To meet the challenge of variety in product data, a Guided Search application enables a shopper to enter a search term that describes a product in general terms; for example, "cameras". A variety of configurable features -- such as spelling correction, auto-suggest, and a thesaurus of synonyms for search terms -- help shoppers specify accurate and effective search terms.

When a shopper enters a search term, a Guided Search application displays one or more groups of product features (known as facets or dimensions) from which shoppers can select particular features to refine their search. The application displays the products that have all the features currently selected by the shopper. You can configure the application to sort and filter the search results to help shoppers find specific products more easily.

The Discover Electronics reference application provided with Guided Search enables you to experiment with these features. For example, if you enter the search term "cameras", you are then presented with groups of features under the categories Price, Brand, Color, and Rating. As you select features from each of these groups, the application displays the products that match all of your selections, as shown in the following figure:

Here, the user's search for a black Fujifilm camera with a shopper rating of 3, in the price range $250 - $500, has found two products. The user can now click on the listing for each product to view a more detailed description of the product.

The remainder of this guide describes how to configure a Guided Search application in a way that will respond effectively to the challenges of product data, providing shoppers with satisfactory and productive shopping experiences.