The Warmup Period

When you first install Nobi, Nobi starts learning about your data and what converts. Search results over the first few hours won’t be perfect, but this is normal. Nobi's search quality improves significantly during the first 1-2 days as the system learns from real customer interactions. Here's what to expect and why it happens.

What Is the Warmup Period?

The warmup period is the initial day or two after your product catalog is first indexed. During this time, Nobi warms up based on your customers’ searches and behaviors.

What you might notice:

Some searches return less-than-ideal results

Product rankings may not match your expectations

Results feel "generic" rather than tailored to your store

What happens next:

After a few hundred searches, results improve noticeably

By 24 hours, search quality is typically much better

Results continue to improve over time as more data is collected

This is completely normal and expected. Don't panic if day-one results aren't perfect.

Why Does This Happen?

Caching Builds Over Time

Nobi caches the results of frequently searched queries. This means:

On day one:

Every search is computed fresh

No popular search patterns are established yet

After warmup:

Common searches are cached and optimized

Popular queries return refined results

Response times improve for frequent searches

Conversion Data Improves Rankings

Nobi tracks which products customers actually buy after searching. This conversion data directly improves results:

Initially:

All products are ranked by relevance alone

No purchase behavior data exists yet

Rankings are based purely on product data

After warmup:

Products that convert well get ranked higher

Results that lead to purchases are prioritized

Rankings reflect real customer preferences

This means search results become increasingly aligned with what actually sells, not just what seems relevant on paper.

What to Expect: Timeline

Hours 0-12: Building Up Data

Search works but results may not be fully optimized

Caches are being built for common queries

Some queries may return unexpected products

This is normal—don't make configuration changes yet

Hours 12-24: Quality Stabilizes

Search quality is typically excellent

Most common queries are cached

Early conversion signals are being incorporated

Day 2 and Beyond: Continuous Improvement

Search continues to improve gradually

More conversion data refines rankings further

Popular products that sell well rise in rankings

What You Should Do

During the Warmup Period

Do:

Let real customers use the search naturally

Give it at least 24 hours before evaluating

Note any specific problem queries to check later

Don't:

Make hasty configuration changes based on day-one results

Assume something is broken

Manually test dozens of queries and worry about each one

After the Warmup Period

If results still seem off after 24+ hours:

Test the specific queries that concern you

Check that your product data is complete and accurate

Review your knowledge base for relevant content

Contact support if issues persist

Most "search quality" concerns resolve themselves after the warmup period.

Factors That Speed Up Warmup

The warmup period depends on search volume. More searches = faster cache building and more conversion data.

Faster warmup (high traffic):

Stores with thousands of daily visitors

Product launches or promotional events

Active marketing driving traffic to search

Slower warmup (lower traffic):

New stores with limited traffic

Niche products with fewer searches

Recently launched sites

If you have lower traffic, the warmup period may extend slightly beyond 24 hours. This is fine—quality will still improve, just more gradually.

Tips for Best Results

Ensure Good Product Data

Nobi's search quality depends on your product data. Better data = better results, even during warmup.

Helpful product attributes:

Descriptive titles

Complete descriptions

Accurate categories and tags

Size, color, and variant information

Index Your Knowledge Base

If you have product guides, size charts, or FAQ content, add it to your knowledge base. This gives Nobi additional context for understanding customer queries.

Be Patient with Edge Cases

Unusual or highly specific searches may take longer to optimize. Common searches improve first, followed by long-tail queries over time.

Common Questions

Should I delay launching Nobi until warmup is complete?

No. The warmup period requires real customer interactions. Synthetic testing doesn't help—you need actual searches. Launch Nobi and let the warmup happen naturally.

Can I speed up the warmup period?

Not artificially. The warmup depends on genuine customer search behavior to build caches and collect conversion data. More real traffic means faster warmup, but fake searches don't help.

What if results are still bad after 24 hours?

If specific searches are still problematic after 24 hours:

Check that relevant products exist in your catalog

Verify product titles and descriptions are accurate

Contact support with specific examples

Most issues resolve naturally, but some may indicate data quality problems.

Does warmup happen again if I update my catalog?

Minor updates (adding products, changing prices) don't restart warmup. Your existing caches and conversion data remain intact. Major catalog overhauls may require caches to be rebuilt for new products, but existing data is preserved.

Will search quality ever decrease?

Search quality generally only improves over time as more conversion data is collected. If you significantly change your catalog (removing popular products, major restructuring), caches for those products will need to be rebuilt.

Summary

Timeframe	What's Happening	What You'll See
0-12 hours	Building caches, collecting data	Results work but may not be fully optimized
12-24 hours	Caches established, conversion data incorporated	Excellent results
Day 2+	Continuous refinement	Results keep improving

Key takeaway: Don't evaluate search quality on day one. Give Nobi 24 hours of real customer activity, and you'll see the results you expect.

Getting Help

If you have concerns about search quality after the warmup period:

Email: [email protected]

Include:

Specific search queries that concern you

What results you expected vs. what you saw

How long Nobi has been installed

We're happy to investigate and help optimize your search experience.