Why We Built Eluma Search
A client approached us looking for a better search solution. Their existing SaaS provider was expensive, rigid, and lacked the custom features they needed. They wanted more flexibility, lower costs, and greater control over their search experience.
Eluma Search was built to address these challenges. Designed specifically for Shopify stores, it delivers fast, accurate search results with real-time syncing, typo tolerance, and relevance tuning. Unlike SaaS search providers, Eluma Search is self-hosted, eliminating subscription fees while giving merchants full control over their data and search functionality.
Core System Architecture
Eluma Search is a modular and scalable system optimized for performance and reliability. It includes:
Elasticsearch for high-speed, full-text search with typo tolerance and weighted ranking.
Django-based backend for managing search settings and API interactions.
Kibana for detailed search analytics and debugging.
Shopify API integrations using GraphQL, REST, and Webhooks for real-time data synchronization.
API Integrations
API integrations streamline operations, reduce manual workload, and enhance customer experience. Eluma Search automates data synchronization and optimizes search accuracy, ensuring seamless product discovery.
Shopify Admin API
Fetches and manages product, collection, and metafield data using GraphQL for efficiency and REST for legacy support.
Shopify Webhooks
Triggers real-time updates when products, collections, or orders are modified, ensuring immediate search accuracy.
Elasticsearch API
Handles bulk indexing for rapid data ingestion, query expansion, typo tolerance, and faceted search filtering.
Admin Panel API
Allows merchants to manage blacklisted terms, sync triggers, and filters with Shopify OAuth security and background processing via Celery.
Kibana Search Analytics API
Logs search queries to provide insights into user behavior, missed queries, and trends, allowing continuous optimization.
Search Algorithm & Dynamic Result Tuning
Eluma Search allows merchants to fine-tune search rankings for better accuracy, lower bounce rates, and higher conversions.
Product Search
Prioritizes product title matches, followed by tags, descriptions, vendors, SKUs, and variants.
Collection Search
Ranks collection titles highest, followed by descriptions, product titles, and URL-friendly handles.
Article Search
Emphasizes titles first, then content, author names, and tags.
Advanced Search Features
Supports fuzzy matching, partial matching, and dynamic relevance scoring, allowing merchants to optimize search ranking based on analytics insights.
Blacklist System
Eluma Search includes a blacklist system for search quality control. Keyword filtering prevents unwanted terms from appearing in search results.
Pattern-based exclusions allow merchants to exclude terms using regex-like matching. Real-time updates ensure blacklist changes take effect immediately.
Dashboard & Search Management
The Eluma Search dashboard provides merchants with:
- Real-time sync monitoring to track data updates.
- Search analytics and performance metrics for insights into user behavior.
- System health indicators for backend search performance.
Filter & Faceted Search Configuration
Eluma Search supports customizable filters for refined search results, including:
- Standard filters: price, vendor, product type, tags.
- Metafield-based filters: product, variant, and collection metafields for advanced filtering options.
Data Synchronization & Performance Optimization
Eluma Search ensures data is always up to date through:
Real-Time Webhooks
Instant updates when product data changes.
Scheduled Sync
Daily full synchronization to maintain consistency.
Manual Sync
Merchants can trigger updates as needed.
Incremental Updates
Selective data updates to optimize performance.
Performance Enhancements
Elasticsearch query optimizations for faster search speed.
Distributed indexing for high availability. Asynchronous processing with Celery for background syncing.
Why Eluma Search Stands Out
Eluma Search delivers a high-performance, cost-effective alternative to SaaS search solutions.
With full control, advanced search ranking, and real-time syncing, it enhances the shopping experience and drives conversions. Built by Deploi, it offers unmatched flexibility and deep Shopify integration, making it the ideal choice for scalable, customized search solutions.