Djust provides all the components needed to define a customizable product data structure. This section explains the different concepts related to product modeling.

General definitions

Product

A product is the main entity in the DJUST catalog. It is an abstract concept used to group marketable items called variants. It acts as a parent structure to all related variants and is not directly sellable. This structure enables efficient management of related items under a single product entity, ensuring flexibility and scalability in B2B eCommerce.

A product can contain one or more variants. It serves as a shared container for all variants.

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Example

Safety Shoe

The product shown in catalogs is the safety shoe.
However, the item actually sold is a size and color variation. The customer buys the blue size 40 variant.

A product must be associated with one or more classification categories, which determine how it appears in a customer-facing navigation category.

Each product is structured to be easily searchable, filterable, and displayable in the front-end interface based on its properties and the classification category it belongs to.

Main product properties include:

• Product ID: Unique identifier used for integration and data tracking.
• Name: Product name shown on the platform, with support for multilingual translations.
• Description: Product details to help customers make purchase decisions, with multilingual support.
• Classification Category: Product categorization in a structured hierarchy.
• Media (Images): Set of images managed via the DAM (Digital Asset Management).
• Status: Active / Inactive / New – defines visibility and availability.
• Attributes: User-defined properties used to enrich product information (e.g., color, material, size).

Product Lifecycle in DJUST

A product follows a lifecycle based on its status:

• New: Product has been created but is not yet visible online.
• Active: Product is visible online, even if no offer is associated.
• Inactive: Product is not available to the end-customer.

Variant

A variant is the sellable unit of a product. Unlike the product, which mainly acts as an organizational structure, the variant is the concrete and marketable item.

A variant is a specific version of a product, defined by distinct characteristics such as size, color, or packaging. It allows the differentiation of a single product into multiple forms while maintaining a shared base.

Each variant is structured to be easily searched, filtered, and displayed in the front-end, inheriting classification and attributes from its parent product.

There is no limit to the number of variants a product may have.

Main variant properties include:

• Variant ID: Unique identifier for integration and data tracking.
• Name: Variant name displayed on the platform, with multilingual support. Note: This name is more specific than the parent product’s name.
• Description: More detailed than the product’s, with multilingual support.
• A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), UPC, EAN or GTIN: Not necessarily unique identifiers (optional, but recommended for product identification and referencing).
• Specific attributes: Differentiating features such as color, size, material, etc.
• Media (Images): Variant-specific images managed by the DAM (Digital Asset Management).
• Status: Active / Inactive – defines visibility and availability.

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Stock and pricing are managed per variant, not at the product level.

Attribute

A product attribute is a data field attached to a product to describe its specifications and distinctive features. These attributes are used to organize products, enhance searchability, and improve display.

There are two types of attributes:

• Product attributes: common to all variants of the product (e.g. origin, material, software).
• Variant attributes: Used to distinguish between variants (e.g. color, size, capacity), in addition to product-level attributes.

Classification category

A classification category is a structured grouping of products or services based on shared criteria. It allows for hierarchical organization of the catalog to facilitate product management and navigation. It often reflects a PIM (Product Information Management) structure.

Classification categories help segment large assortments into logical groups, enhancing usability and product discovery.

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Example

A classification category might be structured as:

• Main category: Electronics
  • Sub-category : Smartphones
    • Sub-sub-category : Accessories (cases, chargers, earphones)

Navigation category

A navigation category is a customer-facing product grouping, designed to improve the user experience on online interfaces (websites or apps). Unlike a classification category, which is used for internal product management (e.g. PIM), a navigation category is focused on guiding the user journey and aiding discovery.

Difference between classification and navigation categories:

Catalog

The catalogue is the full set of products available on the DJUST platform. It represents the complete offer from a supplier or marketplace, without segmentation by customer or audience. It includes all referenced products with attributes, media, descriptions, and metadata.

Key Features

• Contains all products available in DJUST.
• Enriched with product data from a PIM.
• Serves as the base for customer targeting through catalog restrictions.
• Does not contain pricing or client-specific rules.

Catalog views (restriction)

Catalog views refers to assigning a catalog to a specific client or group of clients. It limits product visibility based on business rules such as customer type, geography, or specific contracts.

Key Features

• Enables offer personalization per client or segment.
• Improves user experience by filtering visible products.
• Does not alter the global catalog — only restricts visibility.

Assortment

An assortment is a static grouping of products that can be associated with a catalog or a navigation category. It helps structure product selections based on business or merchandising needs.

Key Features

• Can be manually or automatically created based on defined criteria (e.g. category, brand, season).
• Supports product organization and frontend display.
• Differs from a catalog: it is a subset of products, not client-specific.
• Useful for promotions or highlighting key product ranges.

Product attributes and product tags

The product model is fully customizable using attributes and tags, allowing you to structure, enrich, and filter your catalog to fit your specific business needs.

Product attributes describe the characteristics of a product and define the structure of the product page. They are essential for categorizing products and enabling efficient navigation, filtering, and display in Djust.

Product tags are an easy solution to add information about products and can be used to filter products on your back office.