The structure of a modern online store. Checklist
If your online shop is designed according to standards from five years ago, you’ll soon have to shut it down! Online retail today has reached a point where success isn’t determined by who has the widest range or the lowest prices, but by those who can reduce choice overload and make things clear - to both people and algorithms.
Betonlogos s.r.o. would like to draw your attention to the fact that the future of e-commerce lies neither in the number of features nor in delivery speed. It lies in how well a business understands how people think, have doubts and make decisions. The structure of a website can become either a strategic asset or a source of systemic profit loss.
Most e-commerce sites and online shops are still designed with the ideal customer in mind, who:
- knows exactly what they need
- is prepared to understand the product specifications
- has no doubts about the terms and conditions
- does not expect any problems with delivery, returns or the warranty
By 2026, such a customer will be a rarity, according to experts at Betonlogos. Today, neural networks are increasingly involved in selecting the ‘most sensible option’ to meet the customer’s requirements, which they articulate ‘in their own words’: budget, intended use, constraints and concerns. This is changing the demands placed on e-commerce: the structure of the catalogue, product listings, filters and terms and conditions must be equally clear to both the person entering the search query and the neural networks that generate the initial search results, compare options and effectively decide whether your product will make it onto the shortlist before the user even opens the website.
Therefore, sooner or later, every online shop will be forced to improve its search functionality by adding semantic layer tools and AI search engines that learn from shoppers’ behaviour.
When the customer is no longer an expert
Hierarchy and Logic
AI invisibility
The main mistake made by online shop owners is to structure their catalogue according to the company’s internal logic: brands, product ranges, ‘as per stock’. In reality, shoppers are not looking for ‘model X’, but for ‘a reliable option for a specific scenario’.
In practice, there is an increasing need for a structure that supports several modes of thinking: exploration, comparison, doubt, and revisiting choices. This is precisely why more and more shops are supplementing their catalogues with scenario-based layers: selections ‘for whom’, ‘for what’, and ‘under what conditions’. The catalogue ceases to be a mere list of products and begins to act as a guide to solutions, according to experts at Betonlogos.
A convoluted structure of product variants (colours, sizes, configurations) creates chaos not only for people, but also for algorithms. Today, the majority of purchases are made via AI assistants and aggregators. If your database does not allow external software to clearly ‘read’ the parameters and compare items, your shop becomes ‘invisible’. Errors in the marking-up of product variants amount to voluntarily forgoing access to the market.
Poor or non-existent search filters
Filters with a dozen parameters and no prioritisation make the selection process more complicated. A good structure hides the unnecessary details! Search is no longer a secondary function; today it is the main sales tool, and its inability to process ‘dirty’ data or incomplete product attributes results in direct financial loss.
Managers at Betonlogos believe that by 2026, navigation must be semantic. Search is being optimised to understand synonyms or ‘natural language queries’. If an online shop cannot process queries in the customer’s natural language, including typos and synonyms, then customers will leave, or they will be ‘poached’ by competitors or AI assistants.
The economics of returns: a blind spot in the catalogue
Most online shop owners assess the effectiveness of their product structure by looking at turnover rather than net profit.
The shop’s structure should automatically demote unpopular products (with a low purchase rate) and those with a high returns rate in search results. If a particular product drives traffic but does not generate profit, it belongs at the end of the catalogue, not on the homepage. Your website should automatically filter out ‘toxic’ hits from search results, saving your resources without any extra effort.
Betonlogos s.r.o. will help you automate routine tasks and reduce return costs, as well as create new supply and sales chains.
Can customers select products quickly and easily?
Checklist: what a modern online shop should include
1. Catalogue
- Products can be found easily based on context, purpose or need.
- Products can be selected without knowing the exact model.
2. Search
- The search function is configured to understand user queries semantically (in natural language).
- The search handles typos, synonyms and ‘free-form queries’.
- The search displays products even for incomplete or imprecise queries.
3. Filters
- The main filters (price, popularity) are pre-set and immediately visible.
- There are no unnecessary or complex filters.
- The filters help you choose a product more quickly and do not complicate the search.
4. Product page
- It is clear who the product is intended for.
- Delivery, returns and warranty terms are immediately visible.
- There are reviews and confirmation of the product’s quality.
5. Checkout
- You can buy the product without registering.
- The checkout process is short and simple, with a minimum number of steps before payment.
- Common payment methods are supported.
6. Data and AI Compatibility
- All product specifications are listed and standardised (colour, size, material, etc.).
- Product variants (different colours, sizes, configurations) are correctly formatted.
- The catalogue is understandable to external systems and assistants (marketplaces, voice assistants, AI).
7. Economics
- Returns are taken into account when displaying products in the catalogue.
- Products with low sales or frequent returns do not appear at the top of the list.
- The catalogue structure is optimised for profit, not just for traffic.
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