productsoort

Productsoort is a classification used in retail, e-commerce, and product information management to group items that share fundamental characteristics. The term denotes the type or kind of product rather than a single item. For example, in an electronics catalog, productsoorten might include 'smartphone', 'laptop', or 'tablet'; in a grocery catalog, they might be 'fruit', 'dairy', or 'bakery'.

In practice, productsoort sits above individual products and below broader categories in a catalog's taxonomy. It supports search filtering, navigation, pricing strategies, and analytics by providing a stable reference point for grouping items that differ in model or variant but are the same product kind.

Data management: In PIM and ERP systems, productsoort is implemented as a controlled vocabulary or taxonomy code. Each product record points to a productsoort, reducing ambiguity and enabling consistent reporting across channels. Multilingual contexts require translations or locale-specific codes.

Relationship with other concepts: The product is a concrete item; a productsoort defines a family of items with shared characteristics; a productvariant or model describes the specific configuration of a productsoort; a productline groups related productsoorten.

Limitations and governance: A poorly defined productsoort taxonomy can lead to overlap or gaps; governance, documentation, and periodic review help maintain consistency.

See also product category, SKU, product variant, catalog taxonomy.