FAQ

Does XSearch change my theme? No. Stencil storefronts load a widget through one Script Manager entry; Catalyst storefronts integrate at the data layer. XSearch does not edit theme files, and your storefront URLs stay as they are.

What happens if XSearch is unavailable? On Stencil, XSearch prepares its results before hiding the native listing. If a search request fails or exceeds the takeover budget, the widget stands down and the BigCommerce theme continues to render. Add ?xsearch=off to a storefront URL to disable the widget for that page while troubleshooting.

How fresh is the index? Product changes arrive via BigCommerce webhooks within seconds to a couple of minutes. A nightly sync catches anything webhooks miss (BigCommerce does not send webhooks for some image changes). You can trigger a full reindex anytime.

Do my admin settings really match the live storefront? Yes — the admin Storefront Preview and your storefront call the same API with the same rules. Divergence between the two is treated as a bug.

What happens to search while reindexing? Nothing visible. Reindexes build in the background and swap atomically when complete — shoppers never see a partial index.

Can I use my own Elasticsearch or OpenSearch cluster? Yes, on Pro and Enterprise plans. Starter and Growth use managed infrastructure included in the plan.

What data does XSearch store? XSearch stores catalog data and merchant configuration to operate search. It also records search terms, result counts, response timing, and product-result clicks for merchant analytics. Those events are not tied to shopper accounts, cookies, email addresses, or IP addresses. See the Privacy Policy for retention and deletion details once it is published.