What is Search by SKU?
Search by SKU lets users find a product via its unique identifier (SKU/MPN/GTIN). The engine routes the query to exact keyword fields and returns a single, authoritative match (or a tiny set of variants).
How It Works (quick)
- Detect pattern: Regex/heuristics for SKU formats; skip stemming/lemmatization.
- Route to exact fields:
sku, mpn, gtin with no fuzziness by default. - Variants & bundles: Join color/size variants; show the canonical PDP first.
- Fallbacks: If no exact hit, offer Did you mean or controlled one-edit fuzz with warnings.
Why It Matters in E-commerce
- B2B & support: Agents and buyers rely on codes.
- Zero-friction: One query → one product; ideal for returns and reorders.
- Data quality: Exposes bad/missing identifiers quickly.
Best Practices
- Normalize: Strip spaces/dashes; uppercase as needed; keep canonical stored value.
- Security & privacy: Don’t leak internal IDs; whitelist public identifiers.
- UX: Dedicated SKU mode in the search bar, or
sku: prefix; render clear “Exact code match” badge. - Analytics: Track miss rate, “near-SKU” typos, and catalog gaps.
- Feeds: Validate identifier formats on ingest; reject duplicates.
Summary
Search by SKU is a precision lookup. Route to exact fields, normalize safely, and provide gentle fallbacks without flooding noisy matches.
