Selecting a department should be quick and simple - even when you have hundreds or thousands to choose from.
This update improves how departments are selected throughout the platform by introducing a searchable dropdown. Instead of scrolling through long lists, users can now search, filter, and quickly find the department they need.
The new experience is available across Admin and relevant customer-facing pages.
What Was the Behaviour Before?
Previously, department selection relied on a standard dropdown list. For businesses with only a few departments, this worked fine. However, for customers managing large organisational structures - sometimes with over 1000 departments - the dropdown became difficult to use.
Users had to scroll through long lists to find the correct department, which was slow and frustrating. There was no way to search or filter the results.
What Has Changed?
Department fields now use a searchable selection tool instead of a basic dropdown.
When you open the department field, you can begin typing to narrow down the results. The list updates automatically as you type, helping you quickly locate the correct department.
The list also loads only when needed, which improves overall page performance - especially in environments with large datasets.
If you are editing an existing record, the previously selected department will already be displayed.
Where You’ll See This Update
The searchable department field is now available in:
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Admin Customer Create and Edit
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Admin Order Edit
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Customer Registration (if enabled)
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Customer My Account (if allowed by settings)
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Customer/User Settings (Default and Guest Department)
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Request Context configuration
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Access Permission Records
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Custom Data management
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Discount Rules configuration
The experience is consistent across all of these areas.
Why This Is Beneficial
This change makes department management significantly easier for organisations with complex structures.
You can now:
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Quickly find departments using search
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Avoid scrolling through extremely long lists
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Work more efficiently in Admin
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Maintain fast page load speeds even with large numbers of departments
For teams managing enterprise storefronts, this results in a smoother and more scalable workflow.
Configuration Notes
In some customer-facing areas, department selection is controlled by system settings.
If you do not see the department field during registration or within My Account, confirm that department selection is enabled in your Customer Settings.
Admin-side department fields are always available where applicable. (area's listed above)
What to Expect When Using It
When you first load a page, the department field will appear as normal, either showing a placeholder or the currently selected department.
When you click into the field, the department list will open. You can begin typing immediately to search. Results will update as you type.
Once selected, the department name will display in the field. If you are editing a record, the existing department will already be selected and can be changed if needed.
If no matching departments are found, a message will appear indicating that no results match your search.
Troubleshooting
If you are still seeing a long, scrollable dropdown instead of a searchable field, the page may not have been updated or cached correctly.
If the department field does not appear at all on registration or My Account pages, check that department selection is enabled in your settings.
If a selected department does not save correctly, confirm that you have permission to update the record and that the field is not restricted by configuration settings.
If you experience any unexpected behaviour, clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page is a good first step.