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Pinning

Pinning allows you to force specific products into exact positions in search results or collections, ensuring critical items appear where you need them most.

Overview

Pinning places products in specific positions regardless of their natural relevance score, giving you absolute control over top positions. Unlike boost/bury rules that modify scores, pinning ensures exact positioning.

Use Cases

  • Featured products: Pin hero products to position #1
  • Promotional items: Pin sale items to top positions
  • New launches: Pin new product launches to ensure visibility
  • Vendor placements: Pin sponsored or vendor-funded products
  • Inventory clearance: Pin overstocked items to top positions
  • Strategic positioning: Ensure specific products appear in top-N results

How to Pin Products

Marqo offers two ways to pin products in the merchandising interface:

Method 1: Drag and Drop

The quickest way to pin products is by dragging and dropping them directly in the search or collection results:

  1. Navigate to Merchandising:
  2. Go to the Merchandising section in your Marqo dashboard
  3. Select context:
  4. Choose either Search Merchandising or Collection Merchandising
  5. Enter query or select collection:
  6. For search: Enter a search query (e.g., "running shoes")
  7. For collections: Select the collection you want to merchandise
  8. View results:
  9. The search results or collection products will display in a grid/list view
  10. Drag and drop:
  11. Click and hold on any product card
  12. Drag it to the desired position slot
  13. Release to pin the product to that position
  14. Save changes:
  15. Click Save to apply the pinning changes

For more precise control, use the pin button to search for specific products:

  1. Navigate to Merchandising:
  2. Go to the Merchandising section
  3. Select context:
  4. Choose Search Merchandising or Collection Merchandising
  5. Enter query or select collection:
  6. Enter a search query or select a collection
  7. Click Pin button:
  8. Click the Pin button (usually located at the top of the results area)
  9. Search for product:
  10. A search dialog will appear
  11. Type the product name, SKU, or ID to find the product you want to pin
  12. Select the product from the search results
  13. Enter position:
  14. Enter the desired position number (e.g., 1 for first position, 3 for third position)
  15. Click Confirm or Pin
  16. Save changes:
  17. Click Save to apply the pinning

Pinning for Specific Queries or Collections

Pinning is scoped to the query or collection you're merchandising:

  • Search Merchandising: Pins apply only to the specific search query you entered
  • Collection Merchandising: Pins apply only to the selected collection

Best Practices

  1. Use sparingly: Pinning reduces organic relevance—use only when necessary
  2. Monitor impact: Track conversion rates of pinned vs. organic results
  3. Test positions: Experiment with different positions to find optimal placement
  4. Combine with boost: Use boost/bury for products just outside top positions
  5. Keep it relevant: Ensure pinned products match user intent for the query
  6. Review regularly: Periodically review pinned products to ensure they're still relevant

Limitations

  • Pinning reduces the organic nature of search results
  • Over-pinning can hurt user experience and conversion
  • Pinned products may not match user intent if not carefully selected
  • Requires ongoing management and optimization