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Product Search Performance: Why It Feels Slow and What We’re Doing

Product search delays: Causes and our ongoing improvements.

Updated over a week ago

We are aware that many of you are experiencing slower-than-expected response times when searching for products on Zendrop. We understand how frustrating this can be, especially when you’re trying to find items quickly and get your store moving.

Please rest assured: our team is actively working to resolve the underlying causes and improve overall performance.

In this article, you’ll find:

  • The root causes of the lag

  • What we are doing now

  • Suggestions you (as a user) can try to reduce delay

  • What to expect going forward


1. What’s Causing the Search Lag?

Based on diagnostics so far, here are the main contributing factors:

  • High concurrent background processes
    Our platform runs a number of resource-intensive jobs. When many of these run concurrently, they compete for server resources, which slows down real-time operations like serving search queries.

  • Database load and index contention
    Frequent writes to product catalogs can cause contention in database indexes. That means the search engine (or query layer) may wait while index locks or reads/writes complete.

  • Cache invalidation and freshness constraints
    To keep search results up to date, cache layers must be invalidated or refreshed frequently. If cache misses or “cold” reads occur, the system has to fetch data from the slower backend, resulting in delay.


2. What We Are Doing to Fix It

We’re treating this as a high-priority performance issue. Our engineering and operations teams are executing a multi-pronged approach:

  • Smoothing out heavy background processes
    Adjusting how resource-intensive jobs run in the background so they don’t compete with real-time searches during peak hours.

  • Optimizing our database and search indexes
    Fine-tuning how product data is organized and queried so searches complete faster and return more accurate results.

  • Enhancing caching systems
    Improving how often search results are stored in fast memory so the system can respond more quickly without needing to “start from scratch.”

  • Increasing platform capacity
    Scaling up infrastructure to handle higher traffic and larger product catalogs without delays.

  • Staggering system tasks
    Spreading out system jobs to prevent them from overloading resources all at once.


3. What You Can Try

While we work on the back end, here are steps you can take to minimize lag or improve responsiveness in your experience:

  • Use more specific search terms
    Narrower keywords (fewer wildcard or broad terms) reduce the search engine’s workload.

  • Limit the number of filters or facets used at once
    Applying many filters (e.g. categories + price range + ships from + supplier) triggers complex query merges. Simpler filtering often returns faster.

  • Avoid repeated rapid queries
    If the system is already processing a heavy query, issuing multiple successive queries quickly can stack up. Pause briefly between searches, or refresh only when needed.

  • Clear browser cache / use a fresh session
    In rare cases, stale user-side caching or local storage issues can contribute to perceived slowness.

  • Prefer off-peak hours when possible
    If you have flexibility, try your heavier searches during less busy periods (e.g. after 5 PM EST). This can reduce contention effects.

  • Report patterns or reproducible cases
    If you notice certain search terms, filters, or product categories consistently lagging, share them with us. That helps us pinpoint hotspots.


4. What to Expect Going Forward & What We Commit To

  • Performance baseline targets
    Our goal is to restore search latency for standard queries and keep performance stable under load.

  • Feedback loop & iteration
    As we deploy fixes, your feedback is vital. If you see improvements or still have issues, let us know immediately so we can adjust further.


We understand how important fast, reliable product search is for your workflow, store operations, and user experience. This is not just a “temporary glitch” to us, it’s a core usability issue we are treating with urgency.

We appreciate your patience, understanding, and collaboration. Your usage patterns and feedback will help us build a faster, more stable Zendrop for everyone.

Thank you for being part of the process!

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