Etsy Updates Category Structure and Attributes

Online marketplace Etsy announced changes to its category structure and attributes. Keep in mind that categories also act as “tags” on Etsy to further help shoppers find what they’re looking for, and to help Etsy determine relevancy in search.

Sellers are providing feedback about the changes (or what changes they’d like to see) in the comments of Etsy’s August 15th announcement.

Etsy announcement follows:

Updates to Listing Categories and Attributes on Etsy
There’s a ton of special items on Etsy, and categories help shoppers find just the thing they’re looking for. When you’re creating a listing, you assign it to the most specific category that fits your item. Shoppers can use categories to filter searches on Etsy and when they’re shopping using Etsy’s navigation menu. Categories also act as tags, helping us match your items with more relevant searches. You should select the categories that describe what your item is, not how it’s used or what it’s made for.

The category and subcategories you choose also determine which attributes you can add to your listing. You’ll have access to different attributes based on the category you choose. Attributes work in tandem with your tags and can affect your item’s placement in Etsy search.

We make regular updates to categories based on your feedback, changes on Etsy, and research on buyer and seller behavior. You can explore all of the categories on Etsy in this category list.

Going forward, we’ll update this article when we make any updates to listing categories on Etsy. If you don’t see a category that you think best describes your product, send us a suggestion via our feedback form.

August 2018 updates
Here’s a look at some of the categories we’ve added or changed.

Expanded options for Clothing
Adding more specific categories to your listings can help shoppers find exactly what they’re looking for. We added more specific subcategories to the Clothing category, including:

– Graphic Tees and Tanks in Men’s, Women’s, and Kids’
– Expanded categories for Women’s Swimwear, including Bikinis, Tops, and Bottoms
– Jeans in the Girls’ Clothing, Boys’ Clothing, and Unisex Kids’ Clothing categories. We also added new attributes for style, wash, fly, and cut.
– Leggings in Kids’ Clothing and Men’s Clothing
– Overalls for all genders and ages

We also added new attributes to the Clothing category, such as size and style. When you add size information, you’ll be able to choose which country’s size chart to list your item in and we’ll automatically convert those sizes to a shopper’s local size chart.

We renamed two clothing categories. Activewear is now Sports and Fitness. You should choose this category for clothing that can be worn during exercise and for sports uniforms.

New slime category
Now you can choose Slime & Foam as a subcategory in Toys & Games.

More subcategories in Menstrual Care
Now you can add more specific subcategories to Menstrual Care Products (in the Bath & Beauty category), including Pads & Pantyliners and Tampons.

Removing Holiday and Occasion Attributes from some categories
When you add categories and attributes to your listings, you should use the most specific Holiday and Occasion options that accurately describe what your product is. That helps us improve the chances of showing relevant search results to shoppers. For example, stockings or ornaments should have the Christmas attribute, but a watch shouldn’t—even if it would make a great gift for dad. You also don’t need to update them seasonally since a Valentine’s Day card is still a Valentine, even in September.

We’re removing Holiday and Occasion attributes from some categories to prevent listings from being incorrectly categorized. You should add Holiday and Occasion attributes only to items that are used specifically for the holiday or occasion, not because it’s an appropriate gift for the occasion. If you’ve already added these attributes to your listings, they won’t be removed, but when you create new listings in the future, you won’t be able to add those options.

Note: Etsy also added new subcategories, see press release for full list. Etsy advised sellers “To add these subcategories to your listings, go to your Listings page in Shop Manager.”

SOURCE: Etsy Announcement

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.