A batch of uncategorised products. AI assigns categories without manual work.
Staff import a batch of new products from a supplier data file. None have categories assigned. IBIOS AI reads each product name and description, assigns it to the correct category — wall tiles, floor tiles, baths, enclosures, accessories — and flags any it is uncertain about for human review, so staff only handle the exceptions.
Why do uncategorised products cost a tile or bathroom shop money?
Every supplier data file arrives in the supplier’s own format, with their own product descriptions and their own internal groupings. Those groupings rarely match the way your team searches for stock or the way customers describe what they want. Before a product is useful in IBIOS, it needs to be in a category your team actually uses.
Done manually, assigning categories to a large import takes hours. Staff open each record, read the description, decide the category, save it, move to the next. The work is repetitive, error-prone when fatigue sets in, and provides no value beyond getting the product into the right box. It is exactly the kind of task that AI should be doing instead.
IBIOS categorisation handles the clear-cut products automatically. Staff spend their time on the ones that genuinely require a judgement call — unusual products, ambiguous descriptions, or new product types the system has not encountered before.
How does AI product categorisation work in IBIOS?
From uncategorised import to fully organised live catalogue, with staff handling only the exceptions.
Products imported without categories
A batch of products arrives from a supplier data file or PDF import. None have categories assigned. IBIOS holds them in a staging state pending categorisation.
AI reads each product name and description
The categorisation engine processes each record: product name, description, dimensions, and any keywords present. It matches these against the active category list and assigns the most appropriate category.
Confidence threshold applied
Each assignment carries a confidence score. Products above the threshold are auto-categorised and marked ready for review. Products below are flagged individually so a staff member can assign the correct category in a single click.
Staff review flagged items
The review queue shows only the uncertain items. Staff see the product name, description, and the AI's best guess alongside its confidence level. One click confirms or reassigns.
Bulk activation to live catalogue
Once all items are categorised, staff approve the batch. Products go live in the correct categories, visible to staff search and the quoting system immediately (and to AI Receptionist queries once it launches — coming soon).
What is the outcome?
Automatic
categories assigned to products with clear descriptions
Flagged
uncertain items held in a review queue, not the live catalogue
One click
for staff to confirm or reassign each flagged item
The flagged items represent the genuine edge cases: products with minimal descriptions, unusual product types, or ambiguous names that span multiple categories. The rest are categorised before anyone opens the review queue.
Questions about AI product categorisation
What categories does IBIOS use — are they fixed or configurable?
The default category set covers the core bathroom and tile product types used across UK showrooms: wall tiles, floor tiles, baths, shower enclosures, trays and wastes, vanity units, toilets, radiators, and accessories. The list is configurable — you can add, rename, or retire categories to match your specific product mix and the way your team thinks about stock.
Can I create custom categories specific to my product mix?
Yes. Custom categories are created in the IBIOS product settings and become available to the AI categorisation engine immediately. If your business carries specialist product types not covered by the defaults — for example, sauna cabinets or underfloor heating systems — you create the category once and the AI will use it on all future imports.
What happens to products the AI could not categorise — are they visible in the catalogue?
Products the AI could not categorise with sufficient confidence are placed in a review queue, not in the live catalogue. They remain invisible to customers and to the AI Receptionist (coming soon) until a staff member reviews them and assigns a category. This prevents uncategorised products from appearing in searches or quotes.
Does categorisation affect search results and AI Receptionist product lookup?
Yes, directly. When a staff member searches for products (or, once it launches, the AI Receptionist, which is coming soon), category is one of the primary filters. A product in the wrong category may not surface in the right context — for example, a floor tile filed under wall tiles might be missed when a customer asks about floor options. Accurate categorisation improves every downstream search.
Can I bulk re-categorise products if I reorganise my category structure?
Yes. IBIOS includes a bulk re-categorise tool that lets you move all products currently in one category to another, or run the AI categorisation engine again over a selected set of products using your updated category list. This means a category restructure does not require manual record-by-record edits.
Related features
Categorised products feed IBIOS Inventory Control and the products you quote from in Quote Studio. See also IBIOS for tile showrooms and the stock-take best practices guide. IBIOS (Integrated Business Intelligence & Operations System) is made by IBIOS Limited (NI743167), Northern Ireland. Access is by waiting list; there is no free trial.
Stop categorising products by hand.
IBIOS AI assigns categories to imported products and flags the uncertain ones for review. Book a demo to see it in action.