Ecommerce Empty States: How to Design Better No-Result Experiences
How to design ecommerce empty states: no search results, filters that match nothing, empty carts, wishlists and order histories, and how to prevent them.
Quick answer
Good ecommerce empty states turn a dead end into a next step. For no search results, repeat the query, suggest corrections and show related categories and products. For filters that match nothing, name the filters, offer to undo the last one and prevent the situation with result counts. For an empty cart, show recently viewed items and a route back to shopping. For empty wishlists and order histories, explain the feature and offer one clear action. Each should say what happened, why if known, and what to do next.
Why Empty States Deserve Design
Empty states appear at moments of friction: a search that failed, filters that went too far, a cart that's been emptied. Designers often leave them as a line of text, and shoppers leave. Designed well, they recover sessions and teach shoppers how the store works. This belongs to the listing-page cluster led by product listing page UX.
No Search Results
- Repeat the query so shoppers can spot typos
- Suggest spelling corrections or search for the corrected term automatically, and say so
- Show related categories and popular or relevant products
- Offer the search field again, pre-filled
- Give a contact or chat option for specific requests
- Log the query so the team can fix synonyms or data
Pro tip
Zero-result queries are a free list of fixes. Review them weekly; see ecommerce site search.
Filters That Match Nothing
The best fix is prevention: show counts next to filter options and disable or hide options that would return zero products. When a combination still returns nothing, name the applied filters, offer to remove the last one or each individually, and show near matches. See ecommerce product filters.
Empty Cart
An empty cart is often reached by removing items or on a new device. Say it's empty, show recently viewed products, link to key categories, and prompt sign-in if saved carts might exist. Don't hide the navigation. See ecommerce cart UX.
How many sessions end on a dead end?
ZSpace audits search, filters and empty states and designs recovery routes that keep shoppers moving.
Empty Wishlists, Orders and Accounts
For first-time use, explain what the feature does and how to use it (“Tap ♡ on any product to save it here”) and offer one relevant action. For empty order histories, link to shopping and help. These are also good moments to explain account benefits honestly.
Sold-Out Products and Collections
A collection where everything is sold out looks like an error. Say that items are sold out, offer back-in-stock alerts, show alternatives, and hide the collection from navigation if it will stay empty. Keep sold-out product pages live if the product will return.
Writing for Empty States
Use the same structure every time: what happened, why if you know, what to do next. Keep it short and specific. See UX writing for microcopy principles.
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| No results. | No results for “rain jaket”. Did you mean “rain jacket”? |
| Oops! Nothing here. | No jackets match Size XS + Waterproof. Remove “Waterproof”? |
| Your cart is empty. | Your cart is empty. Items you viewed recently are below. |
SEO and Technical Notes
Empty search result pages and filter combinations with no products shouldn't be indexable. Google's faceted navigation guidance is to return a 404 for filter combinations with no results (Google Search Central). Make sure empty states announce themselves to screen readers when results update dynamically.
Empty State Checklist
- Every empty state says what happened and offers a next step
- No-results pages suggest corrections and alternatives
- Filters show counts and prevent zero results
- Empty cart shows recently viewed items
- Sold-out collections offer alerts and alternatives
- Zero-result queries logged and reviewed
- Dynamic updates announced to assistive technology
Want fewer dead ends in your store?
Talk to ZSpace about ecommerce UX and a search and discovery audit.
Conclusion
Empty states are where shoppers decide whether to keep going. Prevent them where you can, explain them clearly when they happen, and always offer a useful next step. For URLs that don't exist at all, see ecommerce 404 pages.
For related guides, see diagnosing zero-result searches.
Common questions
Any screen that has nothing to show: a search with no results, filters that exclude every product, an empty cart, wishlist or order history, or a sold-out collection.