Adding descriptions to items using the Item Builder (Classic Items)

Adding descriptions to items using the Item Builder helps you clearly explain what each item includes and how it’s used, giving your team and customers better context and improving inventory clarity.

Learn how to categorize, tag, and name your item. This step includes adding a summary description, configuring additional options, adding item details, adding email notification details, adding a more info URL, and sorting your items for display.

New to the Item Builder? You can read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Item Builder.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

• Inventory > Items > Add New Item (or Edit Item) > Description.
   

What more do I need to use this feature?

• Admin or restricted permissions to View items, products, and assets and Manage items, products, and assets.
   

Which Checkfront version supports this feature - Classic Items, Classic Products, or both?

• Your account must have access to classic items (Inventory > Items), a key feature of our Classic Items version of Checkfront. 

The Description page is the first step in creating or editing an item. Here you can configure:

• Category & tags – to group and filter items.
• Item name & SKU – for internal reporting and customer invoices.
• Summary description – the text customers see when browsing.
• Item details – extended descriptions visible when a customer clicks into an item.
• Email notification details – internal notes sent to booked customers. </strong">
• More info link – direct URL to additional content on your website.
• Sort order – control how items display in lists.

Learn more For a detailed look at adding descriptions to Products instead, check out the following article: Providing detailed descriptions for your products

Categories group inventory with shared characteristics, making it easier for:

• Customers to browse and filter items on the Customer Booking Page (Customers > Customer Booking Page or add /reserve to your account URL).
• Staff and Admins to organize inventory and run reports.

1. Click the + Create New Category button to the right of the drop-down.  
2. Enter a category name.
3. Click the blue checkmark button [✓] to save.

The new category is now available for future item setups.

• Use the drop-down to browse or search for existing categories.
• Select the desired category to apply it to your item.

Using tags to group and filter items Checkfront doesn't support sub-categories, but you can use tags to group and filter items across categories. Introduction to Inventory Tags

Tags provide another way to organize items, such as by fitness level (Easy, Moderate, Challenging) or type (Outdoor, Indoor, Family-Friendly).

You can use tags in combination with categories to group items and provide more flexible filtering.

Checkfront Labs Learn more about tags within Checkfront Labs: Trying out experimental features and providing feedback with Checkfront Labs

1.  Click the + Create New Tag button.
2.  Enter the name of your tag and save your entry with the blue checkmark [ ✓ ].
3. Alternatively, type the tag name in the search box and select Create New Tag from the drop-down menu.
4. Repeat as needed - items can have multiple tags.

New tags are visible to Staff by default New tags are visible to Staff only by default. To change tag visibility, see: Editing inventory tags from the tags manager

As with categories, you can search for and select an existing Tag to associate with the item or open the drop-down menu and select the tag from the list presented.

Learn more For a detailed look at how tags work and display on the Customer Booking Page (Customers > Customer Booking Page or add /reserve to your account URL) or Booking Widget, and managing your tags, check out the following articles: Using inventory tags on the booking pages Introduction to inventory tags

With the Item Name field, you can:

• Enter a clear, simple name that describes the product.
• This name appears in reports, customer invoices, and the booking page.
• When you enter a name, a unique SKU is generated automatically.
• To edit the SKU, click Edit, make changes, and save with [✓].

Changing the name or SKU updates past bookings Changing the name or SKU updates both future and past bookings on invoices.

The Summary is a short, customer-facing text (max 60 words) appearing in your bookable list.

For example:

"A visit to the lake isn't complete without a trip out on the water. Join us for an exhilarating two-hour boat tour of this beautiful body of water. Hang on every word of our knowledgeable guides as you feast on a delicious meal prepared by the chefs in our very own kitchen".

Formatting options (bold, italics) are available in the editor.

Formatting tips You can sometimes retain text formatting when pasting existing text into the text editor. If unwanted formatting appears when pasting text, either: Paste into a plain-text editor first, then into Checkfront. Use the HTML (<>) editor to strip or adjust formatting.

Writing SEO tour descriptions Looking for some inspiration? Read our related blog article: How to Write SEO Tour Descriptions

Click the Additional Options link below the Summary box to show additional, optional details, as described below.

• Details
• Email Notification Details
• More Info URL

Additional Details are extended descriptions only visible when customers click into the item. 

• Ideal for technical specifications, inclusions, or amenities.
• The same text formatting tips apply as below.

Formatting tips You can sometimes retain text formatting when pasting existing text into the text editor. If unwanted formatting appears when pasting text, either: Paste into a plain-text editor first, then into Checkfront. Use the HTML (<>) editor to strip or adjust formatting.

Email Notification Details are internal notes sent only to booked customers via email.

• Insert using the variable: {$BOOKING_EXTRA_DETAILS}.
• Great for private info like meeting points, door codes, or WiFi passwords.
• Not visible during booking—only after purchase.

Formatting tips You can sometimes retain text formatting when pasting existing text into the text editor. If unwanted formatting appears when pasting text, either: Paste into a plain-text editor first, then into Checkfront. Use the HTML (<>) editor to strip or adjust formatting.

Link to a webpage with more information about the item using the More info URL.

• Customers can click through directly from the booking portal.
   

Control how items appear in lists using the Sort Order field:

• Enter a sort value to prioritize display order.

• Higher numbers appear closer to the top of the category list.

• Zero or duplicate values fall back to alphabetical order.

Ascending or descending sort order By default, a higher number places the item closer to the top of the list under the selected category. Learn more about the setting that determines whether the sort order is ascending or descending here: Managing sort order settings for booking page layouts Leaving the sort order at zero, or using the same value more than once, displays those items alphabetically.

Next Steps

Once you've set up descriptions, click the Next button at the bottom right of the Item Builder screen to continue adding photos and video items.

In the next article in this series, we guide you through adding media to your items. 

< Introduction to items and the Item Builder     |     Adding photos and video to items using the item builder >