Facets are like virtual categories that are populated by the results of search queries. Facets are implemented as search refinements, which are used to narrow search results by searching within those results for only the items that fulfill a certain constraint. For example, a search might return men’s shirts, and then the customer might select a facet value that narrows the results to men’s shirts that are made of cotton.

Facets dynamically group assets by a property value of a product or SKU, such as color or size. The property is referred to as a faceting property. A faceting property groups products by the values stored in that property. For example, a facet based on a Color property allows shoppers to see products that match a specific color. When you create a facet, you must select a faceting property before you can specify other options.

Nested facets organize selections in a tiered hierarchy, while independent facets organize selections in two separate groupings at the same level. For example, sites that sell shoes usually create a Size facet and a Width facet. These facets can be presented at the same level so that shoppers can choose width and size independently of each other, or the width facet can be nested in the size facet so that shoppers first select size and then select width. For information about creating nested facets, see Creating Child Facets.