Storefront Sub-Categories - Customer Navigation + SEO Benefit for Zazzle or Google? (semi-advanced)

[tracytrends]

I've only used 1 category level and I've begun exploring whether I want take time to set up Sub-Categories where a storefront could have a structure like:
Animals
- Cats
- Dogs
Wedding
- Floral Wedding
- Rustic Wedding

1) SEO for Zaz and/or Google:
I'm trying to see if sub-categories creates internal linking on Zazzle (making like a silo or grouping impact) and if anyone thinks sub-categories have any impact on ranking inside Zazzle and/or ranking on Google?
-  In my second wedding structure, my question is whether the Category of Wedding would get more "link juice" and thus Sub-Categories could help with our Google ranking (and maybe Zazzle too). I tried testing a sub-category "set" and looking at the Category and Sub-Categories URLs source code, and I wasn't seeing any cross linking, but thought I would ask here since I know we've got some great techy SEO people in here 🙂
- I also tried to check about the Category and Sub-Category Titles and I don't see them in the URL or used in the Meta Data for the URL Titles, so we aren't able to impact that for Google. 😞 
- Do you think Sub-categories have any impact on SEO on either Zazzle or Google?

2) Customer point of view (assuming they make it to our stores):
- It looks like we only get Category Thumbnails and not Sub-Category Thumbnails, and the customer has to use a little dropdown to choose Sub-Categories inside the Category. There's no image to draw attention on how to filter further.
- This made me think that perhaps it's best not to use sub-categories. Also, it looks like once the customer is in the main category, that they see all the sub-category items anyway (I didn't actually count though).
- If you use sub-categories, what benefits do you see? Why do you use them?

*At the moment, I'm not seeing a benefit to take time to create sub-categories. Am I missing something?
Looking for ideas / best practices - Thank you 🙂

[Jadendreamer13]

Both main categories and subcategories need to have a thumbnail image to show up on your store.

[tracytrends]

Ah - Thanks I see I missed the image option for sub-categories and that would definitely help with customer navigation.
Sub-categories are definitely showing in my store with no image, but only showed as a drop-down choice:

[Connie]

For me, the benefit of having sub-categories is being able to find all the products with each design easily. I have all my wedding invitation suites, for example, sorted into broad subcategories such as beach, floral, etc, and then further subcategories inside those for each individual design. I don't want to have to scroll through 1000 wedding products to find my sand dollar invitation ,and see if I have matching products for it! (and search doesn't work for all products).

[TAngelone]

I just have a quick question regarding your post. In terms of categories. How many main categories and how many subcategories should a Zazzle store have ideally? How many levels of categories and subcategories should a shopkeeper create? Which categories does one mark as VISIBLE for customers to see and click on versus NOT VISIBLE? I have searched exhaustively and have not found an answer to this question. The Zazzle HELP article regarding store categories is too vague and does NOT cover this. Again just so we are clear I was wondering how many categories and subcategories should a Zazzle store have. How many of said categories and subcategories should be made visible versus NOT visible. Thanks in advance. 

[ColsCreations]

There are no definitive answers to your questions, it's all very subjective. Cats & sub-cats are optional, there is no ideal number a shop should have. Create them (or not) according to your own needs and preferences.