Marketing categories
The item category catalogue. A category is a cross-cutting label for analytics: "Drinks", "Kitchen", "Tobacco", "Promo". It affects neither price nor stock — only how items are grouped in reports.
If you are looking for how to add a product category, this is it. In the menu the section is called "Marketing categories".
How to open
Go to: Sidebar > Guides > Marketing > Marketing categories
Route: /warehouse/guides/s_items_category
Quick actions:
Category vs item group
These are often confused, and they are different things.
| Item group | Marketing category | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | The item tree: an item sits inside a group | A separate catalogue, assigned to an item as a field |
| How many per item | One — the folder it sits in | One, independent of its place in the tree |
| What it is for | Catalogue structure, inherited settings | Analytics and sales reports |
| Example | "Warehouse → Bar → Beer" | "Alcohol" |
Items from different groups can share one category — that is exactly why categories exist. Beer in the bar and beer in the shop sit in different branches of the tree, but land in the same row of a report grouped by the "Alcohol" category.
Creating a category
- Open Guides > Marketing > Marketing categories.
- Press Create.
- Fill in Name — the only required field.
- Save.
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The category name. Shown in reports and on the item card. Required |
| Code | Internal number assigned by the system. Read-only |
| External ID | Identifier for exchange with external systems (1C, marketplaces). Filled in during integration |
Assigning a category to items
One item: open the item card and pick a value in the Category field.
Many at once: select items in the item list and use bulk editing — it has a Category field. This is the practical way to classify an existing catalogue without opening every card.
Where categories show up
- Sales analysis — the Category filter and grouping by category.
- Item list — catalogue filtering.
- Temporary prices and promotions — the item set can be defined by category instead of item by item.
- Advisor — the "Items without a category" rule flags an incompletely classified catalogue.
Common problems
No Category field on the item card. Items have the Category field; groups do not. Make sure you opened an item card, not a folder.
Reports show nothing by category. Categories are assigned manually — a new item does not get one on its own. Check the Advisor rule "Items without a category": without categories, sales reports and item-group analytics are incomplete.
I deleted a category — what happened to the items. The items stay; they simply lose the value in the Category field. In reports they move to the "no category" row.
FAQ
Can an item have several categories?
No, one category per item. For richer classification combine item groups with the category.
Does a category affect price, discount or stock?
No. Categories are about reporting only. Prices come from the item card and price types, discounts from the discount catalogue.
Are categories mandatory?
No, the system works without them. But without categories, sales reports lose their most useful breakdown — by line of business.