# Configuring your instance
Reactify Search works with Shopify data. Data is the foundation of your merchandising success, which is why we're taking you through the steps to properly set up your products in Shopify. To view all the data points the app references, [view the diagram here](/getting-started/introduction.md#where-does-the-data-come-from).
### Preparing product data for Reactify Search
Gather information -> Determine attributes -> Identify the gaps -> Fill in the gaps -> Configure
### The approach
The best approach for setting up product data is going to be different for every business, but generally speaking, it’s helpful to understand your catalogue even before you configure anything.
* First, [gather information](/getting-started/preparing-for-implementation.md) about how shoppers currently interact with your site and identify what search terms they're using. It's helpful to understand this by seasonality, too.
* Determine what attributes you want shoppers to be able to search, filter, and sort by.
* Then, ensure that your chosen attributes exist on the product level in Shopify. Are there any inconsistencies with the product type field? Any obscure colour names? What if you want shoppers to filter by features? If these features aren't specified somewhere in the data, it’s time to start adding them in.
Cleaning up your naming conventions and adding the required data might seem challenging, but once you’ve put the groundwork in, adding new products is easy. And the impact it will have on the quality of your site search and navigation is worth the effort.
### Shopify tags
Tags are helpful for grouping products by category, colour, features, and so much more. **That's right, you can group anything as long as you properly use Shopify tags.** By using tags, shoppers are able to find products more easily. It also allows you to merchandise more effectively for things like filters, search relevancy and boost rules.
It's important to remember that site search uses keyword matching, but it also has the power to reference Shopify tags which allows you (the merchant) to bring products that don't contain a keyword in the title and/or description, to the top of the search results page.
### **Group products with Shopify tags**
In cases where the native product data is not accurate enough, merchants would use Shopify tags to identify a product's features and benefits even further. By identifying this, you will be able to use it for filters, boost rules, and optimise search even better.
After applying tags to all applicable products in your Shopify catalogue, add the tags you would like the app to reference by going to the *Extract Tags* section within the app.
### **Group product attributes with Shopify tags**
This is an example of how you might identify a product benefit. All products that are "machine washable" should have the Shopify tag `benefit:machine-washable` so that it's more likely to appear in the search results whenever a shopper type "machine washable" as a query. Or even better, it exposes that product when a shopper selects "machine washable" as a filter value.
| Benefit | Shopify tag |
|---|
| Machine Washable | benefit:machine-washable |
### **Group colours with Shopify tags**
This is an example of how you might identify a colour group for all products that belong to a parent colour. Generic colour names are ideal for things like filters as shoppers won't be familiar with obscure colour names that often appear in the variant options field within Shopify.
| Colour group | Colour names in Shopify | Shopify tag |
|---|
| Blue | Ocean Blue, Sky Blue | colour-group:blue |
Apply the Shopify tag to all products that belong to `colour-group:blue`
### **Group sizes together with merged values**
You are able to group sizes so that it appears as one common size option on the filter. This is helpful when an online store stocks different sizing. For example, your Shopify catalogue may carry AU/EU/US sizes. Featuring every size option would look confusing for shoppers.
Filter options can be simplified on the front end by representing one sizing equivalent instead of featuring all sizes.
Depending on which variant option field you're using, make sure to select the correct field in the dropdown option within the *Merged Values* section within the app.
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