The attribute framework is great for enriching product data and enhancing product discoverability. It would be great if the use of them could be expanded to two areas;

Assortments - A scenario that often comes up is that certain products are often restricted for sale in certain markets based on their attributes. For example certain materials are restricted for sale in Canada due to flammability or some countries prohibit the import of goods made from animal furs. The use of attributes on assortments would help in restricting product assortment to specific channels based on their attributes.

Promotions - A scenario raised by customers in this area is around attribution such as, the product is including in the summer sale, or the item is a preview item. Being able to control promotion exclusions based on product attribute values would greatly expand our capabilities to control promotional activities at a level other than category. Currently anything we do has to be using a supplemental hierarchy - which is not entirely what they are designed for and results in a lot of maintenance overhead.