Manage Product Categories
Create, edit, sort, activate, and delete product categories.
Categories give every product one primary group. Use them for broad product or service families.
Categories should help people browse and report on the catalog. If a category only describes one temporary campaign, use a tag instead.
Plan categories before a large catalog import or storefront launch. Categories affect filtering, browsing, reporting, and team cleanup.
Keep categories broad and stable. Use tags for finer segmentation that changes more often.
Create a Category
- Open Products > Categories.
- Select New category.
- Enter the Name.
- Add an optional Icon.
- Set the Sort order.
- Choose Active or Inactive.
- Add a Description if the category needs context.
- Select Create category.
Use customer-readable names when categories appear in public commerce flows. Use internal descriptions to explain what belongs in the category and what should be tagged instead.
Plan Category Families
Start with broad families such as Services, Products, Subscriptions, Add-ons, or Training. If a group is temporary, seasonal, or campaign-specific, use a tag instead of a category.
Sort Order
Sort order controls the category position where sorted category lists are used. Lower numbers should appear earlier. Use gaps, such as 10, 20, and 30, so you can insert new categories later without renumbering everything.
Use consistent numbering across categories so new categories can be added without changing every existing sort value.
Active and Inactive Categories
Use Inactive when a category should stop being used but you still want to preserve existing product organization. Review products assigned to a category before deactivating or deleting it.
Inactive categories should not be used for new products. Move active products to a current category before retiring an old one.
Before making a category inactive, filter the product catalog by that category and review any storefronts or checkout links that rely on the affected products.
Delete Categories
Use deletion only for test categories or duplicates. If products already use the category, update those products first so catalog filters and reports remain clean.
After deleting or deactivating a category, review storefronts, checkout links, and reports that might have used it as a filter.
If the category was part of a public storefront, open the public page after the change. Confirm customers still see the intended products and that empty category filters are not exposed.
After Category Cleanup
Reopen catalog views, storefronts, checkout links, and finance documents that use the affected products. Category cleanup should not make public buying pages look empty or confusing.
Troubleshooting
If products appear in the wrong category, update the product records and review any storefront or checkout filters that depend on category.
If the category list becomes too long, merge narrow categories into broader families and use tags for details.
Category Review Checklist
Before a catalog import or storefront launch:
- Confirm category names are customer-safe when public.
- Check active products have the right category.
- Move retired products out of active selling categories.
- Review storefronts and checkout links that depend on category selection.
- Keep a short list of broad category families.
Storefront Category Check
After category changes, open the public storefront or checkout flow as a customer. Confirm category filters show the right products, hidden categories do not appear, and sold services still route to the correct checkout.
If a live storefront looks empty after cleanup, restore the category mapping or move products into the intended public category before sharing the link again.