The store searches...

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

FYI, you have some issues with your store search, both in the old advanced search and in the new search at the top of every page.

In the old advanced search, you have 3 input fields: A text box called "search criteria", a category drop down and a drop down for in-stock/sold/both. So, let's assume I want to search for "bone" in the text box, and "Schrade" in the Category drop down, and "in-stock" only. I set those and click search and a set of results is returned. That set of results is always returned sorted by "Date: Newest to Oldest". If I change the sort to "Price (Low to High)", it resorts the set, however it no longer shows only the in-stock, it shows both. You can actually see the problem in the URL. When the first search is performed, the search criteria in the URL is:

route=product/search&search=bone&category_id=127&filter_stock=2

So, that's the 3 search parameters of the criteria (bone), category (127) and the stock filter (2).

However, when the list is resorted for price, the URL is:

route=product/search&sort=p.price&order=ASC&search=bone&category_id=127

You have added the sort (p.price & ASC), but you dropped the stock filter.

My suggestion is to make the settings "sticky" by always passing in the current values of all the inputs. If I change one of the settings, then make me requery to get the new results, but make sure you capture all the settings before you requery.

On to the new search in the header...

I have to be honest with you - I don't really see the point of this feature. You provide three drop down selections, but I can't actually use all three in the same search - I can only use one at a time, and when I set one of them, I'm just taken to the search page where I have different input selection boxes. There is actually no way to use the new boxes to search for pattern AND handle AND brand.

I would prefer three drop downs and a search button so that I could set combinations of the inputs and then hit the button to execute the query.

Building a UI for search is a very complex problem. You have to try to anticipate how users want to slice & dice your database, and you also have to make it easy for people that may have no clue how queries work. I think this is one of the reasons why so many sites have simply started listing all the possible attributes in the left nav panel, and letting you click on & off which ones are include in the results. (look at Amazon, ebay, BladeHQ, KnifeCenter, etc).

Hope this helps!
TFL