Produkttype

Produkttype, often written as Produkttyp in German, is a term used in product information management, cataloging, and e-commerce to denote a category of products that share a common set of characteristics and attributes. It serves as a classification unit that supports data modeling, pricing, inventory management, and customer-facing presentation by providing a consistent data template for similar items.

In practice, a Produkttyp defines a template of attributes that apply to all products of that type, such as size, color, material, technical specifications, and compliance data. Individual products within the type can differ in attribute values or have additional variants, but the core data structure is defined by the Produkttyp. This helps enforce data quality and reduces duplication across product records.

Produkttyp is distinct from related concepts. A product category groups products by a functional or marketing area, while a product family or line usually refers to a broader family with multiple types. A product variant represents a specific option of a product (for example, a shirt in red, size M) that inherits the type's attributes but adds or overrides values.

Examples: In apparel, a Produkttyp could be Shirt, Jeans, or Jacket, each with attributes like size, fit, fabric. In electronics, Smartphone, Laptop, and Headphones have attributes such as processor, storage, battery, and connectivity. In services, a service offering like Installation or Warranty Extension may also be modeled as a Produkttyp.

In practice, defining Produkttypen supports multilingual catalogs, currency- and unit-aware pricing, and cross-system integration (PIM, ERP, e-commerce). Implementations often use templates or attribute schemas that can be extended while preserving a common data model.