4 min read
What a "fits my…" question needs from your catalog
Compatibility questions are the hardest for search and AI to answer, and the easiest sale to lose.
A shopper who types "L-bracket for Sony A7 IV" already knows what they want. They have the camera. They have a card in hand. The only question is whether your bracket fits.
If your store can't answer that, they leave, or they email you and wait. Either way, the sale is at risk. Here's what your catalog needs to answer it.
Why the description isn't enough
Most stores put compatibility in the description: "Compatible with most Sony mirrorless cameras." A person can read that. Search and AI assistants can't safely turn "most" into a yes for one model. Long lists of models buried in a paragraph aren't much better.
A search engine tokenises the text and matches keywords. An AI assistant reads the sentence and notes the uncertainty — "most" doesn't mean "A7 IV specifically." Both are less useful than a field that simply says compatible_models: Sony A7 IV.
What a "fits my…" answer depends on
A compatibility field on each product
With each compatible model as its own value. Not a list in a text field — a structured field with one value per model, so search and AI can match exactly.
The right level of detail
For cameras, the exact model and generation. For car parts, year, model and engine: a part for the 3.3L may not fit the 5.0L. Vague ranges like 'most Sony mirrorless cameras' aren't matchable.
One name per model
"A7 IV", "A7M4" and "Alpha 7 IV" need to become one value, or the same camera looks like three different models. If your catalog has three spellings, you have three products that each fit one model instead of one product that fits all three.
Links to what else is needed
If the bracket needs an Arca-Swiss plate, say so as a structured field, not a note in the description. 'You'll also need' is useful when it's data, not prose.
The same problem, across categories
The bracket-and-camera example is easy to see, but the pattern is everywhere. A boot that "works for hiking and light trails" versus a boot with activity: hiking and waterproof: yes. A moisturiser "suitable for sensitive skin" versus one with skin_type: sensitive and fragrance_free: yes.
In each case the prose version can be read; the structured version can be matched. That difference decides whether your product answers the question or not.
See which compatibility fields your catalog is missing
The free audit checks your products and shows you what's absent — by category, not just in aggregate.
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