How creative data-driven filtering transforms customer experience in e-commerce

Traditional filtering options like brand, type, and price are the backbone of any e-commerce platform, helping customers narrow down their search. 

But what if your product catalog could do more? Businesses that think beyond these standard filters can unlock powerful new ways to enhance the shopping experience.

By embracing data-driven filtering, companies can create intuitive and dynamic shopping experiences that align with modern browsing habits—whether by use case, occasion, or theme. 

In this post, we’ll dive into how businesses can move beyond traditional filtering, leverage smarter strategies, and simplify complex product structures with a flexible PIM solution.

Basic product filtering limits discovery

Many ecommerce businesses rely on only the most basic approaches to filtering and/or categorization, organizing products by their typical key attributes like brand, type, or price. 

There’s nothing wrong with this approach at all.

It does what it’s supposed to do by ensuring a basic level of organization, so that buyers can find products where they’re expected to be found, based on these basic attributes.

However, as an ecommerce business you should consider if your potential buyers might benefit by also being able to discover your products through alternative categorization options.

Here are just a few examples:

By implementing these alternative categorization strategies, you can enhance product discovery, improve user experience, and drive more conversions by presenting your offerings in a way that resonates with different customer needs and shopping behaviors.

To see how data-driven filtering is already transforming e-commerce user-experiences, let’s explore how some of the biggest retailers—and a Struct PIM client—are leveraging data driven filtering strategies.

How the big players do it

IKEA, a global leader in home furnishings, has embraced data-driven filtering to create a seamless and intuitive online shopping experience.

Instead of only relying on traditional categories like furniture type or material, they enhanced their product discovery with filters like ‘Shop by room’, allowing customers to browse products based on living spaces ‘Kitchen’, ‘Bedroom’, or ‘Bathroom’.

This approach boosts cross-selling, suggesting complementary items like chairs for the dining table.

By using contextual filtering, IKEA transforms browsing into an inspirational experience for the customers, helping them to find the complete solution. 

How a Struct PIM client does it

Even though your business doesn’t have IKEA budgets, you can accomplish the same with structured product data. Here is an example from a Struct PIM client.

Faraos Cigarer

Take Faraos Cigarer, as an example—a retailer specializing in costumes, board games, and role-playing gear.

Their products fit into traditional categories, but their product catalog also benefits from data-driven filtering.

Customers might search based on specific events, themes, or fictional universes—whether it’s for ‘live roleplay,’ ‘Halloween,’ or ‘cosplay from the Marvel universe.’ 

This is a great example of how Struct PIM product data can be put to great use in the context of product discovery.

Unlocking data-driven filtering with a flexible PIM solution

To break free from the constraints of traditional categorization, businesses need filtering solutions that are as flexible and dynamic as their customers’ needs. 

Enter data-driven filtering—a smart approach to product categorization, that enables shoppers to refine their search based on real-time preferences, behaviors, and contextual factors. 

By leveraging structured product data, businesses can offer more intuitive filtering options that go beyond static categories, making it easier for customers to find exactly what they need. 

This approach not only enhances the shopping experience but also improves product discoverability, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

A flexible PIM like Struct PIM enables retailers to categorize products beyond static attributes, grouping them in ways that make sense for their audience.

Whether it’s by event, theme, or any other unique dimension, multi-dimensional filtering makes product discovery intuitive and engaging.

For simpler needs, our Global Lists solution provides an efficient way to structure product data - reducing complexity while still delivering a seamless shopping experience.

Dynamic filtering adapts in real-time, ensuring that product listings reflect the latest trends and customer interests.

This reduces friction in the shopping experience, helping customers find relevant products faster—ultimately leading to higher conversions.

By implementing personalized filtering options, businesses can create engaging discovery experiences that drive customer loyalty.

Beyond navigation, structured filtering also delivers SEO advantages.

Optimized filter-based landing pages align with search intent, driving organic traffic and increasing visibility. This ensures businesses stay competitive while providing seamless, customer-centric shopping experiences.

Conclusion

For some businesses, traditional filtering by brand, type, or price may be enough. But if your product catalog allows for it, embracing creative, data-driven filtering can transform the customer experience.

By organizing products in ways that align with real customer behaviors—whether by theme, occasion, or use case—you can make shopping more intuitive and engaging.

With a flexible PIM solution like Struct PIM, retailers can go beyond rigid product structures, embracing filtering by theme, event, or even real-time trends.

The result? Faster product discovery, higher conversions, and a competitive edge in an ever-evolving market.

If your catalog offers diverse possibilities, now is the time to embrace smarter filtering and transform your e-commerce experience.