Overview

Knowing when to use Product Categories and Product Attributes can be a little tricky at times. It's important to understand when to use a 'Product Category and when to use a 'Product Attribute'. We hope this Help Doc clears up any confusion and helps you understand the difference between the two features.

It's important to remember what works for one business doesn't work for another. For some businesses, you may need to use these features differently. However, in most cases, this will help you understand what to use and when to use it.



When should I use a Product Category?

We would recommend using a Product Category mainly for the menu options you would like to show on your navigation bar. 

It's important to remember to keep your navigation bar clean and straightforward. In many cases (unless you need to include it on your navigation bar), we recommend adding further filtering options such as sizes as an Attribute. 

You may have seen websites that allow you to filter product categories, product sizes, product colours etc.. It's important unless it's a category; it needs to be added as 'Product Attribute' instead. 



When should I use a Product Attribute?

Product Attributes have multiple purposes; here are some below:

  • To be used for drop-down customisations such as sizes and colour on a product. You can attach 'attributes' to a variable product. 
  • You can show information under the 'Additional information' tab on a product. 
  • You can use attributes for filtering products on the sidebar of your website. E.g. allowing your customers to choose from sizes, colour, material. 


What happens if I need both a Product Category & Attribute?

For example, you would like to have 'colours' as both a Category and an Attribute. You will need to add it both as an Attribute and Category. You may find this a little strange or counter-productive adding it as both. However, if you don't, this can greatly affect your website's SEO performance and navigation. Only use both if necessary; in most cases, you should only need one or the other.