Online stores have emerged out of the need to be more efficient and time-savvy. They are a convenient option for all those who lack time and want to optimise their life. And it is a perfectly plausible option. However, if your online store fails to fulfil the very reasons why people resort to online shopping in the first place (which is a quick and easy search and optimal shopping process), then you probably won’t be as successful as you could. Keep reading to learn more about organising your online fashion store and having more customers.
First of all, we will discuss the concept of taxonomy, what it means and why it matters. Then we will make a distinction between flat and hierarchical taxonomy. Additionally, we will provide information on categorising things in your online store as well as assigning different product attributes. And finally, we will share some helpful advice on successfully implementing those taxonomies into your online fashion store. Keeping your online store’s organisation at high levels is quintessential for the overall success of your business.
Taxonomy – what it is and what it matters
When it comes to the concept of taxonomy in eCommerce, it’s essential to be familiar with it. Taxonomy in eCommerce refers to classifying and categorising your products so that the customers and search engines can easily find them. For example, if your eCommerce store sells clothes, your taxonomies would be women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing. These taxonomies would then further be classified into subcategories such as dresses, pants, skirts, etc. Depending on the kind of products you sell, there are two ways for you to go. You can use either flat or hierarchical taxonomy, which you can read more about in the next paragraph.
Flat vs hierarchical taxonomy
Flat taxonomy means that you assign each product an equal importance. Using flat taxonomy is great in cases when you don’t have a wide range of products. In practice, it looks like this: in the case of a clothing website, you have the main categories, such as the three we’ve mentioned, which are then further subcategorised. So, this is clearly not a good example of a flat hierarchy. However, in the case of a website selling phone cases, it would be completely appropriate to use a flat taxonomy as it could only have categories according to phone types. And that’s it – there’s nothing more to categorise.
On the other hand, a hierarchical taxonomy is used in all the other cases where there are a lot of subcategories (which is mostly the case). When using a hierarchical taxonomy, you’ll most often start with a flowchart including your homepage and followed by categories, further subcategorised. You can categorise any clothing that you get from your reliable clothing vendors: in the category of women’s clothing, you can have all kinds of subcategories, such as dresses, skirts, shirts, jackets, coats and so on. You can even have all kinds of subcategories for dresses (long, short, black tie, midi), shirts (long sleeve, short sleeve, no sleeve), and so on.
Categories and subcategories
Categories and subcategories are essential components of every well-organised eCommerce store. Without them, customers would have problems finding the things they need quickly and easily, which most often results in abandoning such a website and searching for one that is able to give them what they need more efficiently. They are a crucial starting point for your customers. Subcategories help your customers narrow down their searches even more.
Different product attributes
Another thing that you should definitely consider is assigning your products various attributes. These refer to the special characteristics of the products, and they help in refining the search. Tagging each product in the right way will help customers find what they are looking for more quickly. They also aid search engines in pinpointing your products. They can be used in both flat and hierarchical taxonomies. These facets or attributes include things such as size, colour, or price range, depending on the type of products you sell. You can use brands, product types and sizes as well.
Implementing taxonomies
Now that you are familiar with the concept of taxonomies and their importance in eCommerce stores, we’ll move on to practical tips on implementing them successfully. Start with doing some research, making a plan, creating a spreadsheet, entering information into your eCommerce store and implementing tags.
Organising your online fashion store will bring you a lot of benefits in the long run, so don’t overlook its importance.
