When it comes to building a search experience for a commerce store, one size never fits all. Every commerce has its own needs, resources, and ambitions when shaping how shoppers discover products. That’s why Empathy Platform Interface X, the UI for product search and discovery, now offers not just one, but three different ways to integrate.

Until recently, brands could choose between two approaches: start fast with the Archetype or build big with the X Components library. Now, a third option bridges the gap between speed and customization, making commerce search integration smoother, more granular, and more adaptable than ever before.

Why a third integration path

Some brands want speed, others desire total control and deeper customization, and many need something in between. Over the years, at Empathy.co, we’ve learned that brands often struggle with full-page search layers: they can hide existing navigation or branding elements, forcing merchants to adapt their websites to the search experience instead of the other way around.

That’s why Injectable X Components enter the scene, the new path of seamlessly blending search into your site's DOM without compromising the structure, components, or design you already have.

Why this changes the game

Injectable X Components are possible thanks to the migration of Interface X to Vue 3, which unlocked new modularity and performance improvements. But this release was more than just a technical milestone. It redefined how Empathy integrates with clients by reducing onboarding friction and giving brands the freedom to match search and discovery to their own identity.

Until now, most search providers have relied on either full-page overlays that go on top of the commerce website or API-driven integrations—where retailers build the UI themselves. But Empathy Platform injectable components introduce something unique: reusable, independent UI elements that mount directly into the retailer’s own site.

Thanks to this level of granularity, Empathy Platform adapts to brands instead of asking brands to adapt to Empathy Platform. It’s about respecting the design choices merchants already value while still delivering powerful search and discovery features.

Choose your path

Whether you want a turnkey solution, complete creative control, or something in between, Interface X now adapts to your integration journey:

• Interface X Archetype delivers the fastest time to market with a ready-to-use search layer.
• Interface X Components library powers large retailers to craft every detail of a custom search UI layer.
• Injectable Interface X Components offer a lightweight, modular approach that blends search into an existing commerce site.

Start fast with the Archetype

“Ready out of the box. Bring powerful search to your commerce with minimal effort.”

The Archetype is a predefined, ready-to-use search experience designed to get you up and running in no time. It provides a fully functional search layer out of the box, with the best-practice patterns already built in.

With the archetype, you deploy in your commerce store a standalone search experience that launches when the shopper clicks on the search bar.

The best option for brands and teams without dedicated engineering resources who want a reliable, no-fuss solution to get live quickly.

Build big with the X Components library

“Full creative freedom: Build a search layer tailored to your brand, your way.”

The X Components library unlocks maximum flexibility for larger retailers, preferably with in-house teams. Developers can assemble components like the search box, results grid, facets, related tags, or related prompts into a tailored search layer that perfectly reflects the brand vision.

This approach requires deeper integration effort and frontend expertise, but it gives retailers full control over every detail of the search experience. The result is: a fully customized search layer that sits on top of the commerce site, built entirely for the brand.

Go modular with Injectable X Components

“Inject search where it makes sense, not where the template dictates.”

Here’s the new path: a step forward in how Empathy.co collaborates with brands: delivering flexible technology, reducing integration friction, and enabling search experiences that feel like they’ve always belonged on your commerce site.

Think of this approach as working with modular puzzle pieces. Instead of replacing the entire search layer, brands can embed specifically the components they want into the existing website structure. A search box in the current header, predictive search opening below it, results displayed in the product listing page, AI-assisted suggestions appearing within the navigation grid… all without disrupting branding or navigation.

This path gives brands fine-grained control over where and how each element appears and allows incremental site search integration by adding one component at a time without rebuilding the entire UI. And because the X Components live directly in the site’s DOM, they naturally preserve the original branding, navigation, and page elements.

Most importantly, this flexibility extends beyond Empathy Platform’s full stack. Injectable X Components can also run with other search APIs, making this technology adaptable to virtually any commerce setup!

The right path for your search journey

With three integration paths now available, Empathy Platform Interface X adapts to your needs—whether that means launching quickly, building a custom experience, or seamlessly blending search into your commerce site. Each option respects your brand and empowers your shoppers to discover products in ways that feel natural, intuitive, and uniquely yours.

It's your move now!

See Empathy Platform Interface X in action!

Discover how brands are already shaping search their way:

• Archetype in PdPaola (opens new window)
• X Components library in Carrefour Spain (opens new window)
• Injectable X Component in Chedraui Mexico (opens new window)

Choose your path and learn!

From quick start to custom control, you now have three paths to create a custom search UI that feels natural to your brand and powerful to your shoppers. Choose your integration path and explore the docs to learn how to build your search UI (opens new window) and get to know the X Components catalog (opens new window).