Reckoneer / Stage 7
Stage 7BuildAutomatic

Product Matching

Stage 7 compares the client's extracted product catalog (Stage 3) against the competitor's collection and category structure (Stage 4) to produce a mapping.

The matching identifies: which client products best correspond to which competitor product categories, how to organize client collections to mirror the competitor's navigation structure, and which products to feature prominently based on their position in the competitor's hierarchy.

This mapping is stored in the run record and used by Stage 8 (Theme Build) to populate collections and navigation with the right products in the right places.

Terms
Product mapping

The result of Stage 7 — a structured assignment of client products to competitor-derived categories and collection positions. Tells the theme builder which products go where.

AnalogyA seating chart for a dinner party, but for products. The 'tables' are the competitor's collection structure; the 'guests' are the client's products. Matching decides who sits where.
OriginMap: from Medieval Latin 'mappa' (cloth, sheet — used for charts). Mapping: the process of establishing correspondence between two sets.
Collection

A grouping of products in Shopify, displayed on a collection page. Can be manual (operator-curated) or automated (rule-based). Reckoneer creates and populates collections based on the competitor's category structure.

AnalogyA section of a store (menswear, footwear, accessories). Products are organized into sections so customers can browse a category without seeing everything at once.
OriginCollection: from Latin 'collectio' (a gathering). A gathered group of related items presented together.
Featured product

A product given prominent placement in the theme — typically on the homepage hero, in a featured collection section, or at the top of a collection page. Determined by its position in the competitor's equivalent placement.

AnalogyThe item in the shop window. Not randomly chosen — deliberately placed to attract attention and drive interest. Reckoneer infers which items deserve that treatment by observing where the competitor puts theirs.
OriginFeature: from Old French 'faiture' (form, shape), from Latin 'factura' (a making). To feature: to give something a prominent form or position.