New app categorization system in Marketplace

An efficient categorization system plays a vital role in decision-making and thereby drives businesses to achieve their goals. Atlassian Marketplace has addressed this prime concern by revamping its existing categorization which stands to be vague with 37 disoriented categories. The newly proposed categorization system is built on the analysis of industry standards, user needs, trends, and traffic indicators. It aims to provide better opportunities for app screening, enhanced discoverability, and frictionless navigation.

What will the change look like?

The Atlassian Marketplace will feature 10 categories, which will be exhaustive enough to cover all existing categories while being inclusive at the same time. Each app can be mapped to up to two categories that best describe the main functionality of the app. This will help people to search for and discover apps with ease that match their specific needs. It will also place the apps in the right space so that they appear when users browse the Atlassian Marketplace or filter search results.

Along with categories, we are also introducing a new concept of ‘keywords’ to showcase use cases supported by an app. A comprehensive list of more than 60+ keywords is provided for easy navigation for customers and to ensure clarity and consistency without any duplication. Each app can be mapped to up to four keywords that are relevant to the core functionality of the app, its capabilities, and the use cases it supports. Below is the new list of categories and suggested keywords that can be mapped to the respective category, which has been added for reference. Partners are free to choose any category or keyword that best suits their app and its capabilities.

New list of categories along with suggested keyword mapping

Category Name	Description	Suggested keywords that can be mapped to the category
Project management	Apps for streamlining, managing, and tracking different phases of projects. The scope of the category will include functions like task tracking, scheduling, resource allocation, and timeline management tools.	Agile methodology, Release management, Resource management, Risk management, Road-mapping, Gantt Charts, Checklist, Calendar management, Dependency management, Forecasting, Requirements management, Workflow.
Software development	Apps for conceiving, developing, estimating, maintaining, and testing different software applications. The scope of the category will include functions like version control, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), bug tracking, and code review features.	Agile Methodology, Branch management, Build management, Code collaboration, CI/CD, Pull requests, Testing & QA.
Sales and customer relations	Apps for streamlining sales, managing, and enhancing customer relations. The scope of the category will include functions like CRM, customer support ticketing systems, sales automation, and customer feedback or survey.	CRM, Feedback and surveys, Custom directory, Knowledge base, Language packs.
Design and diagramming	Apps used as designing tools to curate and visualize projects in the form of art, graphics, and digital design. The scope of the category will include functions like prototyping, graphic design, infographics curation, and diagramming.	Graphics & illustration, Flowcharts, Infographics, UML diagramming, Wireframing, Themes & styles, Whiteboard.
Security and compliance	Apps for preventing and monitoring security vulnerabilities and to align with compliance requirements. The scope of the category will include functions like data encryption, privacy management, auditing tools, compliance management, and user provisioning.	Compliance, Encryption, Privacy management, Audit, User permissions.
IT support and service	Apps to moderate helpdesk operations and improve service management. The scope of the category will include functions like incident control, form configuration, and IT service desk management.	Asset management, Incident management, IT support, SLA management, User permissions, Monitoring.
Data and analytics	Apps that support data management including consolidation, process, analysis and report creation. The scope of the category will include functions like data visualisation, business intelligence platforms, reporting systems, and statistical analysis.	Analytics, Data management, Data visualisation, Reporting, Charts/Graphs.
HR and team building	Apps to onboard, motivate employee engagement, and team building. The scope of the category will include functions like employee onboarding tools, learning and training platforms, performance tracking systems, and team building or gamification.	Gamification, Learning and training, Time tracking.
Content and communication	Apps to curate, collaborate, communicate with content, or market your strategies using different communication channels. The scope of the category will include functions like documentation, email platforms, chat tools, and campaign creation.	Chat, Document management, Export/Import, Knowledge base, Language packs, Localization, Email, Video conference.
Administrative tools	Apps to let Atlassian admins manage and configure apps for Atlassian products to meet their organization needs. The scope of the category will include functions like system integration, configuration management platforms, user permission management, and tools for optimizing app utilization.	Automation, Custom fields, Dashboard gadgets, Time tracking, Migration, Notifications.

Partners can tag their app to two categories and four keywords thus clearly defining the purpose the app serves and the user needs it addresses. The limited number of categories will make it easier for customers to navigate, while the higher number of keywords will provide flexibility in refining their selection based on their needs and requirements. For example, an app can be categorized as project management and have additional keywords such as issue tracking, dashboard gadgets, and data visualization to describe the use cases and capabilities of the app.

Unlike the current experience, where a user is solely directed to a filtered page of search results upon clicking on a specific category, the new experience will offer navigation to dedicated pages for each category and filters to enhance the search experience. These category-specific pages will provide additional context about the category and the use cases supported within its scope.

How will you provide the information for your apps?

Partners can start updating their app details to align with the new categorization system from December 20, 2023. They can update the existing categories of their apps and even use the new categorization system when they publish a new app. The existing categories will be visible as Current categories and the new list of categories and keywords will appear with ‘new’ label as - Categories NEW ,and Keywords NEW.

There are two options to update the details - either using a PATCH API or directly through the App Details page.

If you are opting to fill out via API, here’s the API documentation that will help you fetch the tags to update the categories.

If you wish to edit the categories for apps through the App Details page, please find the detailed steps below:

Log in to Atlassian Marketplace with your partner account.
Select Manage partner account from the profile menu in the upper right.
Select your app's name from the list.
Select Details to see the information you had filled up for the specific app
You will see the pre-filled categories or existing categories as Current categories and the new list of categories and keywords will appear with a ‘new’ label as - CategoriesNEW and KeywordsNEW. For each app, you can select two category and four keywords that align with the core functionality of the app and its supported use cases.
Once you have filled in the responses, you can select Save at the bottom of the page to confirm the changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I start editing my existing categories? You can start updating the categories of your apps and keywords from December 20, 2023.

What should I do if my app belongs to more than two categories and more than four keywords? We would urge you to select the two categories that align the most with the core functionality of the app. The keywords should match to the main capabilities of the app and its top use cases.

What should I do if I don’t see one of the top use cases of my app in the given list of keywords? You can raise a request by submitting the required details through this form.

What will happen to my app if I don’t update the existing categories with the new categorization system? Your app will be marked as uncategorized post customer launch. Please select the appropriate category from the given list to help users better discover your app.

Will we be able to edit the categories again once we save and submit the form? Yes, if you feel that you have mapped your app with a wrong category or keyword, please feel free to edit the form again.

What will happen to the existing categories that are live on the Atlassian Marketplace? We will be deprecating the existing categories. The current categories will be gradually phased out and replaced with new ones.

What is the timeline for this change?

December 20, 2023 - Partners can start updating their apps with new categories and keywords
Dec 2023 - April 2024 - Change management period during which partners can update the categorization of their apps
April 2024 - New categorization system will go live and will be visible to a specific cohort for a short period of time until the final rollout.