Categories are how a store is browsed. A shop with everything in one list gets harder to use with every product you add, and branded stores grow faster than people expect.

Set them up before the products

Create the categories first and each product is filed as you add it. Doing it the other way round means going back through everything.

Naming them

• Use the words the buyer would use — "Sportswear", not "Sublimated garments".
• For a school, people think in year groups and activities; for a company, in roles and departments.
• A parent category gives a second level where a store is genuinely large. Two levels is plenty.

A product with no category