Facets Management for Commerce in NetSuite

TL;DR

Facets in NetSuite Commerce enhance item searches but can cause performance issues if not managed properly. Effective use of facets allows shoppers to filter search results efficiently. This article outlines best practices for adding and managing facets to maintain optimal performance.

What are Facets?

Facets act as filters in search results, allowing shoppers to narrow down product options based on specific criteria, enhancing the shopping experience. However, adding unnecessary facets can lead to performance degradation, so careful consideration is essential when implementing them.

Best Practices for Using Facets

To ensure efficient performance when incorporating facets into your NetSuite Commerce platform, consider the following best practices:

• Assess the Utility: Ask yourself if the filter will be useful to shoppers. Ensure the facet provides substantial value rather than cluttering the user interface.
• Limit the Number of Facets: Aim to keep facets under 40. Although there is no strict upper limit, exceeding this number may lead to performance degradation.
• Value Management: Ensure facet values do not exceed 1,000 to avoid overwhelming shoppers with excessive options.
• Character Limits: Keep each facet value name under 200 characters for clarity and to prevent UI issues.
• Necessity Overload: Only add facets as needed to streamline functionality and maintain high performance.

Performance Considerations

Adding facets affects the performance of your site. When a request is made to the Item Search API:

• If you exclude include=facets from the URL, facets are not generated, thereby speeding up performance. This approach is especially beneficial for Product List pages where facets may not be required.
• Utilize the facet.exclude parameter in your requests to skip generating unnecessary facets, enhancing load speed and responsiveness.

Preventing Facets from Rendering

To prevent shoppers from utilizing certain facets, you can configure your templates. For instance, utilize the following HTML to exclude specific facets:

<div data-view="Facets.FacetedNavigation" data-exclude-facets="commercecategoryname,category,myfacet,myotherfacet"></div>

If you are on SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced version 2021.2 or later, you can apply the defineSearchMasterOptions() method on the Environment component to set default site-wide options, including stopping facets from rendering.

Conclusion

Efficient facets management is vital for your NetSuite Commerce implementation. By following outlined best practices, you can optimize user search experiences while maintaining system performance.

Key Takeaways

• Effective facets enhance shopper experience but can impact performance.
• Aim for 40 or fewer facets for optimal website performance.
• Exclude unnecessary facets programmatically from your search requests.
• Regularly evaluate the necessity and structure of your facets.
• Utilize version-specific features for facet visibility control.