Product Type
A product type is the category a merchant assigns to a product in its own words, such as the product_type attribute in Google Merchant Center or the product type field in Shopify.
What is Product Type?
A product type is the category you assign to a product in your own words, such as Home > Kitchen > Chef's knives. In Google Merchant Center it is the product_type attribute, and in Shopify it is the Product type field you use to group and filter products. The product type follows your own shop structure and can be as detailed as you like. That makes it different from google_product_category, which uses a fixed path from the Google product taxonomy. Google uses product_type to understand your catalog, and advertisers use it to split Shopping campaigns into product groups with their own bids. A clear type next to a correct Google category helps both. To find the matching Google category for a product, try the free product category finder. See also product taxonomy.
Why Product Type matters for e-commerce
A consistent product type makes your catalog easy to filter, report on and advertise. In Google Ads, Shopping campaigns can be split by product type, so you can bid differently on knives and cookware instead of using one bid for the whole kitchen range. It also helps channel mapping. Marketplaces and comparison sites read the type to understand what you sell, and a PIM system can use it as the starting point for mapping products to each channel's own category tree.
Examples of Product Type
- 1Product: Chef's knife, product_type: Home > Kitchen > Knives > Chef's knives, google_product_category: Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Tools & Utensils > Kitchen Knives
- 2Shopify product type: Sneakers, Collection: Men's shoes, Filter: Product type is Sneakers
- 3Product: Yoga mat, product_type: Sport > Yoga > Mats, Ads use: a product group with its own bid
- 4Wrong: product_type = Sale, Better: product_type = Women > Dresses > Maxi dresses, with Sale as a custom label
How WISEPIM Helps
- AI category classification in WISEPIM maps products to the Google product taxonomy with 95%+ accuracy, next to your own product type.
- The Category map links your own categories to the category tree of each channel.
- Bulk editing updates the product type for a whole selection in one step.
Common mistakes with Product Type
- Copying the Google category path into product_type instead of using your own structure.
- Using promotions such as Sale or New as a product type. Use custom labels for that.
- Mixing spellings and languages, such as Sneakers, sneakers and Trainers, for the same type.
- Leaving product_type empty, so campaigns cannot be split by type.
Tips for Product Type
- Use a consistent path from broad to specific, separated by ' > '.
- Keep one language and one spelling per type.
- Send both product_type and google_product_category to Google.
- Base the type on what the product is, not on its promotion or season.
Trends around Product Type
- Shopify's standard product taxonomy now sits next to the free product type field.
- AI classification suggests both a standard category and a merchant product type from the title and attributes.
- Feed tools build campaign structures from the product type automatically.
Tools for Product Type
- Google Merchant Center: the product_type and google_product_category attributes
- Shopify: the Product type and Product category fields
- WISEPIM: AI category classification and the Category map
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