Shadow Catalog

One of the most frustrating experiences for users is searching for a title they’re excited to watch, only to find it’s unavailable in your catalog.

The disappointment is real and negatively impacts user satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty.

The reality is no video service can maintain a comprehensive catalog over time… Factors such as limited shelf life, exclusive distribution rights, or licensing contracts often mean popular content may come and go. Given the vast range of content types – movies, TV shows, sports events, and even user-generated videos – that reflect users’ tastes and behaviors, ensuring every title is always available is simply not feasible.

What you can control, however, is how you respond to those empty search results.

UX Engine Shadow Catalog addresses the issue by offering users alternatives, keeping them engaged with your video platform rather than forcing them to look elsewhere, as in a competing service.

From a missed search into a new discovery

UX Engine Shadow Catalog is designed to prevent the dreaded “no results found” search outcome.

This feature activates a library of assets not currently available in the streaming catalog that can be used as a reference for recommending similar titles, the “shadow catalog”.

For example, when a user searches for a movie that’s no longer licensed or never was, instead of leaving them with an empty search result page, the Shadow Catalog capability will trigger a content recommendation based on similar titles within the active catalog.

When a user’s search triggers a match to an unavailable title, the Shadow Catalog search mechanism springs into action, providing contextually relevant alternatives to keep the user engaged and satisfied without disrupting their experience.

Never lose a viewer when you can offer an alternative

UX Engine Shadow Catalog’s ability is to keep users on your platform by providing alternative content when their desired title is unavailable.

Instead of offering an apology for not having a title, the system suggests content that is close to what the user was looking for, offering a seamless viewing experience.

This improves customer satisfaction, reduces churn, and encourages exploration of your catalog, helping users discover new content they might not have considered before.

By retaining users and offering relevant recommendations, video services can also increase viewing time and potentially boost long-tail content consumption.

Ultimately, the Shadow Catalog turns a missing title into an opportunity for personalized discovery, keeping users engaged and excited about the content your service has to offer.