Since introducing a search bar to our menu, we’ve gained the ability to explore what our customers are looking for. This data helps us identify gaps in our assortment while doubling down on products that align with the most popular search terms. To-date, the five most popular search terms have been chips, coffee, popcorn, keto, and cheese. The term “chips” had a whopping 628k individual search queries, and “To date” placed second with 537k. What's so valuable about search terms is that they go beyond parent and subcategories; they also expand into dietary restrictions and core ingredients, such as "keto" and "cheese". (Other top search terms include: chocolate, jerky, pretzels, protein, truffle, and cookie)‍

Interestingly, when it comes down to subcategory performance neither potato chips or our cold brew/coffee/coffee tea & cocoa subcategories placed top five, which you can see in the seasonal rankings below.

Instead, the top placements were reserved for cookies, popcorn & pretzels, *chocolate, candies, confections and nuts, seeds & legumes.

*Most chocolate is paused during the warm summer months, which explains the steep drop in ranking

An important distinction, however, is that many of our top subcategory performers (cookies, chocolates, confections and candy) include coffee-flavored products, which may populate under the term "coffee" when searched - and may very well be what many customers are looking for.

We consider the search capability to be an asset that reveals a lot about ourselves and our viewers. What are your go-to search terms?