I've realized a horrible truth. We have far too many products. Finding the best product out of over 300 products is onerous. Even with products in categories, there are around 80 products in Skin Care.
The solution is to extend our current categories with subcategories and filters. However... slight problem... Shopify does not have this functionality.
Fortunately, I have the vision, and Shopify's AI has the know-how... eventually. The AI has already written the required CSS and liquid files. Now I am putting every product into categories and subcategories. Sometimes one product goes into several categories. Meaning for over 300 products, I have to evaluate which of 60+ categories the product belongs to, then record that data in Shopify.
Fortunately, Terramar has a handy chart that tells me what facial products are good for different skins, such as Oily or Sensitive or 50+. Terramar's knowledge is embedded in the system to help customers find the correct product for their skin.
I've made significant progress today until my eyelids got heavy and my focus evaporated. Perhaps tomorrow I will be ready to see if the AI's code works. From my last project modifying my store to highlight the button of a selected product, I find the AI has more confidence than expertise.
I have named the new system Journey, the idea being that we help you reach your solution. Step one is selecting the area of the body you have a problem with. Step two is specifying the problem. So if you select "Body" for step one, Shopify unhides the subcategories where you can select problems like "Stinky" for deodorants and antiperspirants, or "Not Stinky Enough" to see our selection of perfumes, or "Dirty" for body washes.
I might have to change the subcategory names.
Additional filters will be added for Male or Female products, and 50+ skin care.
I expect this to lower the number of items to a manageable number for a streamlined shopping experience. Customers make two choices and 300+ items requiring hours to search through can be reduced to 1 solution.