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Categories define the structure of product organization within Product Catalog, allowing merchants to group products logically based on shared attributes. Using a hierarchical tree structure, categories help create navigable and scalable product groupings. Each product in Product Catalog, whether an item, a variant, or a bundle, must be assigned to a category or subcategory when it’s created. A product can only be assigned to one category or subcategory at a time. There is no limit to the number of categories or subcategories you can create.

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Tree Analogy

Categories and subcategories can be best explained with the tree analogy. For instance, consider furniture as the main category or root, the branches are subcategories such as tables and chairs, and the leaves represent individual products. In this example, a leaf could be an oak dining table that seats four. Visually, it looks like this:
  • Root: Furniture
    • Branch: Tables
      • Leaf: Dining Tables
        • Product: Oak dining table seating 4
        • Product: Oak dining table seating 6
      • Leaf: Coffee Tables
        • Product: Oak coffee table
        • Product: Oak coffee table, glass top
    • Branch: Chairs
      • Leaf: Dining Chairs
        • Product: Oak dining chair
        • Product: Oak dining chair, with arms
      • Leaf: Office Chairs
        • Product: Computer chair
        • Product: Computer chair, reclining
Any attribute applied to a category is inherited by its subcategories, known as attribute inheritance. However, inherited attributes can be overwritten by assigning the attribute to the subcategory itself. For example, the broad office chairs category could have a material attribute set to leather, but a specific subcategory could be set to nylon.