How to organise tile products by category, size and variant

Use a product name that survives a handover

Names such as White New or Beige Latest may be familiar to the owner but are difficult for a new salesperson or connected retailer. Start with a stable product or variant name and keep the size and finish clear. Two visually similar tiles should remain distinguishable in a search result, order line and printed document.

Decide how the team writes dimensions before importing or creating records. Mixing 600x600, 60x60 and 2x2 without clear units makes review harder. The product record should carry the actual dimensions and units, not depend on an informal trade nickname.

Give each field one job

The example values explain the distinction; they are not a universal packing rule. A different tile or supplier can have different pieces per box and coverage. Read the actual pack specification before using a quantity calculation.

Prepare images for identification

Use your own accurate product photographs where possible. Keep the tile surface visible, use a consistent crop and avoid placing essential identity text only inside an image. Text fields should still identify the product when a picture is small or fails to load.

Do not reuse a visually similar image merely to fill a missing asset. A wrong finish shown at high resolution is still misleading. Record the missing photograph as work to complete and verify the product before sharing a catalogue or brochure.

Review a small batch before the whole catalogue

1. Choose ten representative records including similar names and multiple sizes.
2. Check whether a salesperson can identify the intended tile from search.
3. Compare the finish, suitable-for and packing details with the source information.
4. Check the product in a customer-facing view and a document line.
5. Apply the agreed naming pattern to the remaining records before rollout.

Keep catalogue preparation separate from customer assignment

First make the master product record accurate. Then decide which connected retailers may browse it and which rate list they receive. A tidy catalogue does not automatically create the right assortment for every buyer.

CeramicPortal’s catalogue structure uses category, size and product or variant with supporting attributes. An optional manufacturer value describes the catalogue item; it does not imply that the software manages manufacturing production.

Maintain the catalogue after setup

Choose who can correct product details and how the team reports ambiguous records. When a range changes, check its customer visibility and brochure use as well as the master record. An initial clean-up only helps if later additions follow the same rules.