customer support, streamlining operations and lowering costs. 

Explore search configuration along with the rest of Virto capabilities: Interactive Demo.