Search & Discovery — Build vs. Buy
14 capability decisions in Search & Discovery, each scored across the 12-dimension TCC framework for a mid-market Shopify reference scenario.
BUILD× 3BUY× 6CUSTOMIZE× 2WAIT× 1DEPENDS× 2
Should You Build or Buy Site Search on Shopify?
DEPENDSSite search on Shopify splits by catalog size: native to ~1,000 SKUs, buy in the middle, build at big-catalog, search-led scale.
Search & Discovery
Should You Build or Buy Synonyms & Typo Tolerance on Shopify?
DEPENDSSynonyms and typo tolerance follow the site-search verdict: free native synonym groups to ~1,000 SKUs, buy a search app mid-catalog, build at scale.
Search & Discovery
Should You Build or Buy Visual AI Search on Shopify?
WAITVisual AI search is a WAIT for most mid-market Shopify stores; buy the add-on inside your search platform only when the catalog is visual-first.
Search & Discovery
Should You Build or Buy a Mega Menu on Shopify?
BUILDA theme-level mega menu wins for mid-market Shopify stores with any dev capacity.
Search & Discovery
All Capability Domains
AI & Automation (10)Analytics & Attribution (15)B2B & Wholesale (16)Bundles & Kits (7)Checkout & Conversion (14)Content & Storefront (19)Discounts & Promotions (8)ERP, Accounting & Integrations (11)Email, SMS & Push (15)Gift Cards & Store Credit (6)International & Localization (14)Inventory & Operations (9)Loyalty, Referrals & Retention (10)Platform & Architecture (6)Product Data, Catalog & Merch Ops (14)Returns & Exchanges (8)Reviews & UGC (17)Search & Discovery (14)Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment (20)Subscriptions & Memberships (14)Support & Self-Service (12)Trust, Legal & Compliance (17)Upsell, Cross-sell & Personalization (18)Wishlist & Registry (6)