Reducing Product Upload Time by 60% for an eCommerce Marketplace With Product Taxonomy and Attribute Structuring

60%

Reduction in Product Upload Time

40%

Improvement in Product Discoverability

60 Days

To deliver import-ready taxonomy

Service

  • Google PPC
  • Amazon PPC

Platform

  • Amazon

Client Overview

A Growing Marketplace Focused on Low-Commission Selling

The client was building a large-scale eCommerce marketplace designed to make buying and selling easier for a broad seller base. The business focused on attracting small and mid-sized online sellers by giving them a way to register and sell without heavy commission costs. At the time of engagement, the platform had already onboarded thousands of sellers.

Project Scope

A Scalable, Universal Classification Framework for Thousands of Multi-Category Sellers

The marketplace needed a structured product classification framework that could support a growing and diverse catalog. The client required a taxonomy that would allow registered sellers to place products in clearly defined categories across different product lines. Alongside the taxonomy, a complete attribute library was needed to maintain consistent product data across the platform and support discoverability, filtering, and checkout.

The scope included:

  • Developing a multi-level taxonomy hierarchy for a diverse, cross-category product catalog.
  • Defining category and sub-category structures for sellers across multiple product segments.
  • Creating attribute definitions at the platform-wide, category-level, and product-specific levels.
  • Assigning system-ready category codes for integration with the client’s existing platform.
  • Supporting catalog management and product uploads for the active seller base.

Key Challenges

Addressing Taxonomy Gaps, Attribute Inconsistencies, and Product Upload Complexities

Building a taxonomy for a marketplace serving sellers across dozens of unrelated product categories introduced structural complexity that pre-defined templates could not address. The classification system had to be specific enough to support meaningful filtering while remaining broad enough to accommodate product types the client had not yet anticipated.

Key challenges included the following:

  • Designing a single taxonomy structure that could cover products ranging from electronics and apparel to personal care and home goods, without creating artificial category overlaps.
  • Defining category boundaries that were specific enough for detailed product placement while remaining flexible enough to support future seller expansion.
  • Maintaining consistent keyword hierarchies across all levels to preserve search accuracy throughout the taxonomy.
  • Defining thousands of individual product attributes without introducing duplication across category branches.
  • Identifying the full range of valid attribute values for each product line, a research-intensive task requiring detailed review of multiple major marketplace taxonomies.

Our Approach

Creating a Structured Taxonomy, Defining Product Attributes, and Supporting Catalog Uploads

SAMM Data assigned a six-member team to the project and organized the work into three sequential stages. The team began with competitive benchmarking across major marketplaces to craft a structural foundation based on established industry standards.

Phase 1: Taxonomy Design and Hierarchy Construction

The team reviewed the classification systems of leading marketplace operators — including Amazon, eBay, and Walmart — to identify structural patterns applicable to a multi-vendor environment.

Using this research as a baseline, a complete 4-level hierarchical taxonomy was designed from scratch, organized into main categories, two subcategory tiers, and product-type nodes. Every node was assigned a unique backend code for direct integration with the client's platform.

Phase 2: Product Attribute Development

With the taxonomy approved by the client, the team constructed a three-tier attribute framework. Global attributes — covering product name, brand, manufacturer, price, and condition — were defined as platform-wide fields applicable to every listing.

General attributes such as gender, age group, color, size, and material were scoped to category-level application. Specific attributes (skin type, ingredients, hair type, usage, and similar fields) were built out for individual product types where standard fields were insufficient.

Phase 3: Catalog Management and Product Upload

Following taxonomy and attribute finalization, the team transitioned to ongoing catalog operations—managing product uploads for the client's seller base, maintaining up-to-date catalog records, and ensuring every listing was correctly mapped to its taxonomy node and full attribute set.

Results Achieved

Improved Marketplace Readiness with a Scalable Taxonomy Structure

60%

Reduction in Product Upload Time

Sellers on the platform were able to list products significantly faster, with catalog operations requiring substantially less manual effort per SKU across the board.

2 months

From Onboarding to an Import-ready Taxonomy

A complete hierarchical taxonomy—covering all active product categories—was delivered and ready for platform import within the agreed project timeline.

99%

Category Placement Accuracy Across All Uploaded Listings

Improved taxonomy precision reduced mislabeling, improved buyer search relevance, and minimized the catalog correction overhead typically associated with seller onboarding.

40%

Improvement in Product Discoverability Metrics

Accurate categorization and attribute-based filtering led to measurable gains in buyer navigation speed and checkout completion rates across the platform.

4 levels

Hierarchy Covering Every Active Product Category

The delivered taxonomy covered the client’s full existing product mix and provided the flexibility to accommodate future seller expansion without requiring a rebuild.

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Looking to Standardize Product Categorization Across Large Catalogs?

SAMM Data provides end-to-end product classification services, from product categorization and taxonomy structuring to attribute mapping and data standardization, helping businesses improve listing accuracy, catalog consistency, and product discoverability.

Write to us at info@sammdataservices.com to request a quote.