Ask me anything search

This guide introduces you to the Ask me anything search feature.

What is Ask me anything search

Ask me anything search means shoppers never hit a dead end at your search bar. It intelligently routes every query to the experience built for it: traditional search, conversational product discovery, or post-purchase support.

For example:

A keyword search, like "red sneakers," returns product results.
A conversational question, like "what should I wear for a rainy day hike," gets a tailored recommendation from the Conversational agent.
A request like "where's my order" connects the shopper straight to support.

Ask me anything search benefits

Meets shoppers where they are: Shoppers can type in plain language, not just keywords, and still get useful, contextual results.
Keeps search fast: Routing runs on a fast, lightweight check, so shoppers get instant results.
Gets shoppers to the right specialist: Product questions route to the Conversational agent and support questions reach a dedicated support agent, so every shopper gets an answer built for what they're asking.
Applies merchandising rules: Your merchandising rules still apply when the Conversational agent uses Bloomreach Search.

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Note
Routing support-style requests to a dedicated agent requires a separate Sierra platform integration, which Bloomreach configures for your account. Without it, the Conversational agent guides shoppers to your support team instead.

How Ask me anything search works

A shopper submits a query through your search bar.
Ask me anything search runs a fast, lightweight check on that query before any results load.
1. Keywords are handled by the Bloomreach Search engine.
2. Conversational or support-style queries hand off to your Conversational agent. If your account has the dedicated support integration enabled, support topics like returns, order status, and shipping go to a specialized support agent instead.

Optionally, the same handoff can also be set up for non-search entry points. For example, a shopper asking a question from your "Contact us" page can hand off to the Conversational agent too, tagged as coming from "Contact us" so the agent has relevant context.

Access Ask me anything search

Reach out to your Product Engagement Manager (PEM) to enable Ask me anything search on your site.