Creating a new Inventory Category

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.

Which plans include this feature?

Legacy:  Soho, Pro, Plus, Enterprise, Flex
New:  Growth (Subscription), Growth (Online Booking Fee), Managed
→ Learn more about our new plans or how to change your plan.

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, new or both?

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

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

Uploading a category image

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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.

To do this, click + Add Photo and select the image from your computer.

Once loaded, the image is displayed with the Category modal.

Above is an example of how your category images might look when displayed in the Customer-facing booking portal.

Cropping a category image

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

Using your mouse cursor, click and drag out the area on the photo you want to use for the final image.

Once you have dragged out a box, you can click and hold it with your mouse cursor to further reposition the area, if required.

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

Describing a category

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Next, enter a Description for the category displayed to the Customer within the booking portal.

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

Category weight determines the order in which the categories are displayed in your booking portal.

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, they are sorted into alphabetical order while maintaining the position among the weights of the other categories.

By default, a new category defaults to Active when created. Optionally, mark the category as Archived or Hidden from the Customer on the Booking page.

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

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 one of the user-configurable fields.

The ID of your first category is 1. Your second is 2, and so on.  

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