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Product Attributes Documentation

Menu Location: Products > Settings > Product Attributes (beta!)

Access Level: Administrator and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Product Attributes page allows you to create structured attributes that can be assigned to products for filtering, searching, and organizing your catalog. Unlike free-form tags, attributes are predefined options that ensure consistency across your product catalog (such as "Organic", "Gluten-Free", "Locally Sourced").

Primary Functions:

  • Create and manage standardized product attributes
  • Define attribute values (e.g., Organic: Yes/No)
  • Enable structured filtering in your store
  • Maintain consistency in product classifications
  • Support dietary and quality certifications

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Add New Attribute button - Create a new product attribute
  • Search box - Find existing attributes

Main Content Area

Table displaying all product attributes with columns:

  • Attribute Name - The attribute category (e.g., "Organic Status")
  • Type - Attribute type (Yes/No, Multiple Choice, Text)
  • Values - Available options for this attribute
  • Product Count - Number of products using this attribute
  • Visible to Customers - Whether customers can filter by this
  • Actions - Edit or delete attribute

Attribute Types

Yes/No Attributes

Simple binary attributes with two options.

Examples:

  • Organic (Yes/No)
  • Gluten-Free (Yes/No)
  • Locally Sourced (Yes/No)
  • Contains Dairy (Yes/No)

Use When: The attribute is clearly true or false

Multiple Choice Attributes

Attributes with several predefined options.

Examples:

  • Meat Cut: Ribeye, Sirloin, Chuck, Brisket
  • Origin: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia
  • Certification: USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, Certified Humane

Use When: Products fall into one of several categories

Text Attributes

Free-form text field for unique values.

Examples:

  • Farm Name
  • Harvest Date
  • Ingredients List

Use When: Values vary too much for predefined options

Creating Product Attributes

Add a New Attribute

Steps:

  1. Click "Add New Attribute" button
  2. Enter Attribute Name (e.g., "Organic Certification")
  3. Select Attribute Type (Yes/No, Multiple Choice, Text)
  4. If Multiple Choice, enter Values (one per line or comma-separated)
  5. Check "Visible to Customers" if should appear as filter
  6. Check "Required" if all products must have this attribute
  7. Enter Display Order (lower numbers appear first)
  8. Click "Save Attribute"

Requirements:

  • Attribute name must be unique
  • Multiple Choice attributes must have at least 2 values
  • Display order must be a number

Editing Product Attributes

Modify an Existing Attribute

Steps:

  1. Find attribute in the list
  2. Click "Edit" icon
  3. Update name, type, or values
  4. Modify visibility or requirement settings
  5. Click "Save Changes"

Warning: Changing attribute type may affect existing product data

Adding Values to Multiple Choice Attributes

Steps:

  1. Edit the attribute
  2. Add new values to the values list
  3. Save changes
  4. New values immediately available for product assignment

Note: Existing products retain their assigned values

Deleting Product Attributes

Remove an Attribute

Steps:

  1. Find attribute in list
  2. Click "Delete" icon
  3. Review product count (how many products will be affected)
  4. Confirm deletion

What Happens:

  • Attribute removed from all products
  • Products remain active (only attribute data is removed)
  • Customer filters update immediately
  • Cannot be undone

Assigning Attributes to Products

Attributes are assigned on individual product edit pages.

To Assign Attributes:

  1. Go to Products > Products
  2. Open a product for editing
  3. Find Attributes section
  4. Select values for each attribute
  5. Save product

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Set Up Dietary Attributes

Goal: Enable customers to filter by dietary requirements

Steps:

  1. Create attribute: "Gluten-Free" (Yes/No type)
  2. Create attribute: "Dairy-Free" (Yes/No type)
  3. Create attribute: "Vegan" (Yes/No type)
  4. Create attribute: "Contains Nuts" (Yes/No type)
  5. Set all to "Visible to Customers"
  6. Assign to products on product edit pages

Result: Customers can filter store by dietary needs with consistent data

Use Case 2: Track Meat Cut Types

Goal: Organize meat products by cut type

Steps:

  1. Create attribute: "Cut Type" (Multiple Choice)
  2. Add values: "Steak", "Roast", "Ground", "Stew Meat", "Ribs", "Other"
  3. Make visible to customers
  4. Assign to all meat products

Tip: Customers can now filter beef products by cut type

Use Case 3: Source Tracking

Goal: Track where products come from

Steps:

  1. Create attribute: "Farm Name" (Text type)
  2. Create attribute: "Country of Origin" (Multiple Choice)
  3. Add country values: "USA", "Canada", "New Zealand", "Australia"
  4. Assign to products
  5. Display on product detail pages

Use in Marketing: Promote "100% USA Sourced" products

Use Case 4: Certification Management

Goal: Track product certifications

Steps:

  1. Create attribute: "Certifications" (Multiple Choice, can select multiple)
  2. Add values:
    • "USDA Organic"
    • "Non-GMO Project Verified"
    • "Certified Humane"
    • "Grass-Fed Certified"
    • "Marine Stewardship Council"
  3. Make visible to customers
  4. Assign to certified products

Example: Customer searches "USDA Organic" and sees all certified products

Use Case 5: Seasonal Availability

Goal: Mark products by season

Steps:

  1. Create attribute: "Season" (Multiple Choice)
  2. Add values: "Spring", "Summer", "Fall", "Winter", "Year-Round"
  3. Assign to produce items
  4. Use in reporting to plan inventory

Benefit: Filter products by season for menu planning

Attributes vs. Tags

When to Use Attributes

  • Standardized, consistent values needed
  • You want structured filtering
  • Data validation is important
  • Limited set of options
  • Reporting and analytics needed

Examples: Organic (Yes/No), Cut Type (predefined list), Origin Country

When to Use Tags

  • Flexible, evolving categories
  • Marketing and promotional groupings
  • No strict validation needed
  • Quick categorization
  • Customer-facing search terms

Examples: "Best Seller", "New Arrival", "Staff Pick", "Summer Favorite"

Troubleshooting

Attribute Not Appearing in Store

Symptoms:

  • Created attribute but not showing in filters

Solutions:

  1. Verify "Visible to Customers" is checked
  2. Confirm attribute is assigned to active products
  3. Check that products with attribute are in stock
  4. Clear browser/site cache

Common Causes:

  • Visibility setting is off
  • No products have this attribute assigned
  • All products with attribute are inactive

Cannot Delete Attribute

Symptoms:

  • Delete fails or shows error

Check:

  1. Note the product count
  2. Review which products use this attribute
  3. Remove attribute from all products first
  4. Try delete again

If Problem Persists: If system-critical attribute, may require administrator intervention

Values Not Saving on Products

Symptoms:

  • Assign attribute value to product but doesn't save

Solutions:

  1. Verify product save completed successfully
  2. Check for JavaScript errors in browser console
  3. Ensure attribute type matches expected input
  4. Try refreshing page and reassigning
  5. Check admin permissions for product editing

Duplicate Attribute Values

Symptoms:

  • Multiple similar values (e.g., "USA" and "U.S.A.")

Solutions:

  1. Edit the attribute
  2. Consolidate to one preferred value
  3. Update products using alternate values
  4. Remove duplicate from values list
  5. Save attribute

Prevention: Establish naming conventions before creating attributes

  • Products (product_classifications_active.php) - Assign attributes to products
  • Product Tags (admin-edit.php?table=product_tags) - Free-form product tags
  • Product Classifications (product_classifications.php) - Product category hierarchy
  • Store Categories (store-cats.php) - Online store organization

Typical Workflow:

  1. Create attributes on this page
  2. Define values for multiple-choice attributes
  3. Go to individual products
  4. Assign attribute values
  5. Attributes appear in customer filters

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Administrator or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Administrator: Create, edit, delete attributes; manage values; assign to products
  • Kiva Admin: All features + system attribute configuration

Restricted Features:

  • Create/Delete Attributes: Administrator or higher only
  • System Attributes: Kiva Admin only (do not modify without guidance)

Note: This is a beta feature, so some functionality may require Kiva Admin assistance

Best Practices

Attribute Planning

  1. Plan attribute structure before creating - sketch out what you need
  2. Start with essentials - Begin with dietary and quality attributes
  3. Use consistent naming - "Gluten-Free" not "GlutenFree" or "Gluten Free"
  4. Limit attribute count - Too many becomes overwhelming (10-20 is good)
  5. Make customer-facing attributes visible - Internal-only can be hidden

Value Management

  1. Standardize values - Use "Yes/No" not "Y/N" or "True/False"
  2. Keep values concise - Short, clear options
  3. Alphabetize when logical - Except when natural order makes sense
  4. Plan for growth - Leave room to add values later
  5. Document meanings - Keep internal notes on what each attribute means

Assignment Strategy

  1. Assign during product creation - Make it part of product setup workflow
  2. Audit regularly - Check that products have required attributes
  3. Update when products change - If product characteristics change, update attributes
  4. Batch assign when possible - Use bulk tools for applying same attribute to many products
  5. Validate data quality - Spot-check that attributes match product reality

Things to Avoid

  • Creating attributes for data better suited to tags
  • Using text fields when multiple choice would work
  • Making all attributes visible to customers (clutters filters)
  • Changing attribute types after products assigned (causes data loss)
  • Creating attributes that duplicate existing product data

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Create new attribute Click "Add New Attribute" button
Edit attribute Click edit icon > Modify > Save
Add values to attribute Edit attribute > Add to values list
Delete attribute Click delete > Confirm (check product count first)
Make attribute visible to customers Edit attribute > Check "Visible to Customers"
Make attribute required Edit attribute > Check "Required"
Assign to product Products > Edit product > Attributes section
Check attribute usage Review Product Count column
Change display order Edit attribute > Set Display Order number

FAQs

What's the difference between attributes and tags?

Attributes are structured, predefined options with validation (like "Organic: Yes/No"). Tags are flexible, free-form labels (like "Best Seller" or "Summer Special"). Use attributes for standardized product data, tags for marketing and flexible categorization.

Can a product have multiple values for one attribute?

Depends on the attribute configuration. Single-select attributes allow one value. Multi-select attributes can have multiple values (e.g., product with both "USDA Organic" and "Non-GMO" certifications).

Should I make all attributes visible to customers?

No. Only make attributes visible that customers would use for filtering or decision-making. Internal tracking attributes (like "Inventory Location") should be hidden.

Can I change an attribute type after creation?

Technically yes, but it may cause data loss. Changing from Multiple Choice to Yes/No could break existing product assignments. Best to delete and recreate if major type change needed.

How do attributes affect store filtering?

Visible attributes appear as filter options in your store. Customers can select values to narrow product results (e.g., "Show me only Gluten-Free products").

Can I import attribute assignments via CSV?

Usually yes, if your system supports CSV product imports with attribute fields. Check with administrator for specific CSV format requirements.

What happens if I delete an attribute value?

Products assigned that value lose the assignment. If the attribute is required, you'll need to assign a different value to those products.

Should every product have every attribute?

Only if the attribute is marked "Required". Generally, only assign attributes that are relevant (don't mark a beef product "Gluten-Free" unless highlighting that specifically).

Can customers search by attributes?

Yes, if attribute is visible and your store search includes attribute data. Customers can also filter by attributes in product browsing.

Change Log

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created
  • All sections completed per template requirements
  • Beta status noted throughout
  • Included attribute vs. tag comparison

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.