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Writing better extraction prompts

Learn how to write extraction prompts that improve attribute accuracy, normalization and structured product data quality in AI Workflows.

Attribute Extraction prompts help AI identify and fill structured product data automatically.

Well written extraction prompts improve:

  • attribute accuracy

  • catalog consistency

  • filter quality

  • marketplace readiness

  • moderation efficiency

Poor prompts often create:

  • incorrect attributes

  • inconsistent values

  • hallucinated data

  • unreliable extraction

This article explains how to create stronger extraction prompts for AI Workflows.

What extraction prompts do

Extraction prompts instruct the AI to:

  • identify specific attributes

  • extract values from product content

  • normalize results

  • avoid unsupported assumptions

Extraction workflows are commonly used for:

  • supplier catalog enrichment

  • missing attribute generation

  • layered navigation improvements

  • marketplace preparation

  • structured ecommerce data

Recommended extraction prompt structure

Strong extraction prompts usually contain:

  • Role

  • Input data

  • Attributes to extract

  • Rules

  • Output requirements

Example extraction structure

Role

You are a highly precise product attribute extraction engine.

Input data

Product Name: {{name}}

EAN: {{ean}}

Description: {{description}}

Attributes to extract

  • Flavor

  • Lifecycle

Rules

  • Only extract explicitly mentioned values

  • Do not guess missing information

  • Normalize values into consistent terminology

  • Return empty values when information is missing

Output

Return extracted values only.

This structure creates much more reliable extraction behavior.

Use dynamic variables

Extraction templates should use dynamic product variables whenever possible.

Examples:

  • {{name}}

  • {{sku}}

  • {{ean}}

  • {{description}}

This allows the workflow to automatically adapt prompts for every product.

Be specific about attributes

Weak prompt:

Extract product information.

Better prompt:

Extract the following attributes:

  • Flavor

  • Lifecycle

  • Material

  • Dimensions

Specific prompts improve extraction reliability significantly.

Add normalization rules

Normalization rules improve consistency across large catalogs.

Example:

  • “rundvlees” → “Rund”

  • “volwassen” → “Adult”

  • “krokante brokken” → “Droogvoer”

Normalization helps improve:

  • filters

  • layered navigation

  • SEO consistency

  • marketplace structure

Prevent hallucinations

Extraction prompts should clearly define strict behavior.

Examples:

  • Do not guess missing values

  • Only use explicitly mentioned information

  • Return empty values if data is unavailable

  • Do not invent attributes

Strict prompts reduce incorrect AI output.

Use category specific prompts

Different product categories require different extraction logic.

Examples:

Fashion

  • Material

  • Fit

  • Sleeve length

Electronics

  • Voltage

  • Connectivity

  • Compatibility

Pet food

  • Flavor

  • Lifecycle

  • Dietary type

Category focused prompts improve extraction quality significantly.

Use external context carefully

Some extraction workflows may use:

  • competitor websites

  • supplier sources

  • public product pages

Example:

Search official product pages before using fallback descriptions.

This can improve extraction quality when supplier data is incomplete.

Example advanced extraction prompt

Example:

You are a highly precise Data Extraction Engine specialized in Dutch Pet Care products.

Product Name: {{name}}

SKU: {{sku}}

EAN: {{ean}}

Description: {{description}}

Extract:

  • smaak

  • levensfase

Rules:

  • Only extract explicitly mentioned values

  • Do not guess missing information

  • Normalize values consistently

  • Return empty values if information is unavailable

Normalization:

  • “rundvlees” → “Rund”

  • “volwassen” → “Adult”

Language:

Return all values in Dutch.

This creates a much more controlled extraction workflow.

Test extraction prompts carefully

Before running extraction workflows on large catalogs:

  • test prompts on sample products

  • inspect extracted values

  • review confidence scores

  • validate normalization behavior

  • inspect AI reasoning

Testing is strongly recommended before large scale execution.

Common extraction prompt mistakes

Overly broad prompts

Weak prompts often create:

  • inconsistent values

  • unsupported assumptions

  • irrelevant output

Missing normalization logic

Without normalization, catalogs may contain inconsistent values.

Example:

  • Rundvlees

  • Rund

  • Beef

  • Rund vlees

Normalization prevents this.

Too many attributes in one workflow

Large extraction prompts can reduce reliability.

Instead:

  • split workflows by category

  • focus on related attributes

  • create specialized extraction logic

Best practices

  • Use clear attribute lists

  • Add normalization rules

  • Avoid guessing behavior

  • Test prompts before scaling

  • Use category specific workflows

  • Improve prompts continuously

Example workflow

Example:

Trigger selects pet food products missing attributes.

Attribute Extraction extracts:

  • Flavor

  • Lifecycle

Content Enrichment generates:

  • Shopping descriptions

  • SEO titles

Translation localizes content into German.

Moderation reviews output before synchronization.

This creates a structured enrichment pipeline using extraction prompts.

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