How to Categorize Products for Zalando

Understanding Zalando Product Categorization

Zalando is Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, serving over 50 million active customers across 25 markets. Proper product categorization is essential for visibility in Zalando's curated shopping experience, affecting search rankings, filter navigation, and personalized recommendations. Our AI-powered categorization API helps fashion brands and retailers automatically classify products into Zalando's detailed taxonomy with exceptional accuracy.

When you sell through Zalando's Partner Program, accurate product categorization directly impacts your success on the platform. Zalando uses a sophisticated fashion-specific taxonomy that organizes products by gender, product type, style, occasion, and numerous other attributes. Each product must be assigned to the most appropriate category to ensure it appears in relevant searches, filters correctly for customer preferences, and qualifies for category-specific promotions and placements.

Manual categorization for Zalando presents significant challenges, particularly for fashion brands with extensive seasonal collections. Fashion products require nuanced categorization that considers style variations, target demographics, and regional preferences across European markets. A single dress might need different primary categories based on whether it is positioned as casual, business, or evening wear. Our enterprise API addresses these complexities by leveraging advanced machine learning models trained specifically on European fashion taxonomy structures.

The Zalando taxonomy follows fashion industry conventions while incorporating Zalando-specific categorization logic developed over years of refinement. Categories are organized hierarchically, starting with gender divisions (Women, Men, Kids, Unisex), then product categories (Clothing, Shoes, Accessories, Sports), and drilling down to specific product types (Dresses > Evening Dresses > Maxi Evening Dresses). Understanding this structure and mapping products correctly is crucial for Partner Program compliance and optimal product visibility.

Zalando Category Taxonomy System

Zalando's taxonomy is a comprehensive fashion classification system designed to create an optimal shopping experience for fashion-conscious European consumers. The taxonomy reflects how customers think about and search for fashion items, balancing specificity with usability across multiple languages and cultural contexts.

The primary taxonomy division starts with gender targeting (Women's, Men's, Kids, Unisex) followed by major product categories. Within each gender, products are organized into Clothing, Shoes, Accessories, Bags, Sport, and Premium/Designer segments. Each major category branches into increasingly specific subcategories. For example, Women's Clothing contains Dresses, Tops, Trousers, Skirts, Knitwear, Jackets & Coats, and many more. Dresses further divides into Day Dresses, Evening Dresses, Cocktail Dresses, Maxi Dresses, Midi Dresses, Mini Dresses, and Shift Dresses.

Beyond primary categorization, Zalando uses extensive product attributes for filtering and search refinement. These include color families, materials, patterns, fits, styles, occasions, sustainability certifications, and brand positioning. Our API can recommend appropriate attribute values alongside category classifications, enabling comprehensive product data enrichment from a single integration point.

Popular Zalando Fashion Categories

Zalando continuously evolves its taxonomy to reflect changing fashion trends, emerging categories like sustainable fashion, and regional preferences across European markets. Our AI models are regularly updated to incorporate these changes, ensuring your product categorizations remain accurate and aligned with current Zalando standards.

API Integration Guide for Zalando

Integrating our categorization API for Zalando product feeds is straightforward. We provide RESTful endpoints that accept fashion product descriptions and return detailed categorization results including Zalando-compatible category paths, confidence scores, and recommended attributes.

import requests

def categorize_for_zalando(product_description, api_key):
    base_url = "https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php"
    params = {
        "query": product_description,
        "api_key": api_key,
        "data_type": "shopify"  # Returns fashion-optimized categories
    }
    response = requests.get(base_url, params=params)
    return response.json()

# Example usage for Zalando
result = categorize_for_zalando(
    "Women's Floral Print Maxi Dress V-Neck Sleeveless Summer",
    "your_api_key_here"
)
print(f"Category: {result['category']}")

async function categorizeForZalando(productDescription, apiKey) {
    const baseUrl = 'https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php';
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
        query: productDescription,
        api_key: apiKey,
        data_type: 'shopify'
    });
    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}?${params}`);
    return response.json();
}

// Example usage
categorizeForZalando('Men\'s Slim Fit Navy Blue Wool Blazer', 'your_api_key')
    .then(result => console.log('Category:', result.category));

curl -X GET "https://www.productcategorization.com/api/ecommerce/ecommerce_category6_get.php" \
  -d "query=Kids White Leather Sneakers Velcro Closure EU 28" \
  -d "api_key=your_api_key_here" \
  -d "data_type=shopify"