Categories
Organize your products into logical groups for easier navigation, filtering, and reporting.
What are categories?
Categories are labels you assign to products to group them together. Well-organized categories make it easier to find products, track inventory by type, and generate meaningful reports.
Categories help you:
Find products faster
Filter product lists by category to quickly locate what you need
Track by type
See stock levels and value broken down by category
Stay organized
Keep your product catalog structured and easy to manage
Bulk operations
Apply changes to all products in a category at once
Example categories
The categories you create depend on your business. Here are some examples for different types of businesses:
Coffee Shop
- Coffee Beans
- Dairy & Alternatives
- Syrups & Flavorings
- Pastries
- Cups & Lids
- Cleaning Supplies
Restaurant
- Proteins
- Produce
- Dairy
- Dry Goods
- Beverages
- Disposables
- Cleaning
Retail Store
- Apparel
- Accessories
- Home Goods
- Electronics
- Seasonal
- Clearance
Start simple
Begin with broad categories and add more specific ones as needed. It's easier to split a category later than to merge multiple categories.
Creating categories
Steps to create a category
Category fields
Name
RequiredThe category name displayed in lists and filters. Keep it short and descriptive.
Description
Optional notes about what products belong in this category.
Color
Optional color for visual identification in the interface.
Auto-create during import
When importing products from a spreadsheet, new categories can be created automatically for any category names that don't already exist.
How it works:
- Your spreadsheet includes a Category column with category names
- During import, enable "Auto-create categories" option
- New categories are created for any values not matching existing categories
- Products are automatically assigned to their categories
Managing categories
Edit
Change the name, description, or color of a category. Products stay assigned.
Delete
Remove a category. Products become uncategorized but are not deleted.
View Products
See all products in a category by filtering the products list.
Deleting categories
When you delete a category, products in that category become uncategorized. Consider reassigning products to a different category before deleting.
Using categories
Filtering products
On the Products page, use the category filter to show only products in a specific category. This is helpful when you have many products and need to focus on one type.
Reports by category
Many reports can be grouped or filtered by category. See inventory value, stock levels, or movement trends broken down by product category.
Assigning categories to products
Set a product's category when creating or editing the product. Select from your existing categories in the dropdown.
Best practices
Keep categories broad
Don't over-categorize. 5-15 categories is usually enough for most businesses.
Use consistent naming
Choose a naming style (singular vs plural, abbreviations) and stick with it.
Categorize all products
Uncategorized products are harder to find and don't appear in category reports.
Review periodically
As your product mix changes, add new categories or merge unused ones.