Product Types

Configure product types with custom properties to categorize and structure your product catalog

Product types allow you to define different categories of products with their own specific properties. For example, clothing products might have properties like "material" and "size", while electronics might have "voltage" and "warranty".

Product types are configured in the tenant settings under Settings → Products → Product Types.

Overview

Product types provide a way to:

Categorize products: Group products by their nature (clothing, electronics, food, etc.)
Define type-specific properties: Each product type can have its own set of custom properties
Standardize data entry: Ensure consistent property collection across products of the same type
Enable inheritance: Properties can be configured to inherit values to variants and language versions

Configuring Product Types

Product Type Structure

Each product type has the following configuration:

Property	Type	Description
name	string	The unique name/identifier for the product type. This is displayed in the product editor when selecting a type.
productTypeItems	array	The list of properties specific to this product type

Property Configuration

Each property within a product type supports the following options:

Property	Type	Default	Description
key	string	-	The property identifier (used in API and data storage)
value	string	""	The default value for this property
valueType	string	"string"	The data type: "string", "number", "boolean", "date"
keyGroup	string	null	Optional grouping key for organizing properties in the UI
variantsInheritValue	bool	false	When true, variants inherit this property value from the parent product
siblingsInheritValue	bool	false	When true, sibling products inherit this property value
productLanguagesInheritValue	bool	false	When true, language variants inherit this property value from the main language product
valueOptions	List<string>	null	Predefined list of allowed values (creates a dropdown in the UI)
isCustomValueOptionAllowed	bool	false	When true, users can enter custom values even when valueOptions is defined
isMultiSelectEnabled	bool	false	When true, multiple values can be selected from valueOptions
readOnly	bool	false	When true, the property cannot be edited in the UI

Inheritance Behavior

Product type properties support three types of inheritance:

Variant Inheritance (`variantsInheritValue`)

When enabled, variants automatically receive the property value from their parent product. This is useful for properties that should be consistent across all sizes/colors of a product.

Example use cases:

Brand name (all variants share the same brand)
Country of origin
Care instructions

Sibling Inheritance (`siblingsInheritValue`)

When enabled, related products (siblings) share property values. Changes to one sibling propagate to others.

Example use cases:

Collection name
Season

Language Variant Inheritance (`productLanguagesInheritValue`)

When enabled, language variants inherit the property from the main language product. This is useful for properties that don't need translation.

Example use cases:

Numeric values (weight, dimensions)
Technical specifications
SKU-related data

Value Options and Dropdowns

You can define predefined value options to create dropdown selections in the product editor:

{
  "Key": "material",
  "Value": "",
  "ValueType": "string",
  "ValueOptions": ["Cotton", "Polyester", "Wool", "Silk", "Linen"],
  "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": false,
  "IsMultiSelectEnabled": false
}

Allowing Custom Values

Set isCustomValueOptionAllowed: true to let users enter values not in the predefined list:

{
  "Key": "color",
  "ValueOptions": ["Red", "Blue", "Green", "Black", "White"],
  "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": true
}

Multi-Select Properties

Set isMultiSelectEnabled: true to allow selecting multiple values:

{
  "Key": "features",
  "ValueOptions": ["Waterproof", "Breathable", "UV Protection", "Quick Dry"],
  "IsMultiSelectEnabled": true
}

Ordering Product Types

Product types can be reordered using drag-and-drop in the UI. The order determines how they appear in dropdown menus when assigning a type to a product.

Configuration Examples

Clothing Product Type

{
  "Name": "clothing",
  "ProductTypeItems": [
    {
      "Key": "material",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["Cotton", "Polyester", "Wool", "Silk", "Linen", "Blend"],
      "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": true,
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "careInstructions",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "VariantsInheritValue": true,
      "ProductLanguagesInheritValue": false
    },
    {
      "Key": "fit",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["Slim", "Regular", "Loose", "Oversized"],
      "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": false
    },
    {
      "Key": "gender",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["Men", "Women", "Unisex", "Kids"],
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    }
  ]
}

Electronics Product Type

{
  "Name": "electronics",
  "ProductTypeItems": [
    {
      "Key": "voltage",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["110V", "220V", "110-240V"],
      "VariantsInheritValue": true,
      "ProductLanguagesInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "warrantyMonths",
      "Value": "12",
      "ValueType": "number",
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "energyClass",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["A+++", "A++", "A+", "A", "B", "C", "D"],
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "connectivity",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["WiFi", "Bluetooth", "USB-C", "HDMI", "Ethernet"],
      "IsMultiSelectEnabled": true,
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    }
  ]
}

Food Product Type

{
  "Name": "food",
  "ProductTypeItems": [
    {
      "Key": "allergens",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["Gluten", "Nuts", "Dairy", "Eggs", "Soy", "Fish", "Shellfish"],
      "IsMultiSelectEnabled": true,
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "nutritionInfo",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ProductLanguagesInheritValue": false
    },
    {
      "Key": "organic",
      "Value": "false",
      "ValueType": "boolean",
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    },
    {
      "Key": "storageInstructions",
      "Value": "",
      "ValueType": "string",
      "ValueOptions": ["Room Temperature", "Refrigerate", "Freeze"],
      "VariantsInheritValue": true
    }
  ]
}

Complete Configuration Example

Below is a complete example of ProductSettings with multiple product types:

{
  "ProductSettings": {
    "ProductTypes": [
      {
        "Name": "clothing",
        "ProductTypeItems": [
          {
            "Key": "material",
            "Value": "",
            "ValueType": "string",
            "ValueOptions": ["Cotton", "Polyester", "Wool", "Silk"],
            "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": true,
            "VariantsInheritValue": true
          },
          {
            "Key": "careInstructions",
            "Value": "",
            "ValueType": "string",
            "VariantsInheritValue": true
          },
          {
            "Key": "gender",
            "Value": "",
            "ValueType": "string",
            "ValueOptions": ["Men", "Women", "Unisex"],
            "VariantsInheritValue": true
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "Name": "electronics",
        "ProductTypeItems": [
          {
            "Key": "voltage",
            "Value": "220V",
            "ValueType": "string",
            "VariantsInheritValue": true
          },
          {
            "Key": "warrantyMonths",
            "Value": "24",
            "ValueType": "number",
            "VariantsInheritValue": true
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "Name": "furniture",
        "ProductTypeItems": [
          {
            "Key": "material",
            "Value": "",
            "ValueType": "string",
            "ValueOptions": ["Wood", "Metal", "Plastic", "Glass", "Fabric"],
            "IsCustomValueOptionAllowed": true
          },
          {
            "Key": "assemblyRequired",
            "Value": "false",
            "ValueType": "boolean"
          },
          {
            "Key": "weightKg",
            "Value": "",
            "ValueType": "number",
            "ProductLanguagesInheritValue": true
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Integration with Completion Rates

Product types integrate with the Completion Rates feature. You can configure completion requirements specific to each product type, ensuring that products of different types have appropriate required fields.

When a product type is selected for a product, the completion rate calculation considers:

Built-in required fields
Default properties
Product type-specific properties

See Completion Rates for details on configuring completion requirements per product type.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use lowercase, descriptive names for product types (e.g., "clothing", "electronics")
Use camelCase for property keys (e.g., "careInstructions", "warrantyMonths")
Keep names concise but clear

Property Design

Enable inheritance strategically: Only enable inheritance for properties that genuinely should be shared
Use value options: Predefined options improve data consistency and reduce entry errors
Group related properties: Use keyGroup to organize properties logically in the UI
Set sensible defaults: Provide default values for properties with common values

Maintenance

Review product types periodically to ensure they match your catalog needs
Add new properties when business requirements change
Consider the impact on existing products when modifying property configurations

Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Product type not appearing	Type was just added	Refresh the page or wait for cache to clear
Properties not showing on product	Wrong product type selected	Verify the correct type is assigned to the product
Inheritance not working	`variantsInheritValue` not enabled	Enable the appropriate inheritance flag on the property
Dropdown not showing options	`valueOptions` is empty or null	Add values to the `valueOptions` array
Can't enter custom value	`isCustomValueOptionAllowed` is false	Set `isCustomValueOptionAllowed: true`

Product Types

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