How to plan a product catalogue before building a store

Planning your product catalogue structure before building an e-commerce store means deciding how products are grouped into categories, which attributes customers can filter by, how variants such as size and colour are organised, what photos and descriptions each product needs, and how the data will be imported. Planning it in a spreadsheet first saves rework later, and gives customers a store where they can find what they want quickly.

A product catalogue is the complete list of products in your store, together with all the information that describes them. This guide walks through each part step by step. You do not need technical knowledge; most of the work is organising what you already know about your products. If you are planning an online store, our e-commerce service page explains how we work.

Product catalogue structure: categories customers understand

Categories are the main way customers browse a store. They should reflect how customers think about your products, not how your warehouse or accounts are organised.

1. Start from the customer's point of view. Ask how a new customer would describe what they are looking for. "Running shoes" is more useful than an internal product code or supplier name.
2. Keep the top level short. A handful of main categories is easier to scan than a long list.
3. Use subcategories where they help. For example, Shoes > Running, Walking, Hiking. Avoid going so deep that customers have to click through many levels.
4. Allow products in more than one place where it makes sense, such as a jacket that belongs in both "Outdoor" and "Sale".
5. Use consistent naming. Plural or singular, one style throughout.
6. Plan for growth. Leave room for new product lines without reorganising everything.
7. Test with real people. Ask a few customers or staff to find specific products using your draft structure.

Categories also affect how the store appears in search engines, because each category usually becomes its own page. Clear, descriptive category names help both customers and search engines.

Attributes and filters

Attributes are the properties that describe a product, such as brand, material, size, colour, capacity or compatibility. Filters let customers narrow a category using those attributes.

1. List the attributes customers use to choose. For clothing, size and colour; for electronics, capacity or compatibility; for furniture, dimensions and material.
2. Use fixed values where possible. A list of set colour names is easier to filter than free text, where "navy", "Navy" and "dark blue" become three different options.
3. Decide which attributes become filters. Not every attribute needs to be filterable. Focus on the ones that help customers narrow their choice.
4. Keep units consistent. Use the same units and formats throughout, such as centimetres for all dimensions.
5. Fill attributes for every product. A filter is only useful if products have the information. Products missing a value disappear when customers filter.
6. Separate descriptive details from filters. Some information belongs in the description rather than as a filter, such as care instructions.

Well-planned attributes also make future features easier, such as comparison tables or integrations with marketplaces that require structured data.

Variants such as size and colour

Variants are versions of the same product that differ in one or more attributes, such as a T-shirt in several sizes and colours.

1. Decide what makes a variant and what makes a separate product. A shirt in several colours is usually one product with variants. Two very different styles are usually separate products.
2. List the variant attributes, such as size and colour, and all their possible values.
3. Decide what varies by variant. Price, stock, weight, product code and images can differ between variants. Mark which ones apply.
4. Give each variant its own product code, often called an SKU (stock keeping unit), so stock and orders can be tracked accurately.
5. Plan variant images. Customers expect to see the colour they select, so each colour usually needs its own photos.
6. Avoid unmanageable combinations. Many options combined together can create a very large number of variants. If only some combinations exist, list only those.

How variants are set up also affects search engines, as our guide to fixing duplicate content on an online store explains.

Product photos and descriptions

Photos and descriptions do the work a salesperson would do in a shop. Planning them early avoids delays at launch.

Photos

• Agree a consistent style: background, lighting, angle and image shape.
• Plan the set of images each product needs, such as front, back, detail and in use.
• Use clear, descriptive file names and add short alternative text for accessibility.
• Keep original high-quality files, and let the store create smaller versions for faster pages.

Descriptions

• Write for the customer: what the product is, who it is for and why it is useful.
• Include the practical details customers need, such as dimensions, materials and care.
• Avoid copying supplier descriptions word for word where you can. Your own descriptions help customers and give search engines unique content.
• Use a consistent structure, such as a short summary followed by key features and specifications.

Decide who writes descriptions and takes photos, and by when. Content is a frequent cause of launch delays.

Clear product information also prevents surprises later in the journey, which our guide to checkout abandonment covers.

Preparing data for import

Most stores are loaded by importing a spreadsheet rather than typing each product by hand.

1. Ask your developer for the import format the store expects, including column names and required fields.
2. Build one master spreadsheet with one row per product or variant, and a column for each field and attribute.
3. Use consistent values, such as the exact category names and attribute values you planned.
4. Link variants to their parent product, using the method your platform requires.
5. Match images to products through file names or links, following the agreed format.
6. Check the data before import. Look for missing prices, missing stock levels, duplicate product codes and inconsistent spellings.
7. Run a test import with a small sample on a staging site, then review the products as a customer would see them.
8. Import the full catalogue only when the sample looks right, and check a selection of products afterwards.

Keep the master spreadsheet after launch. It is useful for bulk updates and for any future move to another platform.

Catalogue size and complexity also affect the budget. Our guide to what it costs to build an online store explains how, and our guide on what to ask an agency before building your online store covers product imports among the questions to ask.

If you sell in several currencies, decide early how prices will be stored, and our guide to multi-currency ecommerce explains the options.

Summary

• Organise categories around how customers think, with a short top level and room to grow.
• Choose the attributes customers use to decide, use fixed values and fill them for every product.
• Plan variants carefully, with a product code for each and images for each colour.
• Agree a consistent style for photos and a clear structure for descriptions, and plan who creates them.
• Prepare one clean master spreadsheet, test the import with a sample and check the results.

A well-planned catalogue makes a store easier to use, easier to manage and easier to grow. If you're planning a new online store, you can tell us about your products here.