How to self-categorize product listings and add category-specific attributes

Merchants have the option to self-categorize listings for any product category and provide category-specific product attributes for various product categories. We strongly encourage merchants to do both, as providing more structured listing information is essential to improving product listing quality and ensuring products correctly appear in search results. 

1. How do merchants self-categorize products?

Merchants can self-categorize product listings for all product categories in three different ways:

A. API: 

Provide a subcategory ID when adding or editing a product via API. The subcategory ID can be found via the GET /api/v3/products/categories API.

B. CSV: 

Add a column header titled “Subcategory ID” when adding/editing a product via CSV, and populate the column with the relevant subcategory ID. The subcategory ID can be found on the Categories and Attributes page, next to the subcategory name in the category path table.

C. Merchant Dashboard:

Search and select the relevant category under the Product Category module in the Add Product or Edit Product pages.

2. What product categories can merchants provide category-specific attributes for?

Merchants can provide category-specific attributes for the following product categories:

• Apparel Accessories
• Cellphones & Telecommunications
• Computer and Office
• Consumer Electronics
• Entertainment
• Home & Garden
• Home Improvement
• Jewelry & Accessories
• Luggage & Bags
• Men's Clothing
• Shoes
• Sports
• Toys & Hobbies
• Women’s Clothing (see details on qualifying for the Wish Fashion experience)

3. How do merchants add category-specific attributes for products?

Category-specific attributes can be provided in three ways: 

A. API: 

Provide attributes when adding or editing a product via API. These attributes can be found via the GET /api/v3/products/attributes API, for the given subcategory ID.

B. CSV:

Add these attributes as column headers and populate the columns with corresponding accepted values when adding or editing a product via CSV. Merchants can use the Categories and Attributes page to generate a downloadable CSV template with relevant column headers, and to pull a list of corresponding accepted values. See detailed steps below:

1. Select the product category and search for the sub-category, or click through the category path table below the search section

2. Click the View Attributes button to see a list of attributes.

The Name column contains a list of attributes that will be populated as headers in the downloaded CSV template. The Accepted Values column contains a list of corresponding accepted values for each attribute.

3. Click the Download CSV Template button to generate a CSV containing all applicable product attributes as column headers.

4. Populate the attributes in the downloaded CSV template with corresponding Accepted Values. Merchants are strongly encouraged to include all applicable product attributes, as detailed product listings provide important context for customers and may lead to more sales. Ensure that the “Subcategory ID” column is populated with the relevant subcategory ID(s), which can be found next to the subcategory name(s) in the category path table above. 

5. Complete the CSV upload process via Products > Add/Edit Products with CSV. Detailed guidance can be found in our article on adding/editing products via CSV.

C. Merchant Dashboard:

Add relevant attributes under the Category Attributes and Variation Attributes sections in the Add Product or Edit Product pages.