Skip to main content

Creating a new Inventory Category

Find out how to create a new inventory category to help organize your products/items and improve your catalog structure.

Learn how to create a new product/item category, including naming the category, uploading an image, cropping an image, describing a category, and setting the display weight and status. 

New to categories? Read the first article in this series for an introduction to Inventory Categories.

 

Accessing the features mentioned in this article


Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

  • Inventory > Categories > + New Category
     

What more do I need to use this feature?

  • Admin permissions to manage inventory 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?

  • This feature is available in both our classic version using classic items (Inventory > Items) and our classic version using classic products (Inventory > Products).  → Learn more about products

 

Initiating new category creation

Back to top

Categories page with the new category button highlighted for adding a new category.

To start adding a new category, click the + New Category button on the Categories list page. Clicking the button opens the Category modal.

 

Specifying a category name

Back to top

New category form with fields for name, image, description, weight, and status before creating the category.

Enter a unique Category Name in the field provided for your product/item category from the Category modal.

 

Uploading a category image

Back to top

Booking page preview showing categories with images for activities, tours, and accommodations.

Are you using the Grid category layout for your booking page? You can choose an image from your computer to display when a Customer views your booking portal.

  1. Click the  + Add Photo option.
  2. Select the image from your computer.
  3. Once loaded, the system displays the image with the Category modal.

The image above shows how your category images might appear in the Customer-facing booking portal.

 

Cropping a category image

Back to top

Edit category form for tours showing an uploaded image, description, and weight value.

Would you like to crop your image? Then, click on the Crop Photo button.

  1. Using your mouse cursor, click and drag out the area on the photo you want to use for the final image.
  2. Once you have dragged out a box, you can click and hold it with your mouse cursor to further reposition the area, if required.

You can see the changes you make reflected in the thumbnail preview directly below the main image you are working on. 

 

Describing a category

Back to top

Booking page preview with the tours category updated to display description text and a see listings button.

You can enter a Description for the category in the field provided. This description displays to the Customer within the booking portal.

Using the Grid layout, for example, the system displays the category when a Customer hovers their mouse over the category image, as shown in the image above.

 

Determining the display weight of a category

Back to top

Edit category form for accommodations with the weight field highlighted to control display order.

Category weight determines the order in which the categories you choose to display in your booking portal.

 

Booking page preview showing categories for accommodations, tours, activities, and merchandise.

A higher number places the category closer to the front of the list on the booking page. Each category must have its unique weight.

In a scenario where multiple categories share the same weight, the system sorts them alphabetically while preserving their relative positions to other categories' weights.

 

Establishing the status of a category

Back to top

A new category is Active by default when created. Optionally, mark the category as Archived or Hidden from the Customer on the Booking page.

 

Callout icon of pencil indicating an important note.

Active category display

Active categories display on the Customer Booking Page once they have products/items attached.

 

Creating your category

Back to top

Once you are happy with your category details, click the Create button to complete the process.

  • The ID for the new category is system-generated, not a user-configurable field.
  • The ID of your first category is 1. Your second is 2, and so on.  

 

Next Steps

In the following article, we walk through editing and archiving inventory categories.

 

< Working with your inventory category list     |      Editing and archiving inventory categories >

 

 

Related to