Getting started
What does Zhara do?
Zhara replaces your theme's search with AI search. Before shoppers type, it shows example prompts, popular searches, category shortcuts and trending products. As they type, it suggests searches and products, corrects typos and understands plain language such as boxer shorts under 500 rupees. In your Shopify admin you can pin, bury, hide or redirect results, add synonyms and see which searches lead to sales.
How much does it cost?
Zhara is free. There is no plan to choose and no charge to approve. If we introduce paid plans in future, we'll give you at least 30 days' notice, and nothing will be charged unless you approve it in Shopify.
Which themes work with Zhara?
Any Online Store 2.0 theme, which includes every theme released by Shopify in recent years, such as Horizon and Dawn, and most themes in the Shopify Theme Store. Zhara adds itself through your theme's App embeds, so it never touches your theme's code. Older vintage themes that don't support App embeds aren't supported.
How long does setup take?
About ten minutes. Install the app, let it sync your catalog, switch on Zhara Search in the theme editor, and activate tracking. The setup guide walks through each step with screenshots.
Do I need a developer?
No. Everything is done from the Zhara app and the Shopify theme editor. Zhara never edits your theme's code, and uninstalling leaves your theme exactly as it was.
Will it change how my store looks?
Zhara matches your theme's colours and font automatically. The Appearance page has a live preview, so you can see exactly how search will look on desktop and mobile before you publish.
Search
Why isn't Zhara search showing on my store?
Check three things in order:
- In the Zhara app, open Setup and confirm the catalog sync has finished.
- In the theme editor, open App embeds and confirm Zhara Search is switched on, with Replace theme search on, and that you clicked Save.
- Make sure you saved the live theme, not a draft or a copy. The Storefront page in Zhara shows Search widget: Enabled when it's live.
If all three are fine, email support@zhara.io with your store address.
A product is missing from search results. Why?
The usual reasons are:
- The product is out of stock. Hide out-of-stock products is on by default. Switch it off on the Search page if you want sold-out products to appear.
- The product isn't published to the Online Store sales channel in Shopify. Zhara only indexes products that are visible on your store.
- The product was added a few minutes ago and hasn't synced yet. Click Re-sync on the Setup page.
- A Hide rule on the Merchandising page is removing it for that search.
I added or changed products. When does search update?
Zhara picks up changes automatically. If you want them live straight away, click Re-sync on the Setup page. A full sync of a few hundred products takes about two minutes.
How many letters before suggestions appear?
Three by default. You can change this in the theme editor under Zhara Search settings, using Minimum characters before suggestions.
Can shoppers search in plain language?
Yes. Searches like something warm for winter or boxer shorts under 500 rupees return matching products, marked with a Smart match label. Zhara understands the meaning of the words rather than only matching them exactly.
What happens when a shopper makes a typo?
Zhara corrects it and shows the products they meant. For example, Garfeild finds Garfield products.
What if a search finds nothing?
Zhara shows related searches and products the shopper might like, so they can keep browsing instead of hitting a dead end. Because Zhara understands meaning, this is rare. The Queries tab in Analytics has a Zero-result filter so you can see which searches found nothing and fix them with a synonym or redirect.
How do I control the order of results?
The Search page has four ranking presets: Balanced, Relevance, Best sellers and New arrivals. For control over a specific search, use Merchandising rules to pin a product to a position, bury it at the bottom, hide it, or redirect the search to a page.
What are synonyms and when should I add them?
Synonyms tell Zhara that different words mean the same thing, so a search for any of them finds the same products. Zhara's AI already understands many related words. Add synonyms for your own slang, brand names or spellings it might not know, such as kicks for sneakers.
What are category chips?
The collection shortcuts shoppers see in the search box before they type. By default Zhara picks them from your product types. On the Search page you can choose exactly which collections appear.
Does Zhara work in languages other than English?
Not yet. Zhara currently supports English only, both in the admin and on your storefront.
Merchandising rules
What's the difference between Pin, Bury, Hide and Redirect?
- Pin puts a product at a fixed position in the results, for example your best selling jeans always first for the search jeans.
- Bury pushes a product to the bottom without hiding it, useful for low stock or clearance.
- Hide removes a product from results for that search entirely. The product stays live in your store.
- Redirect sends a search straight to a page instead of showing results, for example the search returns opens your returns policy.
How quickly do rules take effect?
Within a minute on your storefront.
Can a rule apply to every search?
Yes. Leave the When shoppers search for box empty and the rule applies to all searches.
Do rules change my products in Shopify?
No. Rules only affect Zhara search results. Your products, collections and theme are untouched.
Analytics
What does Zhara track?
Searches, which suggestions and products shoppers click, and, once tracking is on, add to carts and orders that started with a search. You see totals, the most searched terms, searches that found nothing, the search to purchase funnel, and revenue attributed to search.
Why are revenue and conversion empty?
Cart and revenue tracking isn't active yet, or no shopper has added to cart since it was activated. Open Setup and click Activate next to Turn on cart & revenue tracking. The Storefront page shows the status.
What do direct and assisted revenue mean?
Direct revenue is from orders where the shopper bought a product they clicked in search. Assisted revenue is from orders where the shopper used search during their visit but reached the product they bought another way.
How soon do reports update?
Searches appear in Analytics within a few minutes. Orders appear after Shopify processes them.
Can I export the data?
Yes. Click Export CSV on the Analytics page to download the query report as a spreadsheet.
Privacy and data
What data does Zhara collect about my shoppers?
Search terms, clicks on suggestions and products, add to carts and purchases, along with device type and approximate country. Zhara does not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers or postal addresses. The full detail is in the privacy policy.
Does Zhara respect cookie consent?
Yes. Zhara reads the choices shoppers make in your store's cookie banner through Shopify's consent tools. If a shopper declines, Zhara doesn't record their activity or personalise their results, and search still works for them.
Is my store's data used to train AI?
No. Zhara never uses your store's data to train AI models that serve other merchants or anyone else, and our AI provider is not allowed to train on it either.
What happens when a customer asks for their data?
Shopify forwards the request to Zhara automatically. Open Privacy in the Zhara app, find the request and click Download to get the file. Send it to the customer within 30 days. Deletion requests are handled automatically within 30 days.
Is there a data processing agreement?
Yes. Our data processing addendum applies automatically when you install the app.
Account
How do I turn Zhara off without uninstalling?
In the theme editor, open App embeds and switch off Zhara Search. Your theme's own search takes over immediately. Switch it back on whenever you like.
How do I uninstall?
In Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Apps and sales channels, find Zhara and click Uninstall. Your theme is left untouched. All of your store's data is deleted from Zhara within 30 days.
How do I get help?
Email support@zhara.io or use the help form. Support is available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm India Standard Time. Include your store address and a short description of the problem, with a screenshot if you can.