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Overview

Soft Boost is a sorting technique that applies a decaying multiplier to boost products matching specific conditions. Unlike priority rules that cluster boosted products at the top, soft boost creates natural interleaving by applying a boost that decreases as the base sort value increases. Soft boosts appear in the sort order editor with a Modifier badge and are visually grouped beneath the metric or attribute they modify. This tree layout makes it easy to see which expression each soft boost targets.

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How soft boost works

Soft boost supports two modes: multiplicative (default) and additive. Each mode uses a different formula to boost products matching specific conditions.

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Multiplicative mode (default)

Multiplicative mode applies a decaying multiplier to the base score. This produces natural interleaving because:
  • Products with low base scores get a larger relative boost (the exponential decay is minimal)
  • Products with high base scores get a smaller relative boost (the exponential decay is significant)
  • Non-matching products receive no boost (multiplier = 1)
Limitation: Multiplicative mode fails when the base value is zero. Products with zero base values (like new arrivals with no sales) remain stuck at the bottom regardless of boost settings.

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Additive mode

Additive mode projects matching products toward a configurable target position in the sort order. The position target represents a percentile of the underlying sort. A product already above the target position stays where it is — the boost only lifts products that are currently ranked below the target band. This behavior prevents all tagged products from clustering at the very top and instead creates natural interleaving (“sprinkling”) around the target position. The closer a product’s base score is to the target, the smaller the boost it receives. Key advantages:
  • Works with zero base values: Products with no sales data can still be boosted effectively
  • Position-based targeting: Control where boosted products appear in the distribution
  • Gap-capped boost: Products are sprinkled among untagged products instead of clustering at the top
  • Ideal for new arrivals: “Sprinkle” new products with no performance history into established rankings
  • Configurable spacing: Control minimum positions between boosted products
When to use additive mode:
  • Boosting products with zero or near-zero base values (new arrivals, products with no sales)
  • Creating a specific target position in the sort order (e.g., boost to 75th position)
  • Sprinkling new products into a best-selling sort order without clustering them at the top

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Soft boost vs. priority rules

FeatureSoft BoostPriority Rules
Product DistributionNatural interleaving throughout resultsHard override — forces products to top or bottom
Boost BehaviorDecaying multiplier based on base scoreHard promote/demote override applied first
Use CaseSubtle promotion while maintaining organic rankingStrong promotion or demotion
ConfigurationBoost strength + decay rateCondition + weight
Example: For a collection sorted by sales with a soft boost on tags = 'featured':
  • Priority Rule: All featured products appear first, regardless of sales
  • Soft Boost: Featured products with low sales get a significant boost, but high-selling non-featured products can still rank higher

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Configuration parameters

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Boost mode

Determines the formula used to boost matching products.
  • Options: multiplicative (default) or additive
  • Default: multiplicative
Multiplicative mode:
  • Multiplies the base value by a boost factor
  • Best for products with non-zero base values
  • Uses boost_strength parameter
Additive mode:
  • Projects products toward a target position in the sort order
  • Works even when base value is 0
  • Uses position_target and min_positions_between parameters
  • Ideal for new arrivals or products with no performance data

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Boost strength (multiplicative mode only)

Controls the intensity of the initial boost. Higher values provide stronger boosts to matching products.
  • Range: 0 to 10
  • Default: 0.25
  • Recommended: 0.25 to 1.0 for subtle promotion, 1.0 to 2.0 for stronger effects
  • Only used in multiplicative mode
Example Impact (with Decay Rate = 100):
  • Product with base score 10 and Boost Strength 0.5: 10 × 1.409 = 14.09 (+41%)
  • Product with base score 100 and Boost Strength 0.5: 100 × 1.184 = 118.4 (+18%)

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Position target (additive mode only)

Controls the target position for boosted products in additive mode. Products matching the condition will receive a boost that places them approximately at this percentile of the sort order.
  • Range: 0 to 100
  • Default: 50
  • Recommended: 50-75 for moderate visibility, 75-90 for high visibility
  • Only used in additive mode
Example Impact:
  • Position target 50: Boosted products are sprinkled around the median position
  • Position target 75: Boosted products are sprinkled into the upper quartile
  • Position target 90: Boosted products are sprinkled near the top
The position target represents a percentile of the underlying sort. A product already above the target position stays where it is — the boost only lifts products that are currently ranked below the target band.

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Min positions between (additive mode only)

Controls the minimum number of positions between boosted products in the results. This setting determines how spread out the boosted products are.
  • Range: 1 to 50
  • Default: 10
  • Only applies to additive mode
Example Impact:
  • Min Positions Between 1: Boosted products can appear back-to-back (tighter grouping)
  • Min Positions Between 10: At least 10 positions between each boosted product (default)
  • Min Positions Between 50: Boosted products are spread very far apart across results
Lower values keep boosted products closer together. Higher values spread boosted products farther apart for more natural distribution across the result set.

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Decay rate (multiplicative mode only)

Controls how quickly the boost diminishes as the base score increases. Higher values make the boost decay more slowly.
  • Range: 1 and above
  • Default: 100
  • Recommended: 50-200
Example Impact (with Boost Strength = 0.5):
  • Decay Rate 50: Boost decays faster, more aggressive interleaving
  • Decay Rate 200: Boost decays slower, boosted products stay higher longer

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Configuration requirements

Soft boost requires a metric or product attribute to modify. If no sortable expression exists in the sort order, an error dialog appears explaining that you need to add at least one metric or attribute first.
When you add a soft boost, it is automatically inserted above the last metric or attribute in the list so that it modifies that expression. You can reorder expressions after insertion if needed.

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Example use cases

Boost products tagged as “featured” while maintaining sales-based ranking: 
1. Soft Boost: tags contains "featured" (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: 0.5, Decay Rate: 100)
2. Sort by: Sales (7d) - Descending
Result: Featured products with moderate sales rank higher, but top-selling non-featured products can still win.

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Boost multiple tags (multiplicative mode)

When using in or notIn operators, you can boost products matching any of multiple values. The UI enables multi-select when these operators are selected. 
1. Soft Boost: tags in ["featured", "bestseller", "trending"] (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: 0.5, Decay Rate: 100)
2. Sort by: Sales (7d) - Descending
Result: Products with any of the specified tags receive a boost, creating natural interleaving based on their sales performance.

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Exclude price ranges (multiplicative mode)

Use the not between operator to demote products in specific price ranges: 
1. Sort by: Sales (7d) - Descending
2. Soft Boost: variant_price not between [100, 200] (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: -0.3, Decay Rate: 100)
Result: Products priced between 100−100-200 receive a negative boost, pushing them lower in results while maintaining natural ranking.

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Boost products with specific attributes set

Use is not null to boost products that have specific attributes configured: 
1. Soft Boost: metafield.custom.featured_until is not null (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: 0.5, Decay Rate: 100)
2. Sort by: Sales (7d) - Descending
Result: Products with a featured end date configured receive a boost, useful for time-sensitive promotions.

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Sprinkle new arrivals into best sellers (additive mode)

Interleave new arrivals with zero sales into a best-selling sort order: 
1. Soft Boost: tags contains "new-arrival" (Boost Mode: Additive, Position Target: 75, Min Positions Between: 10)
2. Sort by: Sales (7d) - Descending
Why additive mode? New arrivals have zero sales, so multiplicative mode would fail. Additive mode projects matching products toward the target position, allowing products with no sales history to be placed into the upper portion of results. Result: New arrivals with zero sales appear distributed throughout the top 25% of results, with at least 10 positions between each one, naturally interleaved with established best sellers. As new products accumulate sales data, the boost gradually diminishes and their organic sales performance takes over. Use case: Perfect for fashion retailers launching seasonal collections, where new items need visibility before they have sales history. The 75 position target ensures new arrivals appear in the upper portion without completely dominating the sort order.

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Highlight recently published products (multiplicative mode)

Give recently published products a boost without completely overriding popularity: 
1. Soft Boost: published_at > 30 days ago (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: 0.75, Decay Rate: 150)
2. Sort by: Total Sales - Descending
Result: New products get visibility while established bestsellers remain competitive.

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Regional preference (multiplicative mode)

Boost products from specific vendors for certain markets: 
1. Soft Boost: vendor equals "Local Brand" (Boost Mode: Multiplicative, Boost Strength: 0.5, Decay Rate: 100)
2. Sort by: Relevance Score - Descending
Result: Local brand products rank higher while maintaining relevance-based ordering.

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Works with other features

Soft boost integrates with other sort order capabilities:
  • Segmented Metrics: Apply soft boost to segmented metric scores for personalized boosting
  • Sequences: Soft boost respects product sequences when enabled
  • Multiple Attributes: Chain multiple soft boosts or combine with weighted sorting

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Best practices

  • Choose the Right Mode: Use multiplicative mode for products with non-zero base values, additive mode for products with zero or near-zero values (like new arrivals)
  • Start with Default Values: Begin with Boost Strength = 0.25 (multiplicative) or Position Target = 50 and Min Positions Between = 10 (additive), then adjust based on results
  • Test Different Parameters: Preview your sort order with different boost configurations to find the optimal settings
  • Monitor Distribution: Preview your sort order to ensure products are distributed as expected
  • Avoid Over-Boosting: Keep Boost Strength below 1.0 for most use cases to maintain natural ranking
  • Adjust Spacing for Your Catalog Size: For large catalogs, increase Min Positions Between to spread boosted products more naturally; for smaller catalogs, lower values work well
  • Additive Mode for Zero Values: When boosting products with no performance data (new arrivals, products with no sales), always use additive mode

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See also