Vendably lets you override the ranking engine for specific products using merchandising rules. Rules are at /search/rules/. They work alongside the five-signal ranking engine (see Onsite search) and let you promote, demote, or fix the position of products in search results.
The three rule types
Boost. Raises a product's ranking in search results. Use boost to surface products you want to promote, such as high-margin items or seasonal stock.
Bury. Lowers a product's ranking. Use bury to suppress products you want to deprioritise without removing them from results entirely.
Pin. Fixes a product to a specific position in results. Use pin when you need an exact product to appear first (or at another defined position) for a given query.
Create a merchandising rule
- Go to /search/rules/.
- Click to create a new rule.
- Choose the rule type: boost, bury, or pin.
- Select the products or define the conditions the rule applies to.
- Optionally set a query pattern so the rule only applies when shoppers search for specific terms.
- Optionally set a schedule so the rule activates and deactivates automatically on set dates.
- Enable the rule and save.
Editor access or above is required to create and edit rules.
Manage existing rules
From /search/rules/ you can:
- Edit a rule to change its type, products, conditions, query pattern, or schedule.
- Enable or disable a rule using the toggle without deleting it.
- Delete a rule permanently. Admin access is required to delete rules.
Recommendation blocks
Vendably generates recommendation blocks for popular items, trending products, and frequently bought together. Your storefront integration can request these blocks via the search API and display them on relevant pages. Recommendation block configuration is not yet available from a merchant settings page in Vendably; this will be added to the UI in a future release.
Roles summary
| Action | Minimum role |
|---|---|
| Create, edit, and toggle rules | Editor |
| Delete rules | Admin |
Troubleshooting
A rule is not taking effect.
Confirm the rule is enabled (the toggle is on). Check the rule's schedule and ensure the current date falls within the active period. Review whether a higher-priority rule is overriding it; rules are evaluated in priority order.
A pinned product is not appearing at the expected position.
A conflicting rule may be applying to the same query. An out-of-stock penalty can also affect the final position of a pinned product. Check the product's stock status and review all active rules that match the query.