Product Categories Organization Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 28, 2025
E-commerce stores listing 500 products without categories create navigation nightmare: customer searching for "Men's T-Shirts" scrolls through endless product grid mixing shoes, jackets, accessories because no filtering exists, finds product after 10 minutes of searching then abandons cart because checkout interrupted by frustration, and SEO suffers because Google can't understand site structure without category URLs—losing 40% potential customers to poor organization.
Odoo 18 Product Categories enable hierarchical organization with multi-level category trees (Clothing → Men → T-Shirts), unique SEO-friendly category URLs, top navigation bar integration, product filtering by category, parent-child category nesting, multi-website support, and published/unpublished control—transforming chaotic product lists into intuitive shopping experience increasing conversion rates through logical discovery paths.
Category Features: Multi-level hierarchies, Parent-child nesting, SEO-friendly URLs, Navigation integration, Product assignment, Multi-website support, Publish control
Why Use eCommerce Categories?
eCommerce categories differ from inventory/accounting product categories—they're specifically for customer-facing organization:
- Clear navigation menus on shop page
- Multi-level structures (parent-child hierarchies)
- Step-by-step browsing (Clothing → Men → T-Shirts)
- Better UX helping customers find products faster
- SEO benefits with unique category URLs
Creating Categories
- Go to Website → eCommerce → eCommerce Categories
- Click New
- Configure:
- Name: Category title (e.g., "Accessories")
- Parent Category: Select if nesting under existing category
- Website: For multi-website setups
- Category Description: Optional description
- Save
Multi-Level Category Hierarchy
Create organized catalog structures:
Example Hierarchy:
- 📁 Desks (Parent)
- └─ 📁 Office Desks (Child of Desks)
- └─ Glass Desks (Child of Office Desks)
- └─ Foldable Desks (Child of Office Desks)
Another Example:
- 📁 Clothing
- └─ 📁 Men
- └─ T-Shirts
- └─ Jeans
- └─ 📁 Women
- └─ Dresses
- └─ Shoes
Assigning Products to Categories
- Go to Website → eCommerce → Products
- Select product
- Under Sales tab, find eCommerce Category field
- Select category
- Save
Note: Product can belong to ONE category for frontend display but multiple tags for filtering. Use tags for cross-category attributes like "Sale", "New Arrival", "Eco-Friendly".
Publishing Products
Make products visible on website:
- Open product form
- Enable Is Published
- Configure under eCommerce tab:
- eCommerce Description: Online product details
- Extra Images: Gallery photos
- Save
- Product appears on Shop page under assigned category
Category Navigation
Once configured, categories appear:
- Top navigation bar on website shop page
- Clicking category filters products to show only that category
- Customer browses hierarchically (Clothing → Men reveals T-Shirts/Jeans subcategories)
- Each category has unique URL for SEO
Benefits
Improved SEO
Each category gets unique URL (yoursite.com/shop/men-tshirts). Optimize with keywords for search engine visibility.
Better UX
Customers find products quickly through logical navigation. Reduces search time 70%, increases conversion 30%.
Enhanced Merchandising
Highlight seasonal collections or trending groups. Create "Summer Sale" category showcasing discounted items.
Best Practices
Limit Top-Level Categories to 5-7: Too many top categories overwhelms customers. Group related items under parent categories. "Electronics" parent contains "Phones", "Laptops", "Accessories" children.
Use Consistent Naming: Don't mix "Men's Clothing" and "Womens Clothes". Consistent style (Men's Clothing, Women's Clothing, Kids' Clothing) looks professional, easier to navigate.
Optimize Category Descriptions for SEO: Each category has description field. Write 100-150 words with target keywords. Google indexes these improving category page rankings.
Conclusion
Odoo 18 Product Categories transform chaotic product listings into organized shopping experiences through multi-level hierarchies, SEO-friendly URLs, and integrated navigation. Enable customers to discover products logically reducing search time and increasing conversions through intuitive catalog structures.