Why WoodWing Industries
Industries

We know your challenges

icon-woodwing-agencies

Agencies

Optimized workflow, improved collaboration, and brand consistency

icon-woodwing-finance

Finance

Modern document and quality management helps you manage risks and improve processes

icon-woodwing-franchise

Franchise

Ensure unity with document, quality, and knowledge management

icon-woodwing-healthcare

Healthcare

Always access the latest version of each process, protocol, guideline, or agreement

icon-logo-woodwing-housing-corporations

Housing Associations

Document management from context, always up-to-date, complete and accurate documents

icon-woodwing-manufacturing

Manufacturing

Consistent branding, accelerated launches, and integrated content management

icon-woodwing-pension-fund-

Pension Funds

Manage large quantities of sensitive pension data and keep it safe and accessible

icon-woodwing-publishing

Publishing

Efficient content creation, collaboration, and multichannel publishing

icon-woodwing-retail-ecommerce

Retail & eCommerce

Streamlined catalog and marketing content production for faster time-to-market


Featured content piece

Bavaria

How Bavaria significantly improved its global brand management.

Read this case
Solutions
Solutions

Content Creation and Management

icon-woodwing-content-creation

Content Creation

Collaborate and create high-quality channel-neutral content

icon-woodwing-dam

Digital Asset Management

Manage and distribute digital assets for streamlined content

icon-woodwing-multichannel-publishing

Multichannel Publishing

Maximize reach with seamless multi-channel content publishing

icon-woodwing-content-orchestration

Content Orchestration

Managing content at scale has never been easier or more profitable


Information Management

icon-logo-woodwing-document-management

Document Management

Centralize and control your documents, ensuring secure access

icon-woodwing-information-management

Enterprise Information Management

Become more agile, reduce risks and benefit from available data

icon-woodwing-knowledge-management

Knowledge Management

Bring knowledge and people together to work on quality

icon-woodwing-process-management

Process Management

Describe and organize processes and make them accessible to everyone

icon-logo-woodwing-quality-management

Quality Management

Collectively ensure that you do the right things in the right way

icon-woodwing-risk-management

Risk Management

Gain insight and control over every aspect of risk management.


Content Services

icon-logo-woodwing-ai-governance

AI Governance

Develop and distribute your own AI policies and stay compliant

icon-woodwing-creative-workflow-services

Creative Workflow Services

Unleash creative potential with tailored support from experts

icon-woodwing-digital-publishing-service

Digital Publishing Services

Enhance digital publishing strategy with expert services

icon-woodwing-integrations

App Integrations

Integrate WoodWing seamlessly into your existing tech stack

icon-woodwing-cloud

WoodWing Cloud

Experience stress-free hosting, software maintenance, and more


FEATURED CONTENT

Integrations Marketplace

Explore our Integrations Marketplace and find the right apps and solutions to boost the interconnectivity and productivity of your IT environment.

Explore
Products
Products

Take charge of your content

WoodWing Studio

Streamlined content creation and multichannel publishing solution

Assets Logo (base)

Enterprise-grade digital asset management for streamlined workflows

WoodWing Swivle

Cloud-based DAM for seamless file management and collaboration

WoodWing Scienta

Software to collaborate on quality and have control over and maximize the benefits of the knowledge present in your organization.

WoodWing Xtendis

Secure digital archiving and document management system

Connect Logo (base)

Powerful integration suite for seamless connectivity and automation

WoodWing Smart Styles

Efficient plugin for enhanced Adobe InDesign design workflows

Inspiration
Inspiration

Learning centre

icon-woodwing-success-stories

Success Stories

Read success stories from trusted organizations that rely on WoodWing's solutions

icon-woodwing-ebooks-whitepapers

eBooks & Whitepapers

Dive into in-depth knowledge with our comprehensive digital publications

icon-logo-woodwing-videos

Videos

Lean back and enjoy one of our educational videos

icon-woodwing-events-and-webinars

Events & Webinars

Meet us in person or virtually at one of our events or webinars


Latest articles

How flawed systems lead to team demotivation and unproductivity

How flawed systems lead to team demotivation and unproductivity

What you need to know about the ISO 27001 update

What you need to know about the ISO 27001 update

How old systems and manual processes inhibit digital innovation

How old systems and manual processes inhibit digital innovation

View all blog articles

Featured content piece

Medium Rare

How Content Agency Medium Rare delivers better client experiences and outcomes with WoodWing.

Read this case
Company
Company

About us

icon-woodwing-about-woodwing

About WoodWing

Discover our company's vision, mission, and innovative solutions

icon-woodwing-management-team

Management Team

Meet the leaders driving WoodWing's success and growth

icon-woodwing-contact

Contact

Reach out to us for inquiries, support, and collaboration


Jobs & Press

icon-woodwing-job-opportunities

Job opportunities

Explore exciting career opportunities and join our team

icon-woodwing-press-release

Press releases & news

Stay updated with our latest company news and announcements


Partners

icon-woodwing-partners

Partners

Explore our partners for local support and expanded capabilities

icon-woodwing-become-a-partner

Become a partner

Join our global partner network and grow with us


Want to work for us?

Developer

Would you like to further develop your development skills? As our developer you will learn all about new techniques and innovations.

Join our team
English
Select language
Support Support Support Contact sales Contact sales Contact sales Login Login Login
Login

Choose a product

icon-woodwing-login-scienta

WoodWing Scienta

icon-woodwing-login-swivle

WoodWing Swivle


Contact us
Search Support Support Support Contact sales Contact sales Contact sales Login Login Login

Choose a product

icon-woodwing-login-scienta

WoodWing Scienta

icon-woodwing-login-swivle

WoodWing Swivle

English English

Nederlands

Why WoodWing Industries

We know your challenges

icon-woodwing-agencies

Agencies

Optimized workflow, improved collaboration, and brand consistency

icon-woodwing-finance

Finance

Modern document and quality management helps you manage risks and improve processes

icon-woodwing-franchise

Franchise

Ensure unity with document, quality, and knowledge management

icon-woodwing-healthcare

Healthcare

Always access the latest version of each process, protocol, guideline, or agreement

icon-logo-woodwing-housing-corporations

Housing Associations

Document management from context, always up-to-date, complete and accurate documents

icon-woodwing-manufacturing

Manufacturing

Consistent branding, accelerated launches, and integrated content management

icon-woodwing-pension-fund-

Pension Funds

Manage large quantities of sensitive pension data and keep it safe and accessible

icon-woodwing-publishing

Publishing

Efficient content creation, collaboration, and multichannel publishing

icon-woodwing-retail-ecommerce

Retail & eCommerce

Streamlined catalog and marketing content production for faster time-to-market

Featured content piece

Bavaria

How Bavaria significantly improved its global brand management.

Read this case
Solutions

Content Creation and Management

icon-woodwing-content-creation

Content Creation

Collaborate and create high-quality channel-neutral content

icon-woodwing-dam

Digital Asset Management

Manage and distribute digital assets for streamlined content

icon-woodwing-multichannel-publishing

Multichannel Publishing

Maximize reach with seamless multi-channel content publishing

icon-woodwing-content-orchestration

Content Orchestration

Managing content at scale has never been easier or more profitable


Information Management

icon-logo-woodwing-document-management

Document Management

Centralize and control your documents, ensuring secure access

icon-woodwing-information-management

Enterprise Information Management

Become more agile, reduce risks and benefit from available data

icon-woodwing-knowledge-management

Knowledge Management

Bring knowledge and people together to work on quality

icon-woodwing-process-management

Process Management

Describe and organize processes and make them accessible to everyone

icon-logo-woodwing-quality-management

Quality Management

Collectively ensure that you do the right things in the right way

icon-woodwing-risk-management

Risk Management

Gain insight and control over every aspect of risk management.


Content Services

icon-logo-woodwing-ai-governance

AI Governance

Develop and distribute your own AI policies and stay compliant

icon-woodwing-creative-workflow-services

Creative Workflow Services

Unleash creative potential with tailored support from experts

icon-woodwing-digital-publishing-service

Digital Publishing Services

Enhance digital publishing strategy with expert services

icon-woodwing-integrations

App Integrations

Integrate WoodWing seamlessly into your existing tech stack

icon-woodwing-cloud

WoodWing Cloud

Experience stress-free hosting, software maintenance, and more


FEATURED CONTENT

Integrations Marketplace

Explore our Integrations Marketplace and find the right apps and solutions to boost the interconnectivity and productivity of your IT environment.

Explore
Products

Take charge of your content

WoodWing Studio

Streamlined content creation and multichannel publishing solution

WoodWing Studio

Collaborative content creation and multichannel publishing solution that simplifies workflows and streamlines production processes.

Assets Logo (base)

Enterprise-grade digital asset management for streamlined workflows

WoodWing Assets

Enterprise-grade digital asset management solution that streamlines your creative workflow and simplifies collaboration among team members.

WoodWing Swivle

Cloud-based DAM for seamless file management and collaboration

WoodWing Swivle

Cloud-based DAM solution for managing, sharing, and collaborating on digital files from anywhere and on any device.

WoodWing Scienta

Software to collaborate on quality and have control over and maximize the benefits of the knowledge present in your organization.

WoodWing Scienta

Quality management platform for regulated industries that simplifies compliance, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

WoodWing Xtendis

Secure digital archiving and document management system

WoodWing Xtendis

Digital archiving and document management system that allows organizations to store, manage, and access their digital assets securely.

Connect Logo (base)

Powerful integration suite for seamless connectivity and automation

WoodWing Connect

Powerful integration suite, including APIs, webhooks, plugins, and the best-in-class iPaaS solution (powered by Workato).

WoodWing Smart Styles

Efficient plugin for enhanced Adobe InDesign design workflows

WoodWing Smart Styles

Plugin for Adobe InDesign that streamlines design workflows by allowing designers to apply predefined styles quickly.

Inspiration

Learning centre

icon-woodwing-success-stories

Success Stories

Read success stories from trusted organizations that rely on WoodWing's solutions

icon-woodwing-ebooks-whitepapers

eBooks & Whitepapers

Dive into in-depth knowledge with our comprehensive digital publications

icon-logo-woodwing-videos

Videos

Lean back and enjoy one of our educational videos

icon-woodwing-events-and-webinars

Events & Webinars

Meet us in person or virtually at one of our events or webinars


Latest articles

How flawed systems lead to team demotivation and unproductivity

How flawed systems lead to team demotivation and unproductivity

What you need to know about the ISO 27001 update

What you need to know about the ISO 27001 update

How old systems and manual processes inhibit digital innovation

How old systems and manual processes inhibit digital innovation

View all blog articles

Featured content piece

Medium Rare

How Content Agency Medium Rare delivers better client experiences and outcomes with WoodWing.

Read this case
Company

About us

icon-woodwing-about-woodwing

About WoodWing

Discover our company's vision, mission, and innovative solutions

icon-woodwing-management-team

Management Team

Meet the leaders driving WoodWing's success and growth

icon-woodwing-contact

Contact

Reach out to us for inquiries, support, and collaboration


Jobs & Press

icon-woodwing-job-opportunities

Job opportunities

Explore exciting career opportunities and join our team

icon-woodwing-press-release

Press releases & news

Stay updated with our latest company news and announcements


Partners

icon-woodwing-partners

Partners

Explore our partners for local support and expanded capabilities

icon-woodwing-become-a-partner

Become a partner

Join our global partner network and grow with us


Want to work for us?

Developer

Would you like to further develop your development skills? As our developer you will learn all about new techniques and innovations.

Join our team
Contact us
Home Inspiration Blog | WoodWing

Digital Asset Management

Retail & eCommerce

7 minutes of reading

Best practices for designing a digital asset taxonomy for e-commerce and retail brands

Digital asset management (DAM) serves as a centralized hub for all digital content, streamlining the storage, organization, and retrieval of everything from product images to marketing materials and videos. With DAM, you can ensure that the most current and accurate content is always readily accessible.

Shape

 
For retailers, DAM can significantly accelerate launching campaigns, delivering product assets, and enabling a consistent brand experience across various channels (such as e-commerce, digital marketing, or in-store touchpoints). Fair enough, but what is taxonomy in business? And why is it, or should it be, an essential part of digital asset management?  Read on and find out!

Why a taxonomy is essential for organizing your digital assets

A taxonomy is a structured framework used to organize and categorize groups of digital assets, making it easier to find, manage, and utilize them efficiently. By defining a clear hierarchy and relationships between assets, a well-designed taxonomy enhances searchability and ensures consistency across the organization.

If you are new to the concept of taxonomy, I do recommend learning the basics of what a taxonomy is first, as this article will not cover the fundamentals. For a deeper dive into taxonomies in DAM, Christina Huddart’s insightful articles are a great place to start:

In these articles, Christina discusses how implementing metadata and taxonomy structures in DAM can significantly improve the organization, findability, and management of digital assets, leading to more efficient workflows and better content utilization.


Getting started with your taxonomy design

Now that you – hopefully – have a reasonable idea of what a taxonomy is, you can start outlining what your desired taxonomy should look like. There is no one-size-fits-all taxonomy that suits every organization like a glove, as all businesses and brands are different. Therefore, it is very important to design a taxonomy that serves your specific business structures, requirements, and DAM users.

The following steps should set your taxonomy design in motion!

Setting goals for your digital assets taxonomy

When designing a taxonomy, it’s crucial to start by setting clear and achievable goals. You can start by identifying what areas of your existing taxonomy need to be improved. Or, if you are starting from the beginning (e.g. when implementing DAM technology for the first time), it is good to review the main motivators behind your taxonomy.

You can start by trying to find answers to questions such as:

  • What are you aiming to accomplish with the taxonomy?
    • Will you focus on improving searchability, enhancing asset management efficiency, or ensuring consistency across digital assets?
  • How large of a taxonomy does your specific business need?
    • What is the width? In other words; how many main categories do you need?
    • And what is the depth? How many subcategories will each of the main categories require?

    It is good to try to find the balance between your taxonomy's width and depth, as too narrow or shallow implementations may affect usability and searchability. In turn, taxonomies that are too wide and deep may be cumbersome to maintain and drill into when using the DAM system.

These questions will work as a guide to developing your taxonomy design and help measuring the efficiency of the taxonomy, once implemented.

Research the company’s structures, business units, and related technologies

To understand your company’s specific taxonomical needs, you first need to understand the structure and requirements of the company. Luckily, you rarely need to do this from scratch. It’s very likely that there already are technologies, practices, and information in place that can help you point out the relevant categorization for your digital asset management.

So, conduct thorough research into your company’s industries, organizational structures, business units, and neighboring technologies to the DAM, including their respective metadata models and taxonomies. As an example, create a catalogue of all the industries (if there are multiple), business units, and brands which assets will be stored and managed in your DAM. Creating this list will not just help you create your taxonomy, but might also give you clues to more hidden teams and processes that might be good to consider when designing your taxonomy.

Also, make sure to find out what relevant technologies will be living in the ecosystem with your DAM. Likely, there’s a PIM system which will provide your DAM with product information, and in turn utilize the product’s assets from your DAM. Align these two, so that DAM utilizes relevant product categories & structures from the PIM. This will be most easily achieved through building an integration between the two, so you won’t have to update schemas manually.

Hold on! Don’t restrict yourself to only one neighboring system! Dig deeper to make sure you’ve unhidden all the important ones! As an example, a CMS might be a good source of information for you as well. With a bit of luck, you will be able to find similarities between different systems and structures relating to each other, which you then can harmonize in your DAM.

Understanding the existing frameworks and categories will provide you with a comprehensive overview of your organization’s structures. This very important step ensures that the new taxonomy aligns with current practices and integrates seamlessly with existing systems.


Involve your stakeholders!

Remember the list of business units? You can use that to locate and conduct interviews with different stakeholders, to understand what the most relevant requirements for their processes and structures are. For instance, how does marketing operations categorize their content? Or the communications department? And what about HR? Or maybe there are specific needs from different publishing channels that you need to consider?

Involve the subject matter experts from various departments in the development of the taxonomy. Collaboration across departments helps to create a robust and user-friendly taxonomy that reflects the distinct requirements of the organization.

Determine the relevant categories

When designing a taxonomy, start by identifying the main categories that are most relevant to your business. When in retail, this will most likely include products, product hierarchies, product brands, a company’s own brands, and other high-level classifications that reflect the core aspects of the company’s inventory. Also, as discussed earlier, don’t forget other key organizations and processes that will be utilizing the DAM system – classifications catering to their specific needs should be set as well.

To further improve the organization of your digital assets, develop subcategories under each main category. For example, within a high-level product category (e.g. Apparel), you might include subcategories which further specify which type of product line or group of products is being classified (e.g. Children’s apparel >> Boys’ apparel >> Boys' apparel, ages 1-4).

The same goes for any group or category: each should be specific enough so that users can reliably narrow down the path to match what they are looking for. You do not need to drill down to item level, as the metadata of your assets should be informative enough to tell users which asset represents which item.


Taxonomy design example related to the apparel category.

Sample taxonomy for the apparel category - click on the image to enlarge it


When categorizing other asset types, such as marketing or brand assets, the hierarchy might look different. For marketing assets, an example hierarchy could be “Marketing” (as the main category), which we can then refine using a subcategorization, like this: Marketing campaigns >> Seasonal marketing campaigns >> Christmas marketing campaigns.

The additional layers of subcategories allow for more precise categorization and retrieval of assets, ensuring that users can find exactly what they need, with minimal effort. Establishing these main categories helps create a clear and intuitive structure, making it easier for users to navigate and locate assets in your DAM.

Make sure the metadata schema supports the taxonomy

In the world of digital asset management, there’s a guiding principle that goes something like this: ‘Metadata is the backbone of your DAM’. I did not invent it, unfortunately, but I use it time and time again, as it truly explains the value and power of a carefully structured metadata schema. A well-thought-out and aligned metadata schema is essential to support your taxonomy’s effectiveness and quality.

Ensure that your metadata further refines the information about the assets and asset types that your taxonomy classifies. For a product asset, it’s vital to include key attributes ( e.g. product name, category, brand, SKU, description, and usage rights and restrictions, among others). Again, there’s not one right answer here – it is up to you to define what is relevant information for both people and integrated technologies that are searching your DAM for assets.

Adapt taxonomy design to match changing business needs

Ok, you have given it your first go, your taxonomy is ready and has been implemented. What happens then? Well, there’s another ‘guiding principle’ about taxonomies and metadata schemas – ‘Your taxonomy is never finished’ – that sounds somewhat demotivating, but take it for what it is: a reminder that the taxonomy is an ever-evolving mechanism. Because your business is dynamic, grows, and changes throughout time, your taxonomy should be flexible enough to adapt to these changes.

So, it is good to always be aware of shifts in your company’s structures, market trends, preferences, and internal processes. Whenever significant changes occur, such as the introduction of new product lines, new areas of business, or newly set-up organizations – update the taxonomy accordingly. This adaptability ensures that your DAM system remains current and aligns well with your business goals. Most importantly, your taxonomy will continue to provide value this way. To make sure you will keep it fresh, schedule periodic reviews to assess the relevance and accuracy of your taxonomy design, making updates as needed to reflect the current state of your assets and business operations.

Monitor and measure

It is considered good practice to monitor and measure the effectiveness of your taxonomy. Collecting this information is crucial for continuous improvement and fine-tuning. You can implement different metrics and analytics to track how well the taxonomy supports asset retrieval and management. Gather feedback from users to identify any pain points or areas for enhancement. By analyzing this data, you can make informed decisions on where to refine the taxonomy, and ensure it meets the structures of your organization and the needs of your users.

Conclusion

In summary, designing and refining a taxonomy involves several best practices that ensure its effectiveness and relevance. Start by setting clear goals for the taxonomy and conducting thorough research into your company’s structures, business units, and related technologies. Involve subject matter experts from various departments to develop a comprehensive and user-friendly taxonomy.

When creating the taxonomy, determine the main categories relevant to retail and e-commerce, create subcategories to further organize assets, and ensure that the metadata schema supports the taxonomy. Also, regularly review and update the taxonomy, monitor and measure its effectiveness, and adapt it when and where necessary to match changing business needs.

A well-built taxonomy is crucial for any retailer, as it enhances the organization, searchability, and management of the company’s digital assets. It ensures consistency across the organization and supports efficient asset retrieval, ultimately contributing to streamlined, more efficient operations.

By following these best practices, it is possible to create a robust taxonomy that evolves with your business and continues to provide value time after time.

Good luck with your taxonomy design journey – and remember to trust and enjoy the process!

Shape

Published on January 15, 2025

Sandra Sundbäck

My curiosity drives me to explore new trends and technologies, particularly in content production, management, and delivery. With a Master's degree in Media Management (Digital Asset Management specifically) and a decade of marketing experience under my belt, I shifted focus to MarTech development in 2016, managing numerous technology implementations since then. I have a passion for metadata and retail, striving for seamless content delivery across all channels. Having worked on the two largest DAM environments in the Finnish retail market, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the table, so if you need guidance for your DAM initiatives, do reach out.

Back to the overview

Placeholder