Let professionals immediately find what they already know.
With business catalogs, an article number is often the shortest route to the right product. Exact matching therefore deserves clear priority.
Index relevant identifiers
Include internal SKU, manufacturer code, EAN, supplier number and any old item numbers when customers use it.
Normalize writing
Recognize spaces, dashes, capital letters and common separators without falsely merging different codes.
Protect exact matches
An exact code should be above semantic or commercial alternatives, unless the product is not available or not allowed.
Use prefix search carefully
Prefix suggestions can help during typing, but should not lead to long lists of virtually identical codes.
Support old codes
When a product number is replaced, a managed relationship can send customers to the current successor.
With failed codes
Zero-result searches on article number often indicate missing mapping, outdated documentation or catalog holes.