Product Taxonomy for your eCommerce
Typically, online shoppers do not spend more than 8 seconds trying to find a product on any eCommerce site This is like a book enthusiast walking into a library and searching for the book category (where they can find the book they want).
When does it take users more time to find what they want? Simply put, when product information is inefficiently organized (or simply not there). As it stands, around 46% of product-related searches begin on Google. This is where product taxonomy can help your eCommerce business win.
What is product taxonomy? Simply put, it is the organization of products (based on categories) in an eCommerce store Why is it important? Product taxonomy can:
● Improve the user's experience in product discovery.
● Improve site navigation and facilitate faster searches.
● Elevate the brand reputation.
For a "winning" product taxonomy, eCommerce stores must implement the following seven best practices:
1. Optimize for SEO
Without search engine optimization (SEO), product searches can be frustrating to most customers. Among the best practices, eCommerce stores must consider optimizing product taxonomies for SEO keywords. In concrete terms, with detailed keyword research, ensure your taxonomies include the keywords your customers are looking for.
Additionally, you can also optimize other content like product title, image, and meta descriptions to map to the target keyword But avoid any keyword stuffing that can attract penalties (or even a lower SEO ranking from Google). However, you must consider optimizing your product page URLs using keywords.
2. Make It Concise
Product taxonomy must be concise and accurate. Avoid putting the same product in multiple categories, as it can confuse the shopper and interfere with stock management. Another best practice is to group single value product categories and make them a sub category to the main category.
For example, in an online furniture store, break down the "Lounge" category into second level categories like chairs, coffee tables, and couches.
Additionally, avoid grouping categories that do not complement each other. For example, water hoses and cooling systems. You can also consider a special category for products "on sale" or "new additions."
3. Remember Your Target Audience
Product taxonomies aim to attract more customers. Every eCommerce store must know the customer base that they are targeting. Find answers to common questions like "why should they choose your brand?" or "how do they choose products?"
That said, there are multiple ways to seek audience information and create appropriate product taxonomies This includes:
● Speaking to customers directly and asking for feedback.
● Observing real time data on customer behavior and purchase patterns.
● Researching the latest industry and shopping trends.
● Testing the user experience.
For a "winning" taxonomy, remember that online consumer behavior differs from that in the physical retail shop. For the best results, organize your product categories based on how consumers navigate through the online shop.
4. Don't Stuff Attributes
Product attributes are essential for filtering product searches (within the online store). Among the best practices, avoid stuffing the taxonomy with product attributes. Attribute stuffing is the practice of including many product specifications and attributes in the category label.
Instead, identify the most generic attributes that can be applied across product categories for example, color, size, and material.
After identifying the main attributes, include the attributes specific to your product (for example, dimension or weight) Avoid creating an attribute based product search that goes into the third level, as a two level hierarchy works best for most shoppers.
5. Base Your Taxonomy on Geographical Location
Besides the target audience, shopping behavior can differ according to the country or region (within the same country). Hence, the taxonomy for the same product must be different for the U.S and France.
Further, online product searches can vary according to demographics and spoken languages Therefore, must segment their audience based on these factors.
For example, a fashion retailer can "seasonalize" their product category for a particular country (for example, "Winter wear" in the U.K). The same retailer is unlikely to include this category in their Middle East market
6. Understand the Products
With a solely customer-centric focus, eCommerce companies lack a complete understanding of their products. For business success, eCommerce shops must dedicate equal importance to understanding their customers and products. A product driven customer centric approach is the best mode. Here are some product related questions that need to be addressed:
● Why do my customers love to use my products?
● What product feature sets it apart from similar products in the market?
● Which product categories are most visited by my customers?
A product centric approach can easily optimize the product datasets and create stronger taxonomies.
7. Avoid Any "Junk Drawer" Category
As the final best practice, avoid creating a "junk drawer" or ambiguous categories like "Others" or "Miscellaneous." These categories are often created when a "new" product category does not exist Additionally, they may be secondary products that do not warrant the effort of modifying the existing taxonomy.
Online shoppers may navigate to the "junk drawer" category and may not find the product they are looking for. This can frustrate most shoppers or hinder efficient navigation.
Conclusion
38% of online shoppers are known to leave a poorly organized eCommerce store. That makes it critical to optimize and prioritize the product taxonomy. An efficient product taxonomy is the foundation for eCommerce success and can simplify product searches
EnFuse Solutions offers a variety of eCommerce related services to its customers. With extensive industry experience in enterprise data management, our Catalog & Digital Asset management services are designed to improve your catalog related data. In sum, we can implement customized managed services designed for your eCommerce needs.
Contact us today to know more.
Related Blog : How Product Content Impacts the eCommerce Buyer’s Journey