What is a Wildcard?
A wildcard is a placeholder character used in queries to match patterns. Examples: shoe* → shoes, shoelace; ?at → cat, hat, mat.
How It Works (quick)
- (asterisk): Matches zero or more characters.
? (question mark): Matches exactly one character.- Index cost: Expensive on large datasets—requires careful optimization.
- Applications: File search, database queries, e-commerce search.
Why It Matters in E-commerce
- Lets shoppers find variations (e.g., tee vs t-shirt).
- Useful for SKU/code matching with patterns.
- Risks overbroad matches → noisy results.
Best Practices
- Restrict wildcards to suffix/prefix positions.
- Limit query length with wildcards.
- Offer safer alternatives: fuzzy search, synonyms, autocomplete.
- Monitor performance and abuse attempts.
Summary
Wildcards are flexible query tools that match patterns. Use with care in e-commerce to help shoppers without overloading the system.
