---
title: "Products and categories"
description: "Add products with pictures and options such as size, and organise them into categories."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: http://localhost:4321/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Products and categories

> **Administrators only**
>
> This part of the portal is only visible to people with the **Administrator** role. If you can't see it in your menu, ask an administrator. See [Roles and permissions](/reference/roles-and-permissions).

A product always belongs to a **category**, so create at least one category first.

## Categories

Under **Merchandise > Categories**, choose **New category**.

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| **Name** | For example "Clothing". Customers see it in the shop. |
| **Description** (optional) | A line shown under the name. Plain text, up to 500 characters. |

- **Drag** categories by their handle (⋮⋮) to change the order they appear in. It saves as soon as you drop.
- A category's **Products** button opens the products list filtered to it.
- **A category that still has products can't be deleted.** Move or delete its products first.

## Products

Under **Merchandise > Products**, choose **New product**. The list can be filtered by category.

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| **Category** | Required. |
| **Name** | What customers see. |
| **SKU / reference** | Your own stock code, such as `HOOD-BLK`. Shown to you when you pack the order. |
| **Price per unit** | In your system currency. |
| **Description** | Supports formatting. Up to 5,000 characters. |
| **Options** | See below. |
| **Pictures** | Up to 10, PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG, up to 2 MB each. |
| **Enabled** | Untick to take it off sale. |

### Options

An **option** is a choice the customer makes before buying, such as *Size* (S, M, L, XL) or *Length*. Add up to **5 options**. For each, enter the name and the choices separated by commas, for example `S, M, L, XL`.

The customer **must pick one choice for every option**. Their picks are copied onto the order line, so you see them in [Fulfilment](/merchandise/fulfilment) when you pack.

### Pictures

- Choose one or more files. They upload when you save the product.
- The **first** picture is the main one, shown in the shop's lists. Use **Make main** on another to change it.
- **Remove** deletes a picture immediately.

## Editing and deleting

> **Past orders are safe**
>
> Changes to a product only affect orders placed from now on. Every order keeps its own copy of the name, SKU, options and price it was bought at, so editing or deleting a product never changes history.

- **Disable** takes a product off sale without deleting it.
- **Delete** also deletes its pictures. It can't be undone.
- If you change your system currency under [Account settings](/setup/account-settings), prices aren't converted. Check your products afterwards.

## Discounts

Voucher codes with **Allow for merchandise** switched on can be used in the shop. See [Vouchers](/selling/vouchers).

Source: http://localhost:4321/merchandise/products/index.mdx