Phonetic brand recognition: when the customer doesn't know how to spell “Caudalie”

Brands are the most frequent search in many e-shops, and at the same time the hardest. Customers have heard them (from friends, at the pharmacy, in an advert) but haven't seen them written down. So Caudalie becomes “kundali” or “κονταλι”, La Roche-Posay becomes “λα ρος ποζε”, and Frezyderm becomes “frezinderm”.

No spelling dictionary would solve this problem, because it isn't a spelling mistake. It's sound.

The phonetic “skeleton” matches the sound of the word with the brands in your catalogue.

How it works

Findora converts each word into a phonetic skeleton: it simplifies sounds that can be written in several ways (“μπ” = “b”, “ντ” = “d”, “ου” = “u”, “αι” = “e”), removes double letters and keeps the “backbone” of the word. The same is done for the brands in your catalogue.

When a customer types a word that doesn't exist in the catalogue, Findora compares its skeleton with the skeletons of your brands. If it finds one close enough, it shows that brand's products.

A few safeguards make all the difference:

• Only for words that don't exist in the catalogue, so it doesn't “correct” searches that are already right.
• Care with short words: a 4-letter word only matches if it is the beginning of the brand (e.g. “nuks” → Nuxe).
• Your own spellings: in the portal you declare any variants you see in your searches, e.g. “βισι, βισυ, visi → Vichy”.

And brands you don't stock?

If someone searches for a brand you don't sell, Findora doesn't show an empty page. It displays a message saying “We don't stock X, we recommend Y”, with products from the alternative brand that you choose. More in the article on what customers search for and don't find.

Want to see how it would work with your own catalogue? Request a demo.