How to use universal search in STOQ to quickly find anything
Universal search in STOQ lets you quickly find anything in your dashboard without clicking through menus. You can search for settings, products, preorder offers, and orders — all from one place. The search lives inside the Quinn widget, a floating button in the bottom-right corner of every page. Type a keyword and it instantly searches across five categories at once: navigation/settings, products, product variants, preorder offers, and orders.
How to Open Universal Search
Universal search is accessed through the Quinn widget — the purple circle button fixed in the bottom-right corner of every page in STOQ.
Step-by-Step
- Look for the purple Quinn button in the bottom-right corner of any page in the STOQ app.
- Click the button to open the widget panel.
- In the panel header, you will see two tabs: Chat and Search.
- Click the Search tab to switch to universal search mode.
Search for items
Once universal search is open, start typing in the search field. Results appear automatically after you type at least 3 characters.
What you can search for
Universal search queries five categories in parallel and groups the results:
Category | What it finds | What you see in results |
|---|---|---|
Settings & Navigation | Pages, settings, and features in the app (e.g., "Notifications," "Integrations," "Shipping") | Page title, description, and an icon for the section |
Products | Products tracked in your back-in-stock waitlist | Product name, image, and waitlist count |
Product Variants | Individual variants of products (only shown when the product has multiple variants) | Product name, variant title, image, and waitlist count |
Preorder Offers | Your preorder selling plans | Offer name, status badge (Enabled, Disabled, or Scheduled), variant count, and revenue |
Orders | Preorder orders by order number, customer name, or email | Order number, payment status badge, customer name, email, and total price |
Open a result
Click on any result to navigate directly to it:
- Settings & Navigation results — takes you to that page in the app (e.g., clicking "Notifications" opens the Notifications settings page).
- Product results — opens the product's back-in-stock waitlist page showing unsent notifications.
- Variant results — opens the variant's back-in-stock waitlist page.
- Offer results — opens the preorder offer editor.
- Order results — opens the preorder order detail page (only for preorder orders).
Use the AI Copilot (Quinn)
The Quinn widget also includes an AI-powered copilot that can answer questions about your store and STOQ features.
Switch to Chat Mode
- Click the Quinn button in the bottom-right corner.
- In the panel header, click the Chat tab.
- Type your question in the text field (e.g. "How do I set up a preorder offer?").
- Press Enter to submit your question.
- Quinn returns an answer in markdown format, along with source links where applicable.
Switch back to Search mode
Click the Search pill to return to the standard search mode. Your previous query is cleared when you switch modes.
Tips for effective searching
Use these tips to find what you need faster.
- Search by order number — type the order number (e.g., "#1001" or "1001") to quickly find a specific order.
- Search by customer name or email — find orders by typing the customer's name or email address.
- Search for settings by keyword — type a feature name like "shipping," "notifications," or "klaviyo" to find the relevant settings page.
- Use at least 3 characters — search does not return results for queries shorter than 3 characters.
- Use specific keywords — the more specific your query, the more relevant the results. For example, "summer preorder" is better than "offer."
Known limitations
These are the current constraints of universal search.
- Minimum 3 characters required. Search does not return results for queries with fewer than 3 characters.
- Products shown are waitlist products only. The Products section shows products tracked in your back-in-stock waitlist, not all Shopify products.
- Non-preorder orders are not clickable. Orders that are not preorder orders appear in results but cannot be opened from search.
- Ask AI requires Enter to submit. Unlike Search mode, the AI copilot does not search automatically as you type.
- Results are limited to 5 per category. Each category returns a maximum of 5 results. If you do not see what you are looking for, try a more specific query.
- No search history. Universal search does not save previous queries. Each time you open it, the search field is empty.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
No results appear after typing | Query is shorter than 3 characters | Type at least 3 characters to trigger the search. |
"No results found" message appears | No matches found across any category | Try different keywords, check your spelling, or use a broader search term. |
Cannot click on an order result | The order is not a preorder order | Only preorder orders are clickable. Non-preorder orders appear in results for reference but cannot be opened in STOQ. |
Ask AI returns no answer | Query may be too vague or the copilot could not find relevant information | Rephrase your question with more specific keywords and press Enter again. |
Results are loading slowly | Multiple API queries run in parallel; network speed affects results | Wait a moment for all categories to load. Check your internet connection. |
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between Search mode and Ask AI mode?
A: Search mode finds matching items across settings, products, offers, and orders as you type. Ask AI mode lets you ask a question in natural language and returns an AI-generated answer. Search results are instant (as you type), while Ask AI requires pressing Enter to submit.
Q: Can I search for Shopify products that are not in my waitlist?
A: No. The Products section in universal search only shows products that are tracked in your back-in-stock waitlist. To find other Shopify products, use the Shopify admin search.
Q: Can I search for a customer by email?
A: Yes. Typing a customer's email address in universal search returns matching orders that include that email. This is useful for quickly finding all orders from a specific customer.
Q: Is there a way to filter results by category?
A: No. Universal search returns results from all categories at once. Results are grouped by category (Settings, Products, Offers, Orders) so you can scan the relevant section. There is no way to restrict the search to a single category.
Q: Why do some offer results show "Scheduled" instead of "Enabled"?
A: Offers with a scheduled start date that has not yet passed display a Scheduled badge. Once the scheduled date arrives and the offer becomes active, the badge changes to Enabled. Disabled offers show a Disabled badge.
Q: Does the Ask AI copilot have access to my store data?
A: The Ask AI copilot answers questions about your STOQ dashboard and features. It is designed to help you understand how to use the app. The responses are generated based on your query and available documentation.
Updated on: 05/06/2026
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