Shopify Product Terms: A Complete Guide for eCommerce Success
Understanding Shopify's Product Data Structure
Mastering Shopify's product terminology is essential for effective store management. Here's a comprehensive guide to every key field and how OneTimePIM maps to each one.
Product Identifier
Two identification systems work together:
🏷️ SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) — Your internal product code. You define the format and structure to match your business systems.
📊 Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN) — The standardised identifier for retail and marketplace compliance. Essential for selling through multiple channels.
Product Title
Your product's primary name — the first thing customers see in search results and listings. Keep titles clear, descriptive, and SEO-optimised. This field directly impacts search visibility both within Shopify and on external search engines.
Product Description (Body HTML)
The main content area where your product tells its story:
- Present key attributes and benefits in formatted HTML
- Include specifications that don't fit in dedicated Shopify fields
- Write compelling copy that drives purchasing decisions
- Incorporate relevant keywords for search optimisation
This field accepts full HTML formatting, giving you flexibility in presentation.
Vendor
The manufacturer or brand name associated with the product. This field builds customer trust and enables filtering by brand. For many businesses, this is simply your company name.
Product Type
Shopify offers two classification approaches:
📁 Standard Product Type — Shopify's predefined taxonomy for consistent categorisation
📂 Custom Product Type — Your own classification system, tailored to your business
Product types help customers navigate your store and keep your catalogue organised.
Product Collection
Collections group related products together. They serve multiple purposes:
🧭 Navigation — Structure your store's menu and browsing experience
🖼️ Display — Create curated product galleries and featured sections
🤖 Automation — Use rules to automatically add products to collections based on criteria
Product Tags
Tags enable customer filtering and internal organisation. Customers can filter by colour, size, material, or any attribute you tag. Tags are flexible — use them for any classification that helps customers find what they need.
Variant Option Name/Value
For products with multiple versions (colours, sizes, configurations):
🎨 Option Name — The attribute category (e.g., "Size", "Colour", "Material")
📏 Option Value — The specific choices (e.g., "Small, Medium, Large")
Shopify supports up to three option types per product, with variants created from combinations of these options.
Product Status
Controls product visibility in your store:
📝 Draft — Product exists in your system but isn't visible to customers. Use for products still being prepared.
✅ Active — Product is live and visible in your store. Ready for purchase.
Status control is essential for coordinating product launches and managing seasonal availability.
How OneTimePIM Maps to Shopify
OneTimePIM connects to every Shopify field:
✅ Complete Field Mapping — Every Shopify product field has a corresponding attribute in OneTimePIM
✅ Single Entry, Multiple Destinations — Enter product data once, distribute to Shopify and any other channel
✅ Image Management — Upload, reorder, and manage product images with automatic optimisation
✅ Status Control — Manage product visibility directly from your PIM
✅ Store-Specific Publishing — Control which products appear in which Shopify stores
The OneTimePIM Shopify Connector
Our connector is built directly into the PIM — no middleware, no third-party tools:
⚡ Reduced Workload — Manage product data in one place, sync automatically
🏪 Multi-Store Support — Update multiple Shopify stores simultaneously
📊 Detailed Reporting — Track every change, every sync, every update
Ready to streamline your Shopify product management? Explore our Shopify connector documentation or book a demo to see it in action.