Release Notes / Spring 2026
Filter Search Box and Swatch Shape Control: Two Small Changes, One More Polished Store
Anastasia Bezuglaya
By Stacy
May 25 2026
2 min to read
Time to read
Two small Searchanise controls that landed this month — one fixes a real navigation friction, the other gives you a brand-polish lever that used to require custom code. Different jobs, same instinct: small details that compound across thousands of shopper sessions.

Filter Search Box: stop making shoppers scroll to find the right value

Available for: Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, Magento

Picture a shopper in your footwear store looking for "Nike" in a Brand filter that lists 60 brands alphabetically. They scroll, lose their place, scroll again. By the time they find it — if they find it — the momentum is gone.

The Filter Search Box puts a search field directly inside any filter that exceeds a minimum number of values you define. A shopper types 2-3 letters and lands exactly where they need to be. It works for any filter type: brand, material, size, color — anything with enough values to become a wall of options.

The threshold is yours to set. A filter with 8 values probably doesn't need a search box. One with 40 does. You decide where the line is for your catalog.
search in filters
How to turn it on

How to enable it

Go to the Searchanise adminFiltersFilter List Settings tab → turn on Show search bar in filters. Full setup instructions here.
settings
How to turn it on

Getting the most from it

Set the threshold deliberately. Start by looking at which of your filters have the most values. Enable the search box for those first, then assess whether shorter filters benefit from it too.

Check it on mobile. On smaller screens, long filter lists are even more painful to scroll. The search box earns its place there especially.

Swatch Shape Control: square or circle — your store, your call

Available for: Shopify and BigCommerce

Swatches are one of the first things a shopper sees in search results. Whether you're showing color options or variant images, the shape of those swatches is part of your store's visual language. Circles tend to feel softer and more organic — a better fit for lifestyle or wellness brands. Squares tend to feel sharper and more structured — better for fashion, tech, or editorial aesthetics.

Until now, that choice required custom code in Searchanise — not anymore. You can set color and variant image swatches to display as squares or circles across your Search Results Widget — one setting, applied consistently.
It's a small detail. But shoppers notice when things feel off — and they notice when they don't.
swatches
Different shape of swatches

How to enable it

Go to the Searchanise admin panelSearch & NavigationSearch Results WidgetContent tab Display option swatches. Check out the full help article.
settings
How to turn it on

Getting the most from it

Match your product imagery style. If your product photos use a lot of straight lines and hard edges, squares tend to feel more cohesive. Lifestyle-focused stores often read better with circles.

Check both shapes before committing. The difference is subtle in isolation but visible at scale — preview it with a collection that has a lot of variant options to see the real impact.

Treat it as part of a wider brand audit. If you're adjusting swatch shapes, it's a good moment to check that swatch sizes and spacing are consistent too.

Scope note

Both features are available on all plans, including Free.

Filter Search Box — Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce, and Magento. Threshold is configurable per store.
Swatch Shape Control — Shopify and BigCommerce. Applies to the Search Results Widget.

Already using Searchanise Search & Filter? Open your admin and try both — Filter Search Box first (under Filters), Swatch Shape under Search Results Widget. Each takes under a minute.

New to Searchanise? Install app for free! Both features are on every plan, including Free.

Quick to install
and ready to use instantly!

Select your platform to unlock better conversions and smooth customer experiences.
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Stacy
Stacy is a content creator at Searchanise. Her professional areas of interest are SaaS solutions and ecommerce. Stacy believes that quality content must be valuable for readers and achieve business goals. When she is not busy writing, which does not happen often, she reads passionately, both fiction and non-fiction literature.
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