Constructor.IO - a search solution Salesforce Commerce Cloud

As an e-commerce platform, optimizing the search functionality is crucial for providing a seamless user experience. One way to significantly enhance search capabilities and bring about a positive change is by integrating Constructor.io, a powerful search solution, with your platform. This integration can improve search accuracy, provide autocomplete suggestions, and customize search results to meet your specific brand and functional requirements, enhancing the overall user experience.

What is Constructor.io?

Constructor.io is a software company offering an AI-powered product discovery and search platform for enterprise e-commerce businesses. It focuses on improving the customer experience within online stores by optimizing search results, recommendations, and overall product discovery.

How do we implement Constructor.io?

To successfully implement Constructor.io, we need to take some important steps. Firstly, establishing product, pricing, and inventory feeds using the SFCC cartridge provided by Constructor is essential. This involves configuring attributes and mappings for accurate data synchronization and search indexing. Customizing job steps and integrating Constructor.IO's Search autocomplete functionality is crucial for enhancing the user search experience.

Another critical aspect is ensuring that all search enhancements meet accessibility standards to accommodate disabled users, which includes developing a fail-safe toggle mechanism within #SFCC to switch to internal search capabilities during any Constructor.io server downtime, ensuring continuous search functionality. Additionally, thorough testing and validation for integrating Constructor.io features within mobile app areas that utilize web views is essential to ensure platform compatibility and performance.

It's important to note that while some features exist out of the box, customizations are not just an option but a necessity to ensure proper functionality with your specific catalogue and inventory. Implementing custom sorting options, custom category refinements, and brand-specific facet configurations on Constructor are key to optimizing the search experience for your users, giving you the power to tailor the search experience to your specific needs.

What are some of the limitations of the Constructor.IO Salesforce Commerce Cloud Cartridge?

However, certain limitations and impacts must be considered when implementing Constructor.io. For example, the SFRA architecture is tightly coupled, which means that changing the PLP would require a major overhaul of the back and frontend functionalities. Additionally, there may be limitations regarding #SFCC quota and performance impact, which must be carefully addressed during the implementation process.

Let's review the key items we need to address during our implementation..

SFRA Architecture

? SFRA architecture is tightly coupled. Changing the PLP would require a significant overhaul of the current functionalities on the backend + frontend.

? Most components cannot be reused and would need to be constructed from scratch

? PLP components are used throughout the site in some areas (e.g., Tile—Show is also used for carousels, etc.), so any change to PLP would have many ripples.

Mobile Implementation

? some implementations on the mobile phone screen would need to be addressed by the mobile team

? Some hooks, etc, are being used that would need to be migrated, and compatibility with Constructor's functionality would need to be studied

? All customizations (e.g. filter by store and brand name, clicking on authorname redirects to page with all author's books custom PLP pages for authors, brands and series) will need to be reimplemented

? Compatibility with Constructor will need to be investigated for these cusomisations to see if they will be supported

Filters and sorting

? Facet configurations will all be done on a code level as they are specific to the brand's catalogues and products

? For the implementation of Sort, Constructor.IO will need to be reached out for any custom sorting options that need to be included

Fail-safe Toggle

? The extent of this functionality would be subject to implementation

A/B Testing

? So far, there is no OOTB solution for implementing AB testing for this usecase (using two different service providers for Search, i.e. #SFCC & Constructor.IO)

? The possibility of doing this needs to be investigated and will be based on the structure of the Framework

Salesforce Commerce Cloud Quota Limitations

? #SFCC permits standard objects of a specific size, and we need to ensure that both the response and consequent mapping do not violate this quota.

Performance impact

? We will have a minimal role in the optimization of performance

? If we are using Constructor to power the PLP/CLP, they will be able to control performance from their end

Conclusion

Integrating Constructor.io with your platform requires meticulous planning, thorough customization, and rigorous testing. This approach ensures a seamless and optimized search experience for your users, instilling confidence in the reliability of the integration process. While there may be challenges and limitations along the way, the benefits of enhancing your search functionality can significantly improve user satisfaction and drive business success.