Understanding search results and how to refine to improve relevance
Our search engine works by using a wide range of attributes of each supplier to compare against search terms and to rank suppliers in order of relevance. This article explains how we use the data to deliver results.
Why is a supplier shown?
Each active supplier will have a profile. There are different attributes within a suppliers profile that we use within our index of records to match a supplier to a given search term, these currently include:
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TNID**
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Company name
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Country
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Brands
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Categories
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Ports
Brands and categories are associated to a supplier by either it being selected within their profile, or by them having recognised trade matching a brand or category.
Any supplier given in a search result, will be as a result of a match to their indexed record, taking into account typos, synonyms and many other factors.
When search terms includes a location, the search results will by default include any suppliers with a branch that is either located in that country or claims to serve a port (which will include the country of that port). In use cases when you only want to see suppliers that are located in the country or near the port, then using the "PresentIn" filters will refine your results accordingly.
** if profile has multiple branches, only the TNID of the parent will be searchable
How ranking works to order suppliers by relevance
All matched records are displayed in an order of relevance which depends on the intent of the search. Brand intended searches will have brand owners, authorised resellers and volume of trade (see help article for TradeRank for more details) for that brand ranked higher. Category intended searches rank higher based on primary category and volume of trade.
We also use many more attributes within our ranking algorithm to ensure we are serving up the most relevant results in those "when all things are equal" scenarios.
Filtering and refining search results
Search results can be refined by using the filters provided, which are dynamically generated based on the search term.
On the left of the Search results, tick the desired filter box. Tap on "Clear filters" to remove all filters.
The "Sustainable" filter displays suppliers who are participants or signatories of the UNGC, are certified in a relevant ISO standard, or have provided other information indicating a commitment to sustainability. The "Committed to Sustainability" tag is shown on those profiles.
"Authorised for" allows you to filter results based a supplier being an authorised reseller. or a brand owner.
"Only show" enables you to include or exclude suppliers who have "Chandlery" as a category selected in their profile
"Present in Country" refines results by including only those suppliers (and their branches) whose addresses are within that country or who claim to be present in a port that is within that country
"Present in Port" includes suppliers who have claimed on their profile to be present within that port.