producttypes

Product types are a mechanism used in catalog and product information management systems to classify products that share a common set of attributes. A product type defines the attribute schema, governing which fields are required, optional, or repeatable, and how data for those fields should be stored and validated. By standardizing attributes within a type, organizations achieve consistency across products and channels.

A key distinction is that a product type is about data structure, not merely where a product sits in a hierarchy. Categories or collections group products for navigation, while a product type specifies the kinds of information that must or may be captured—such as dimensions, weight, material, warranty, or model number. Variants, if supported, typically derive from a single product type and allow variations of attributes like color or size without creating a separate type.

Common roles of product types include guiding product data entry, shaping validation rules, informing pricing and tax rules, enabling attribute-based search facets, and supporting downstream processes such as publishing to marketplaces or generating structured data for SEO. They also facilitate data governance by enabling controlled changes and mappings when attribute definitions evolve.

Design considerations involve balancing stability with the need for flexibility, keeping a manageable number of types, and ensuring schemas can be extended without breaking existing records. Examples of typical types are electronics, apparel, books, and furniture, each with its own relevant attribute set.