# Category-Specific Filter Choices

> Choose each category’s filters from the properties customers use to decide between its products. Accurate catalog attributes matter more than a long list of filter controls.

- Type: Merchant guide
- Level: Intermediate
- Reading time: About 4 minutes
- Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores.
- Last updated: 2026-11-04
- Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/category-specific-filter-choices/
- Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy

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## What you need to know

### Should every category use the same choices?

No. Offer a characteristic such as “Scent” for products that have one, but “Number of items” for gift kits. If your catalog has no brands besides your own, a brand filter adds little value.

### How should sizes, colors, and ranges work?

Use labels the shopper sees on product pages. “Small” and “Large” might be clearer than unexplained codes. For numeric measurements, include units and allow useful ranges without treating missing data as a zero.

### When are rating, price and availability useful?

Offer price and availability if they help distinguish items, and the data is current. A rating filter is misleading if almost no products have enough reviews. Test which choices actually narrow your results.

### A simple check to try

Open two different categories and compare their filters. Remove choices that do not help buyers distinguish products in that category.

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## Frequently asked questions

### How do I detect a bad filter?

Choose each option and inspect the returned products. If a “lavender” filter includes unscented candles, correct the product attribute before changing the interface.

### Can each category use different filters?

Verify current category-filter controls. Publish only filters supported by accurate product attributes in that category.

## Related articles

- **Product Filters and Facets**
- **Troubleshooting Product Discovery**
- [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)