Documentation Getting started with ModelMatch

Getting started with ModelMatch

What ModelMatch does, how it works, and how to get from install to live in your store.

Welcome to the ModelMatch documentation. ModelMatch is a Shopify app that helps shoppers find replacement parts that actually fit their specific equipment — filters for their air purifier, belts for their washer, blades for their saw, anything where “does this fit my model?” is the make-or-break question between adding to cart and closing the tab. It’s built for Shopify merchants selling replacement parts, filters, consumables, or any product where compatibility decides the sale. This page is the high-level intro: what the product does, how it fits together, and where to go next based on what you’re trying to do. If you’re new to ModelMatch, read this whole page once. After that, the docs are organized by what you’re trying to do — jump in at the section that matches your current task.

What ModelMatch does

The clearest way to understand ModelMatch is to walk through what a shopper experiences:

  1. A shopper visits your store looking for a replacement part — say, a wicking filter for their humidifier.
  2. They land on a product page or a collection page.
  3. ModelMatch’s storefront block asks them: “What’s the brand and model of your equipment?”
  4. The shopper enters their information — for example, Honeywell and HCM-350.
  5. ModelMatch checks the entry against the compatibility data you’ve provided and tells them, instantly, whether this product fits their equipment.
  6. If it does, they buy with confidence. If it doesn’t, they avoid an expensive return.

For the merchant, the result is fewer wrong-fit returns, higher conversion on parts purchases, and shoppers who trust your store enough to come back the next time they need something. The shopper’s question gets a fast, honest answer; you stop paying for returns that were avoidable; everyone wins.

[Screenshot: Side-by-side comparison — fit check widget showing "Verified fit" on the left, finder showing matched products on the right.]

The three storefront blocks

ModelMatch shows up on your storefront in three places. Each one is a Shopify theme block you can install through the theme editor — no developer required. (Full walkthrough is in Storefront blocks; this is the orientation.)

  • Fit check widget — Lives on product pages, typically near the buy button. Lets shoppers verify a specific product fits their equipment before buying. Auto-hides on products that don’t have compatibility data yet, so you can roll out coverage gradually without showing broken UI.
  • Standalone finder — A dedicated search experience. Lets shoppers enter their equipment and see all compatible products across your entire catalog. Useful when shoppers don’t know which product to start on, or for a “find your part” landing page.
  • Catalog fit check — Lives on collection (category) pages. After a shopper sets their equipment once, ModelMatch checks compatibility on every product they browse — turning the catalog into a self-filtering shopping experience.

You don’t need all three. Most stores start with just the fit check widget — it covers the highest-intent moment in the shopper journey — and add the other blocks as needs grow.

How the data works

Underneath all three storefront blocks is one shared concept: compatibility records. A record is a single relationship — “this part fits this equipment.” A typical merchant has thousands of records (one part often fits many equipment models, and each combination is its own row). Records are what every fit check, finder result, and catalog fit check evaluates against.

You add compatibility records three ways:

  • CSV upload — The most common starting point. You bring data from a spreadsheet (manufacturer-provided, exported from a previous app, or hand-built) and ModelMatch imports it.
  • Shopify import with AI mapping — Available on every plan, with monthly caps that scale with the tier (Starter 100/month, Growth 500/month, Professional 2000/month). The AI reads your existing Shopify product catalog and suggests records based on web research. You review every suggestion before saving.
  • Manual entry — A simple form for one-off additions, testing, or filling specific gaps after a bulk import.

For a deeper explanation of what a record is and what each field does, see Understanding compatibility records. For the actual import walkthrough across all three paths, see Your first records.

Plans and what each includes

ModelMatch has three pricing tiers. Pick the one that matches your catalog size and the depth of operations you need; you can change plans anytime in ModelMatch admin > Billing without affecting your data.

Starter — $19/month

  • Up to 10,000 compatibility records
  • All three storefront blocks
  • CSV upload, manual entry, records management
  • AI-assisted compatibility mapping (100 mappings per month)
  • Basic insights (30-day analytics window)

Growth — $39/month (most merchants land here)

  • Everything in Starter
  • Up to 50,000 records
  • AI-assisted compatibility mapping (500 mappings per month)
  • Auto-sync from Shopify products
  • Daily automated orphan detection
  • Bulk orphan management
  • Customizable storefront block themes (Light / Dark / Minimal)
  • 90-day insights window

Professional — $79/month (for larger catalogs)

  • Everything in Growth
  • Up to 200,000 records
  • AI mapping at 2,000 per month
  • Hourly automated orphan detection
  • Data Health Center with quality score and coverage gap detection
  • 365-day insights window
  • Highest-priority support

Plan changes take effect immediately, and your data is never affected by upgrade or downgrade.

If you’ve just installed ModelMatch and want a clear roadmap from zero to operating, this is it. Most merchants complete steps 1–5 in under an hour.

  1. Install ModelMatch. Through the Shopify App Store. The install adds ModelMatch to your admin nav and creates an empty database for your shop. No data is loaded yet.
  2. Pick a plan. You can start on Starter and upgrade later. Most merchants land on Growth because the AI mapping and auto-sync genuinely earn their keep. Pricing is honest; the pricing page has the full feature comparison if you want to compare in detail.
  3. Add your first records. CSV is the fastest path if you already have data prepared in a spreadsheet. Shopify import with AI mapping is the path if you don’t have prepared data but do have a populated Shopify catalog. See Your first records for the full walkthrough of all three paths.
  4. Add the fit check widget to your theme. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize, open a product page template, and drop in the ModelMatch fit check widget block near the buy button. See Storefront blocks for the full install guide and customization options.
  5. Test on your live storefront. Visit a product page that has compatibility records. Verify the widget appears, enter a brand and model from your data, and confirm the result is correct. Use Test Search in the admin first to confirm your data layer is working, so you isolate any issues to the right layer.
  6. Watch insights. Within a few days of going live you’ll start seeing real shopper search activity. Check Insights > Leaderboards at least weekly during your first 90 days — the top no-match models are the easiest match-rate improvements you’ll ever make. See Understanding insights for how to interpret the metrics and turn them into action.

That’s the full path from zero to operating. Beyond that, the docs are organized by what you’re trying to do.

Where to go next

For learning the data model:

For getting data in:

  • Your first records — the three import paths (CSV, Shopify + AI, manual) walked through in detail.

For using the storefront blocks:

  • Storefront blocks — how to add and customize all three blocks (fit check widget, standalone finder, catalog fit check).

For ongoing operations:

  • Data management — keeping data clean over time, auto-sync, orphan detection, AI mapping operations.
  • Understanding insights — reading shopper behavior and turning the metrics into action.

When something isn’t working: