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Integrations

Use Kimonix Merchandising templates in the AI Search Agent

Last updated May 9, 2026

This article walks through using a Kimonix Merchandising template to re-rank search and chat results in the AI Search Agent app, plus how to configure per-query product boosts.

What this integration does

The AI Search Agent's typeahead search and chat product suggestions both come from Shopify's storefront search. With this integration you can apply your existing Merchandising sort strategies (sorters, push tags, pinned products, non-stock-last) on top of those results — and define query-specific boosts that surface chosen products at the top.

  • Re-rank typeahead search and / or chat product-summary blocks via a saved Merchandising template.
  • Blend the template's ranking with Shopify's native relevance using a single slider (0% template = pure Shopify; 100% template = pure template).
  • Surface specific products for specific queries (boosts) — exact match in typeahead, intent match in chat.
  • Per-shop, per-feature toggles: enable each independently for typeahead search and / or chat agent.

Prerequisites

You'll need both apps installed on the same Shopify store. The AI Search Agent provides the chat / search UI; the Merchandising app stores the templates.

Don't have Merchandising yet? Install it from the Shopify App Store →

Step 1 — Create a template in Merchandising

Templates are reusable sort strategies. You can dedicate one to the search-agent integration, or reuse an existing template you already use for collections.

  1. Open the Merchandising app and go to the Collections page.
  2. Click Saved templates in the top navigation.
  3. Click Create a new template.
  4. Give it a clear name. For a template you'll only use with the search agent, we recommend Search — do not delete (so other staff don't accidentally remove it).
  5. Configure the sorters (e.g. sales 30d, conversion rate, custom score), push tags, pinned products, and non-stock-last as needed. Filters are ignored by the integration — the candidate set is whatever Shopify search or the agent returned, so the template only re-ranks within that set.
  6. Click Create (saves and stays on the edit page) or Create & Exit (saves and returns to the templates list).

Step 2 — Copy the template ID

Two equally good ways to get the ID:

  • From the edit page: the General information card on the right shows the Template id with a Copy button.
  • From the templates list: click the three-dots menu on the row and choose Copy ID.

Step 3 — Paste it into the AI Search Agent

  1. Open the AI Search Agent's settings page in your Shopify admin.
  2. Scroll to the Advanced merchandising section.
  3. Paste the template id into Sort with Kimonix Merchandising template.
  4. Adjust the Re-rank blend slider. 100% template = pure template ranking; 0% = ignore the template (use Shopify's native order). Anything in between blends position-wise.
  5. Decide where the template applies: Apply to typeahead search results (the search bar at the top of the chat) and / or Apply to chat agent results (product blocks the agent surfaces in conversation). Each is independent.
  6. Save the agent settings.

Step 4 (optional) — Add product boosts

Boosts are per-query overrides: specific products surface at the top when the shopper's query matches. They run after the template re-rank, so a boost always wins on a matched query.

  1. In the same Advanced merchandising card, scroll to Product boosts.
  2. Click Add boost rule.
  3. Enter one or more search terms (comma-separated — same products will surface for each). Use the Pick products button to select via Shopify's product picker.
  4. Toggle Apply to typeahead search results and / or Apply to chat agent results. The matching semantics differ:
    • Typeahead — exact, case-insensitive match against the typed query.
    • Chat agent — intent match. The agent reads the rule as "when the shopper asks about X, also show Y" and uses its own judgment (so "keep my skis fast" matches a "ski wax" rule).
  5. Save.

How sorting flows together

When all features are on, the order of operations on a search result list is:

  1. Shopify storefront search returns the candidate products.
  2. Template re-ranks them position-wise, blended with Shopify's order via the slider.
  3. Push tags / pinned products / non-stock-last from the template are applied last (absolute positions).
  4. Product boosts pull matched-rule handles to the top — fetching them via Storefront if Shopify search didn't return them.

Tips

  • If you only want the integration on chat (not on typeahead), uncheck "Apply to typeahead search results" on both Template and Boosts. The typeahead falls back to Shopify's native ranking with zero round-trip overhead.
  • Iterating on a template? Use Save (no exit) on the template edit page to apply changes without leaving — handy when tuning sorter weights.
  • Templates can be marketized — if your Merchandising template has Marketize on and the shopper has a country attached, the integration rewrites sorter params (sales → sales_<market_id>) automatically.