Category Search

Introduction

The Category Search endpoint enables you to explore and discover available product categories within a retailer's hierarchical taxonomy structure. Product categories allow retailers to create a hierarchical structure that helps narrow down products into unique groups or subgroups based on shared characteristics.

This endpoint provides the ability to see what categories are available to serve against a retailer's inventory, making it an essential tool for understanding targeting options and campaign planning. Unlike recommendation endpoints, Category Search allows you to actively explore the retailer's category structure through flexible search parameters.

You can search for categories using category IDs to find specific categories and their relationships, or use text substring matching to discover categories by name. The endpoint supports pagination for large result sets, making it easy to browse through extensive category hierarchies efficiently.

This functionality is particularly valuable for campaign setup, category discovery, and understanding the breadth of targeting options available within a retailer's ecosystem.

Endpoint

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	`/retailers/{retailerId}/categories/search`	Searches for available categories within a retailer's taxonomy

Attributes table

Attribute	Data Type	Description
`retailerId` *	`string`	Unique identifier for the retailer. Found using the `GET` retailer's endpoint. Required in URL path. Writable? N / Nullable? N
`categoryIds`	`array`	Array of category ID strings for search filtering. Must be positive integer strings. Writable? Y / Nullable? Y
`textSubstring`	`string`	Text string to search for in category names. Used for category name filtering. Writable? Y / Nullable? Y
`offset`	`integer`	Pagination offset for search results. Default: `0`. Query parameter. Writable? Y / Nullable? Y
`limit`	`integer`	Maximum number of results to return. Default: `500`. Query parameter. Writable? Y / Nullable? Y

*Required

Search Categories

This endpoint enables searching for available categories within a retailer's hierarchical taxonomy structure. You can search by category IDs or text substring, with pagination support for large result sets.

Results are paginated using offset and limit query parameters; if omitted, defaults to 0 and 500, respectively.

https://api.criteo.com/{version}/retail-media/retailers/{retailerId}/categories/search?offset=0&limit=50

Sample Request

curl -L -X POST 'https://api.criteo.com/{version}/retail-media/retailers/12345/categories/search?offset=0&limit=50' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <MY_ACCESS_TOKEN>' \
  -d '{
          "data": {
            "attributes": {
              "categoryIds": [
                "520020"
              ],
              "textSubstring": "headphones"
            },
            "type": "CategoriesSearchRequestV1"
          }
      }'

Sample Response

{
    "metadata": {
        "count": 2,
        "offset": 0,
        "limit": 50
    },
    "data": [
        {
            "id": "673311",
            "type": "CategoryV1",
            "attributes": {
                "text": "Electronics|Audio|Headphones|Wireless",
                "name": "Wireless Headphones",
                "parentId": "683708"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "4830673",
            "type": "CategoryV1",
            "attributes": {
                "text": "Electronics|Audio|Headphones",
                "name": "Headphones",
                "parentId": "683706"
            }
        }
    ],
    "warnings": [],
    "errors": []
}

Responses

Code	Meaning	Troubleshooting Hint
🟢 200	Success	Request processed successfully with pagination metadata
🔴 400	Bad Request	Check that `categoryIds` are positive integer strings and `retailerId` is valid in URL path
🔴 403	Forbidden	Verify authorization and retailer access permissions

Common Error Scenarios

Invalid Category ID Format

{
    "metadata": null,
    "data": null,
    "warnings": [],
    "errors": [
        {
            "type": "validation",
            "code": "InvalidCategoryId",
            "title": "Validation error",
            "detail": "Category ids can only be positive integer strings."
        }
    ]
}

Invalid Retailer ID

{
    "warnings": [],
    "errors": [
        {
            "traceId": "954eab48899860c9b18880eb0018fd3f",
            "type": "validation",
            "code": "model-validation-error",
            "title": "Model validation error",
            "detail": "The value ':retailerId' is not valid."
        }
    ]
}