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Catalog and products

The shop catalog is the structure of categories and products. It helps the buyer understand what the shop sells, quickly find the needed product, and move to purchase.

A category groups similar products. For example, Clothing, Tableware, Gifts, or Cosmetics. A subcategory makes the structure more precise: inside Clothing, there may be T-shirts, Dresses, and Accessories.

A product is a separate card with a name, description, price, images, stock, and other details. The buyer opens this product card on the storefront when they want to see details.

Category fields help collect the same characteristics for products in one category. For example, clothing may need material, while tableware may need volume and country of origin.

Product choice variants help the buyer choose a size, color, packaging, or another option before adding a product to the cart. A category template speeds up setup for future products, while the public storefront uses the options saved on the specific product.

For the first catalog setup, this order is usually convenient:

  1. create the main categories;
  2. add subcategories if the catalog becomes large;
  3. configure category fields if products need the same characteristics;
  4. configure choice variant templates if products need size, color, or packaging choices;
  5. create products;
  6. fill in images, price, discount, stock, SKU, and product choice variants;
  7. publish categories and products;
  8. open the storefront and check the result as a buyer.

If you are only launching your first shop, first open First shop launch, then return to this section.

What matters for shop launch​

In the shop launch checklist, the catalog is responsible for three steps at once:

  1. Create and publish a category. A category helps the buyer navigate the shop. If the category remains a draft or is archived, a product inside it may not appear on the storefront.
  2. Add the first product. At the start, one clear card is enough: category, name, price, description, stock, and an image if it helps the buyer make a decision.
  3. Prepare the product for sale. The product must be published, belong to a published category, and be available for ordering by stock or as an Available to order product.

You do not need to move the entire assortment on the first day. It is better to prepare one product so the buyer understands the offer and can place an order without extra questions.

What is included in this section​

Read the pages in this order:

  1. Product categories - how to create the catalog structure and manage category statuses.
  2. Category fields and characteristics - why category fields are needed and how they appear in a product.
  3. Product choice variants - how to configure sizes, colors, packaging, and avoid confusing a category template with a specific product setting.
  4. Creating and editing a product - how to fill in a regular product card.
  5. Product publication - how draft, published product, and archive work.
  6. Images, prices, and stock - how to check photos, price, discount, stock, and SKU.
  7. How to check a product on the storefront - a checklist when a product should be visible to buyers.

What is not included in this section​

This section does not cover in detail:

  1. buyer order placement;
  2. seller order processing;
  3. delivery and payment setup;
  4. detailed buyer instructions for cart and checkout;
  5. future catalog capabilities that are not available in the current version yet.

Storefront work is described in Shop and storefront. Orders are described in Seller orders, and payment and delivery terms are described in Payment and delivery.

Main rule​

Do not publish a product only so it appears in the list. First check the category, required fields, choice variants, images, price, stock, and how the product looks on the public storefront.