Workflow: Category Mapping & Attribute Mapping (AI-powered)

1. User Benefits

This workflow automatically assigns each product to the correct marketplace category and fills in the required attributes using AI. It removes manual category selection, reduces listing errors, and ensures consistent data quality across all channels.

• Correct category assignment on all marketplaces (eBay, Amazon, Kaufland, OTTO)
• Automatic population of required & recommended attributes
• Fewer listing errors, fewer returns, less customer support workload
• Higher search relevance and visibility thanks to accurate categorization
• Fast onboarding of large catalogs without manual work

Mis-categorised products are effectively invisible. Correct mapping is a key driver for ranking, discoverability, and compliance.

2. How the Workflow Works

2.1 Product Understanding

The workflow first analyses all available product data:

• Title, description, existing attributes
• Product images (AI image recognition)
• Product type, materials, use case

If the product lacks structured data, the AI rebuilds an internal product profile from keywords, descriptions, and images.

2.2 AI Category Suggestion

The AI matches the product against the category trees of each marketplace:

• eBay: 18,000+ categories
• Amazon: strict category rules and compliance requirements
• Kaufland: category-based attribute sets
• OTTO & others: marketplace-specific category structures

Each suggestion includes a confidence score to make quality transparent and to allow optional human review for borderline cases.

2.3 Attribute Mapping & Auto-Fill

Each marketplace requires its own attribute set. The workflow automatically:

• Maps existing attributes to the correct fields per marketplace
• Derives missing values using AI (e.g. material from image or description)
• Ensures that all mandatory attributes are filled
• Formats values according to marketplace standards

Examples:
– “95% cotton” → Amazon: Material = Cotton
– “red” → eBay: Colour = Red
– Size inferred from product title or variant name

2.4 Validation & Compliance Checks

Before export, the workflow validates:

• Correct category for each marketplace
• Completeness of all mandatory attributes
• Allowed attribute values and proper formatting
• Potential red flags (e.g. hazardous goods, batteries, restricted categories)

2.5 Export to Feed / API

All mapped data is exported via:

• CSV/XML feeds, or
• Direct API integration with marketplaces and shops

Any relevant product change (title, material, category) can trigger an automatic remapping to keep data up to date.

3. Time Savings for the User

Typical manual effort per product:

• Selecting the correct category: 2–4 minutes
• Filling in attributes: 5–8 minutes
• Checking rules & fixing errors: 2–3 minutes

Total: 9–15 minutes per product

With this workflow:

• Effort per product: 0–1 minute (optional review only)

Typical weekly time savings:

• 50 products → approx. 8–12 hours saved
• 200 products → approx. 30–40 hours saved
• 300+ products → 50+ hours saved

Category & attribute mapping is usually one of the biggest time sinks in product data management. With this workflow, the process becomes fully automated and scalable.