Categories group products for filtering, reporting, and pricing rules. They support a two-level hierarchy (parent and child).
Go to Inventory > Categories.
To add a category: Click "+ New Category". Enter the name and (optional) parent category, then click "Create Category". Top-level categories become section headings and child categories nest underneath.
To edit or delete: Click "Edit" next to any category. Save to keep, or click "Delete" to remove. You cannot delete a category that has products assigned to it - reassign those products first.
Categories drive several other features
- The category dropdown on the product form
- The Sales by Category per Salesperson report
- Filtering on the products list and physical-count sort
- Whether the category's products are labor (see below)
Mark a category as labor: when you add or edit a category, check "Items in this category are labor". Every product in that category then posts as a labor line, not a product line, on invoices, estimates, and work orders. That is what applies your labor tax rules and puts the amount on the labor side of your reports. Subcategories inherit the setting from their parent, so checking it on a parent category covers everything under it. The category can be named anything; the checkbox is what counts, not the name.
Pick categories that match how you actually merchandise (e.g. Subwoofers, Amplifiers, Head Units, Wiring), not generic tax categories.
Each category shows a product count. Click that count to open the products list filtered to the category, showing every product in it including inactive ones. On the products list, the Active / Inactive / All filter lets you narrow by status.