Search and filter your customer list in Shopify
A customer list of 214 names is too long to scroll, and a list of thousands is hopeless without search. Shopify gives you two searches: the search box on the Customers page, and the admin search bar with a Customers filter. This tutorial finds one customer four ways, and checks the match counts.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 4 minutes read
The worked example
| Customers in the store | 214 |
| Search "Chen" | 3 matches |
| Search "Maya" | 2 matches |
| Search "Tremblay" | 1 match |
| Search "Lee" | 4 matches |
| "Chen" share of the list | 1.40% |
Download the search log: customer-search-log.csv (81 bytes, md5 8344ad37560f0bc622995e5d430a6c69).
A log of searches run against the customer list: the term, the matches, and the share of the store each search returned. Each share is matches divided by 214.
1Search from the Customers page
From your Shopify admin, go to Customers. Type a name, email address, or phone number in the search box at the top of the list. The list narrows as you type: searching Chen in the worked example returns 3 customers out of 214.
2Search from anywhere with the admin search bar
Click Search in the admin sidebar to open the search bar. You can use this search bar from any page of the Shopify admin to find customers, orders, products, apps, and sales channels. Type the name, then click the Customers filter so the results show customers only.
3Filter the results when the list is too long
If your search returns a large or mixed list, filter the results by category, such as Customers or Orders. Suggested filters can appear at the top of the results with the number of results in each category, so you can see at a glance where the matches sit.
4Clear a filter before adding another
To clear a filter, click the X next to the filter name. You can add only one filter at a time in admin search, so clear the old one before you apply a new one.
5Open the customer from the results
Click the customer name in the results to open the profile. The search bar also keeps a list of your most recent searches, so a customer you looked up yesterday is one click away.
The arithmetic
Four searches against a list of 214 customers.
| Search term | Matches | Share of the list |
|---|---|---|
| Chen | 3 | 1.40% |
| Maya | 2 | 0.93% |
| Tremblay | 1 | 0.47% |
| Lee | 4 | 1.87% |
3 divided by 214 is 1.40%, 2 divided by 214 is 0.93%, 1 divided by 214 is 0.47%, and 4 divided by 214 is 1.87%. A short surname matches more customers than a long one, so a 4-match search is not a mistake, it is a common name.
Held at the counter
Admin search covers the whole admin. A search with no filter returns orders, products, apps, and customers together. If you only want customers, click the Customers filter, or search from the Customers page instead.
Search matches names, emails, and phone numbers. It does not search the notes on a profile. To find customers by a note or a label, build a segment on the tag instead, or read the profile directly.
Only one filter at a time. Admin search lets you add one filter at a time. A second filter needs the first one cleared with the X first.
Sources
- Searching your Shopify admin — Shopify's help pages: the search bar, the Customers filter, the one-filter-at-a-time rule, and clearing a filter with the X.
- Managing customers — Shopify's help pages: the Customers page and opening a customer profile from the list.