Written by DROPS.ST.
Build your main categories around what customers came to find: a device, a replacement part or a consumable. Use brands and detailed attributes as secondary ways to narrow the choice. A menu should help someone reach a relevant item before it asks them to understand your entire stockroom.
DROPS puts a mobile catalogue and ordering path together. Good category choices make that connection more useful: customers spend less time opening irrelevant listings and arrive at a product they can actually order.
Give the top level a clear purpose
Start with a small number of understandable destinations. The right number depends on your range, but every destination should describe a distinct shopping task. “Products”, “Everything” and “Shop all” are weak substitutes for a useful structure when the catalogue is large.
Here is an illustrative navigation tree for a mixed vape shop. Use only the branches you genuinely stock.
| Main destination | Next useful choice | What belongs elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Devices and kits | Device family or format | Replacement pods sold separately |
| Replacement pods | Compatible model family | Complete devices |
| Coils and other replacement parts | Exact supported family | General accessories |
| Liquids | Brand, bottle size or other relevant attribute | Device colour choices |
| Accessories | Cases, cables and other stocked accessories | Unrelated promotional products |
“New arrivals” and “Offers” can act as additional routes into these products. They should not become the only place a customer can find an item after a campaign ends.
Separate product families from temporary campaigns
A stable category tells the customer what an item is. A temporary collection tells them why it is featured today. Keeping those roles distinct helps regular customers find the same replacement part after the homepage changes.
For example, a newly stocked replacement pod still belongs with its compatible family. Featuring it in a launch collection should not move it into a dead end. If the shop allows an item to appear in several useful collections, check that those appearances lead to the same underlying sellable item and stock record.
Do not build a category for every possible combination of brand, colour, size and pack count. That produces a long navigation list with sparse destinations. Put the most important distinction first, then use clear product names or demonstrated narrowing controls for the remaining choices.
Let real customer tasks challenge the tree
Write three sample tasks before changing the menu: find a replacement for a named device, browse the devices currently stocked, and locate a specific bottle format. Give the tasks to someone unfamiliar with your category labels.
Watch which destination they choose first, where they backtrack and whether they reach a relevant available item. This is more useful than asking whether the new menu “looks nice”. An appealing menu can still send a replacement customer into the wrong product family.
If your staff use a supplier abbreviation that customers do not recognise, keep the abbreviation in internal records and use the familiar term in navigation. Our category terminology guide helps reconcile those names.
Keep category pages useful as stock changes
An empty destination creates work for the customer. When a range sells out, provide a clear availability message or a relevant route back to stocked items. Do not silently swap a requested family for an incompatible alternative.
Review the structure when you add a substantial range, not just when you change the design. Use the shop task guide to compare possible structures against the same tasks.
Bring your category list and a handful of representative products to DROPS. Explore the menu on a phone, move from a category into product details, and inspect the route to the cart. Build navigation that helps customers buy from the range you actually carry.