How do I tidy my online store’s product catalogue before showing it to buyers?

Start with a full export of your product list. Sort it by sales and look at the end of the list: items that have not sold, are out of stock, or are no longer made. Decide which to keep, hide or delete. Do not delete anything that is part of your sales history without keeping a record of it. Tidy the data underneath as well: make sure sizes, colours and codes follow one pattern across the whole catalogue.

Next, check the basics on every page. Are titles clear, categories sensible, photos current and descriptions accurate? Fix duplicates and variants that were set up in a confusing way. Make sure the price, cost and supplier fields are filled in and correct, because a buyer will compare them with your books. Take fresh photos of any top sellers that look dated, since buyers often judge the store by its best pages first.

Then make a short note of anything unusual: products on a trial, items waiting on a supplier, items with known quality problems, and products that rely on one supplier. Keep a dated copy of the catalogue before and after the tidy-up, so you can explain every change when asked.

Key takeaways

• Sort by sales and decide what to keep, hide or remove.
• Fix titles, categories, photos, costs and suppliers on every item.
• Keep dated copies so you can explain every change you made.