Writing AI Instructions

Custom AI instructions let you guide how Categorify categorizes your products using natural language—no coding required. Write instructions as if you’re coaching a colleague, and Categorify applies them automatically to improve categorization accuracy for your specific needs.

What AI Instructions Do

AI instructions influence how Categorify selects categories when analyzing your products. When the app evaluates potential categories for a product, it considers:

1. Your product’s title and description
2. The possible categories that match
3. Shopify’s category structure
4. Your custom AI instructions

Well-written instructions help Categorify make better decisions when products could fit multiple categories or contain ambiguous information.

What Instructions Cannot Do

AI instructions cannot:

• Replace good product descriptions
• Force categories that don’t match your products
• Fix fundamentally incorrect product information
• Override Categorify’s basic categorization process

Instructions guide selection among matching categories—they don’t create new options or replace the need for clear product descriptions.

When to Use AI Instructions

AI instructions work best for:

Recurring patterns: Products that consistently get unexpected categories or fall between multiple options

Store-specific rules: Your company’s preferences for how certain products should be categorized

Tiebreakers: Products that legitimately fit multiple categories where you need to pick one consistently

Platform requirements: When you need specific categorization approaches for your sales channels

When Not to Use Instructions

Don’t use AI instructions for:

• One-off issues: If only one product has a problem, improve its description instead
• Compensating for poor descriptions: Fix the description rather than working around it
• Overly broad rules: Instructions that try to handle every possible situation become ineffective

Writing Effective Instructions

Write Like You’re Training Someone

Write instructions as if you’re coaching a person on how to categorize products. Use clear, everyday language and be specific about the situations you’re addressing.

Good example:

For phones without contract information, default to unlocked unless the description explicitly mentions contract or pre-paid plans.

Too vague:

Categorize phones correctly.

Be Specific About When Rules Apply

Good instructions have two parts:

1. The condition: What situation triggers this rule
2. The action: What Categorify should do in that situation

Example breakdown:

• Condition: When a product could be either clothing or an accessory
• Action: Choose clothing if the item is worn directly on the body

Combined instruction:

When products could be clothing or accessories, choose clothing if they’re worn on the body.

Focus on Disambiguation

Instructions work best when they help Categorify choose between similar options. Focus on providing clear rules for common ambiguous situations.

Effective (provides clear rule):

When choosing between material-based and style-based clothing categories, prioritize material over style.

Less effective (too general):

Categorize clothing items appropriately.

Use Examples When Helpful

If your rule is complex, include examples:

For multi-purpose products, categorize by primary use. For example, a fitness tracker with smart features goes under fitness devices, not smartwatches, because fitness tracking is its primary function.

Keep It Concise

Categorify evaluates your instructions alongside product information. Concise, focused instructions work better than long explanations.

Concise:

Gaming peripherals go under gaming, not general computer accessories.

Too wordy:

When you encounter products that are peripherals used for gaming, such as gaming keyboards, gaming mice, or gaming headsets, please categorize them under the gaming category tree rather than placing them in the general computer accessories section, unless they are specifically marketed as dual-purpose devices.

Categorify understands context—you don’t need to over-explain.

Common Instruction Patterns

Default Assumptions

Tell Categorify what to assume when information is missing:

Default to unlocked for phones unless description states contract or pre-paid.

Assume products without voltage specifications are for standard household use.

When power source isn’t specified for tools, assume corded electric unless product name includes “cordless” or “battery.”

Prioritization Rules

Specify which characteristic matters most when multiple apply:

For clothing, prioritize material over style (e.g., “leather jacket” goes under leather clothing, not jackets).

Prioritize age group over gender for children’s products.

When products serve multiple purposes, categorize by primary function over secondary features.

Category Preferences

State clear preferences between similar categories:

Choose “Athletic Shoes” over “Casual Shoes” if the product mentions any sport or exercise context.

Smart home devices go under home automation, not their traditional categories (e.g., smart locks go under home automation, not door hardware).

Product Type Rules

Handle products that could fit multiple types:

Smartwatches with fitness features go under smartwatches, not fitness trackers.

Convertible laptop-tablet devices go under laptops, not tablets.

Multi-tools that include knives go under multi-tools, not knives.

Product Type Examples

Electronics

For phones without contract information, default to unlocked unless description explicitly states contract or pre-paid.

Tablets with keyboard accessories remain tablets—only categorize as laptops if the description explicitly calls them laptops.

Bluetooth speakers go under portable audio, not smart speakers, unless they mention voice assistants.

Clothing and Apparel

Prioritize material over style for clothing (leather jacket → leather clothing, not jackets).

Athletic clothing goes under activewear even if it could be casual wear.

When gender isn’t specified in product description, choose unisex categories over gendered ones.

Home and Garden

Smart home devices go under home automation, not their traditional categories.

Indoor/outdoor products default to indoor unless description mentions outdoor use or weather resistance.

For furniture without room specification, prefer general categories over guessing the room.

Sports and Outdoors

Classify by primary sport when products serve multiple activities (e.g., cross-training shoes → athletic shoes, not specific sport shoes).

Fitness trackers with basic features go under fitness trackers; advanced ones with apps and payments go under smartwatches.

Camping gear that could be tactical/military goes under camping unless description emphasizes tactical use.

Beauty and Personal Care

Products marketed for multiple genders go under unisex categories.

Organic/natural products go in their functional category first (e.g., organic shampoo → hair care, not a separate organic products category).

Professional salon products and consumer products go in separate categories when available.

Testing Your Instructions

After writing custom instructions, test them with real products:

Test With Relevant Products

Try products that specifically trigger your instruction:

If your instruction is:

Gaming peripherals go under gaming, not general computer accessories.

Test with:

• Gaming keyboard
• Gaming mouse
• RGB gaming headset
• Mechanical keyboard (gaming-capable but not marketed as gaming)

Check for Unintended Effects

Make sure your instruction doesn’t negatively affect other products:

If your instruction is:

Smart home devices go under home automation.

Verify it doesn’t miscategorize:

• Smart TVs (should stay under televisions)
• Smartphones (should stay under phones)
• Smart appliances (might need additional guidance)

Look for Improved Results

Good instructions should increase green status indicators (confident categorization) and decrease yellow/gray results for the products they target.

Before instruction:

• Gaming keyboard → Computer Accessories (🟡 Yellow)

After instruction:

• Gaming keyboard → Gaming Peripherals (🟢 Green)

Refine as Needed

If your instruction doesn’t improve results:

1. Make it more specific: Add conditions that narrow when it applies
2. Provide examples: Help Categorify understand your intent
3. Split complex rules: Break one instruction into multiple focused ones
4. Check product descriptions: Ensure the needed categories are possible matches

What to Avoid

Too General

Don’t write:

Categorize products accurately.

Why: Provides no actionable guidance

Write instead:

When products fit multiple categories, prefer the more specific one.

Contradictory Instructions

Don’t write:

Prioritize material over style for clothing. Prioritize style over material for apparel.

Why: Clothing and apparel are the same—this creates confusion

Write instead:

Prioritize material over style for clothing items.

Compensating for Bad Descriptions

Don’t write:

If the description just says “phone” with no other details, assume it’s a flagship smartphone.

Why: Instructions shouldn’t work around insufficient descriptions

Do instead: Fix the product description to include necessary details

Trying to Handle Everything

Don’t write:

For electronics, consider the following rules: [multiple paragraphs covering every possible edge case]

Why: Overly long instructions become overwhelming

Write instead: Focus on your most common issues, not every possible scenario

Multiple Instructions

You can write several instructions to handle different situations. Each instruction should focus on a specific issue:

For phones without contract information, default to unlocked unless description states contract or pre-paid.

Gaming peripherals go under gaming, not general computer accessories.

When clothing could be categorized by material or style, prioritize material.

Smart home devices go under home automation, not their traditional categories.

Categorify evaluates all your instructions together when categorizing products.

Real-World Examples

Fashion Store

Challenge: Unisex products defaulting to men’s categories

Instruction:

When gender isn’t specified or products are marketed as unisex, choose unisex categories over gendered ones.

Result: More accurate categorization for gender-neutral clothing

Electronics Store

Challenge: Refurbished products being miscategorized

Instruction:

Refurbished or renewed products belong in the same category as new equivalents—condition doesn’t change the product type.

Result: Refurbished laptops correctly go under laptops, not accessories

Home Goods Store

Challenge: Multi-room furniture scattered across categories

Instruction:

For furniture without room specification, prefer general categories over guessing the room.

Result: Consistent categorization for versatile furniture

Outdoor Store

Challenge: Multi-sport products scattered across categories

Instruction:

When products serve multiple outdoor activities, categorize by the primary activity mentioned first in the description, or use general outdoor equipment if no activity dominates.

Result: Consistent categorization for versatile gear

Maintaining Instructions Over Time

Custom instructions aren’t set-and-forget. Review and update them as you:

• Add new product types: New inventory may need new guidance
• Notice patterns: Recurring miscategorizations suggest instruction opportunities
• Change store focus: Update instructions when your product mix changes
• Get channel feedback: If Google Shopping or other platforms reject categorizations, adjust instructions

Best Practices

1. Document your reasoning: Note why each instruction exists
2. Review quarterly: Check if instructions still apply to current inventory
3. Remove outdated rules: Delete instructions for discontinued product types
4. Test after changes: Verify updates don’t break existing categorizations

Where to Add Instructions

Add or edit your AI instructions in Categorify Settings:

1. Open Apps → Categorify in your Shopify admin
2. Click Settings
3. Find the Instructions to the AI field in the Categorization section
4. Enter your instructions
5. Click Save

Your instructions apply to all future categorizations—both automatic and manual.

Next Steps

Now that you understand AI instructions:

• Categorization Strategies - Choose the best overall approach for your store
• Configuring Settings - Learn about other settings that work alongside instructions
• Understanding Status Indicators - Interpret categorization results to refine your instructions

Good instructions improve categorization accuracy without requiring changes to your product data or how you use Categorify.