Why Age-Based Product Listings Are Essential for Toy Stores

For today’s toy retailers—especially those operating online—age-based product curation isn’t just helpful, it’s expected. Parents, grandparents, and gift-givers rely heavily on age cues when shopping for toys. Yet many toy store websites miss opportunities to present age in a clear, intuitive, and actionable way.

To better serve your customers and drive higher conversions, we recommend thinking about age in two distinct but complementary ways:

1. Curated Age Groups in Main Navigation

Your site navigation should include a broad, clearly labeled set of age ranges in your top-level menu or homepage sections. These help guide shoppers who may not know exactly what they’re looking for but do know the age of the child.

The top 20–25 products shown for each group should be representative of that age.
The selections should reflect developmental appropriateness, interest levels, and safety.
Avoid excessive repetition of products across groups.

Recommended Curated Age Groups:

Baby (0–12 months)
Toddler (1–3 years)
Preschool (3–5 years)
Early Elementary (5–7 years)
Tweens (8–12 years)
Teens (13+ years)
Grown-ups (14+ years)
Optional: Newborn (0–6 months), 6–12 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, Adult & Family Games

Pro Tip: These age group collections should be promoted visually on your homepage—using icons or thumbnail blocks—to capture shoppers’ attention quickly.

2. Filterable Age Metadata Across All Products

Separately from curated groups, apply age tags as metadata to all products in your inventory. This enables age filtering on collection and search pages.

Let shoppers start with an interest (e.g., LEGO, plush, STEM) and then narrow by age.
Assign broader overlapping age bands (e.g., 6–10 for a STEM kit, or 8+ for a game).
Consider breaking down filters by individual year (1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs, etc.) for more precise selection.
Ensure every item has at least one age tag to enable comprehensive filtering.

Why This Matters

Increased Conversions: Customers are more likely to buy when they find the right fit quickly.
Reduced Returns: Proper age targeting reduces mismatches and dissatisfaction.
Guidance for Gift Buyers: Many shoppers don’t know what to choose—age cues are essential.
SEO Benefit: Search engines reward clear age-based category and filter structures.

Final Thought

Think of age-based merchandising like in-store signage—it’s a customer pathway. When you use both curated navigation and filterable age metadata, you turn your website into a tool that guides, inspires, and converts.

Implementing Age Based data assignments

Please contact your STN Project Manager for Assets and Assistance in implementing Ages within your Shopify setup.