Search That Finds The Gun, Not The Holster

Built For How Gun Buyers Search

Standard WordPress search ignores short words and mangles punctuation, so “glock 19” becomes “glock” and holsters come first. MFS product search keeps one index of your catalog, built for model numbers, calibers and part numbers, and ranks the product the customer wants ahead of everything that merely fits it.

Understands Gun Names

• Short terms like “19”, “9mm” and “p365” are findable, with a fallback for databases that need one.
• Hyphens and decimals: “ar-15” and “ar15” match, and “5.56” won’t match “556” or “5.45”.
• Ampersands: “s&w”, “smith & wesson” and “smith and wesson” all find Smith & Wesson.
• Store synonyms like “12ga, 12 gauge” or “9mm, 9x19, 9mm luger”.
• Exact identifiers first: a SKU, UPC, GTIN or part number puts that product on top.

The Right Product First

• Product intent: no type word lifts firearms and ammo, “holster” or “magazine” lifts accessories.
• Title structure: a listing that names the search only after “for” or “fits” doesn’t outrank the product itself.
• Manufacturer first: the brand’s own product ranks above third-party parts made for it.
• In stock and closest wording next, with your own shelf stock ahead of distributor stock when all else is equal.

Faster For Your Customers

• Results as they type, with brand, price, a stock badge and Add to cart for simple in-stock products.
• Filters drawn from the results for category, brand, caliber, availability and price, with accurate counts and removable chips.
• A full results page with the same ranking and filters, and suggestions instead of a blank screen when nothing matches.
• Works with your theme, matches your accent color, and supports keyboards and screen readers.

The Same Search For Staff

• Register lookup uses the same index, with barcode and SKU matches first and serial number lookup for staff.
• Admin search for products, product pickers, orders and customers, including names and serials on old orders.

Safe To Lean On

• Automatic fallback to standard search if the index is ever unavailable, with a notice for admins.
• Only what should show: drafts, private and hidden products never appear publicly, and serial numbers stay staff-only.
• Per-visitor limits so a bot hammering the search box can’t slow the store for everyone else.

Included With MFS Exchange

MFS product search is switched on per store, replacing a third-party search plugin cleanly, and can be switched back from the same settings screen. See the product search announcement for screenshots and test results.