Product Categories and Metafields problem

[SlingIt]

I've been migrating our store to Shopify, and overall am impressed with the product, but I'm having trouble with Shopify Taxonomy.  The product categories we sell largely don't have the right metaobjects associated to make the shopify categories fully work.  We sell Lacrosse equipment, and I'm seeing some categories have the metaobject for dominant hand which isn't a thing in our sport (I think they were thinking hockey), and some categories don't have the position metaobject where they need to be sorted by position.  I'd love to speak to the Shopify product manager for this area to get it sorted for other customers.  Support wasn't helpful. 

-Dan

[AryanPillai]

The first step I recommend is creating custom metafields that better match your product taxonomy needs (e.g., adding "Position" instead of using irrelevant attributes like "Dominant Hand"). You can follow Shopify’s guide on creating and adding custom category metafields here:(https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/category-metafields)

Once you’ve set up your custom metafields, try using the Search & Discovery app to manage how they show up in filters on your storefront:(https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/storefront-filters-now-support-category-metafields)

This combo should help you clean up the product display and make filtering more relevant for your customers.

And if you are interested in using AI to help your customers find the products that are really suitable for them you can try my app (https://apps.shopify.com/debales-ai-chatbot).It can guide customers to the right gear based on their needs and would help ensure the right product suggestions reach your customers without needing them to sort through all the options.

Let me know if this setup works or of you need more help✌️.

[DaisyVo]

Hi @SlingIt 

I read through your situation carefully, and I completely understand the frustration of dealing with Shopify’s default product taxonomy when it doesn’t align with your industry—especially for something as niche as lacrosse equipment. It sounds like Shopify’s built-in categories and metaobjects are either irrelevant (like dominant hand, which makes sense for hockey but not lacrosse) or missing crucial attributes like sorting by position.

Solution to Work Around Shopify’s Default Taxonomy:

Since Shopify’s taxonomy is predefined and can’t be modified directly, the best way to work around this is by using Metafields and Metaobjects to create custom attributes that fit your products. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Define Your Custom Metafields

   • Go to Settings > Custom Data > Products
   • Click Add definition
   • Create a metafield for Position (e.g., Attack, Midfield, Defense, Goalie)
   • If needed, create other custom fields (e.g., Flex rating, Shaft Material, etc.)

2. Assign the Metafields to Your Products

   • Go to Products > Open a Product
   • Scroll down to Metafields and enter the correct values (e.g., a specific lacrosse stick could be assigned “Attack” in the Position field)

3. Use Product Filters to Improve Sorting

   • Go to Online Store > Navigation > Filters
   • Click Add filter and select your custom metafields so customers can filter by position

About Contacting a Shopify Product Manager

Shopify doesn’t have a direct way for merchants to contact product managers, but I’d recommend posting your feedback on Shopify’s public changelog discussions or requesting a feature update in the Shopify Community forums under the "Feedback on Shopify" section. Since support wasn’t helpful, you might also consider submitting a feature request via the Shopify Plus Merchant Success team (if you're on Shopify Plus).

Hope this helps! If you need any other assistance, feel free to ask, and I will try my best to support you.

Best regards,
Daisy.