A few days ago, while doomscrolling YouTube, I stumbled across a 2016 video by Krzysztof Sarnecki about customer service standards. In it, he shares a personal story from a blazer shop:

I walked into a fancy store… A sharply dressed woman welcomed me and politely asked how she could help.

“I’m looking for a sport jacket. Do you have any?”

Her reply, with a big smile and sparkle in her eye:

“We don’t.”

He was stunned. Why enthusiastically say no to a potential buyer?

He goes on to explain how proper communication, even in negative situations, can turn a missed opportunity into a helpful experience.

When your store says “we don’t have it”

Most e-commerce sites simply say nothing found when a search returns zero results. This often happens because:

  • A UX/UI designer wasn’t involved (or was stretched thin)
  • Devs and QA didn’t prioritize the no-results case
  • Budget constraints pushed this down the list

Even if your search engine is solid, you should still check how your site handles empty searches—and more importantly, whether it offers alternatives.

Start with a clear, friendly message

Your no-results page should clearly inform the user that nothing matched their query, without making them feel at fault.

Here’s how:

  1. Keep it kind and human – avoid implying user error. Just say the item wasn’t found. More on tone here.
  2. Add a pinch of humor – a light, friendly tone can reduce frustration.
  3. Explain why – give a quick reason why the results may be empty.
  4. Clarify where the search was done – category? tags? attributes? Transparency helps.
  5. Encourage another try – invite them to rephrase or explore.

Your site can guide users toward something useful even when there’s no exact match:

  1. Autocomplete suggestions – while typing, offer popular or related queries.
  2. Inline suggestions – when no results are found, show related searches or alternative terms.
  3. Recommended products – based on previous user behavior or popular alternatives.
  4. External data sources – use integrations to fetch and suggest alternatives beyond your own catalog.

Sometimes, people need people

If nothing turns up, offer an easy way to reach support—like live chat or contact forms. Even small sites can do this well.