Categories are a convenient way to organize products in both Retail POS (R-Series) and eCom (E-Series). Your Retail POS categories are automatically synced to your eCom (E-Series) dashboard, where they can be further customized for your online store. If you prefer, you can also create online-only categories, or use a combination of the two.
Categories that are automatically synced from Retail POS to eCom (E-Series) are automatically disabled until they are manually enabled in eCom (E-Series).
If you're not using categories in Retail POS, your synced products will automatically appear in eCom’s default category Store front page. This default category automatically lists your products on your online store’s front page.
Using Retail POS categories in eCom (E-Series)
The product category sync is one-directional (from Retail POS to eCom) and happens automatically. Your categories are synced in the same order from Retail POS to your eCom (E-Series) dashboard.
For example, if you have the categories “Jackets”, “Pants”, and “Shoes” listed in Retail POS, those categories will appear in your eCom (E-Series) dashboard and your online store in that same order.
In your eCom (E-Series) dashboard, a lock icon appears next to your Retail POS categories. This icon indicates that any changes to a category’s name, structure, or assigned products must be made in Retail POS.
You can customize these Retail POS categories by adding an image and description in your eCom (E-Series) dashboard. The image and description do not sync to Retail POS.
If you want different categories for your online store, you can disable the Retail POS categories under Availability > Disable and create online-only categories. Disabling categories in your eCom (E-Series) dashboard will not affect them in your Retail POS.
If you don’t see your products, ensure they are enabled in your eCom dashboard by navigating to Catalog > Products. Products will have a toggle option to choose between Enabled and Disabled.
Creating online-only categories
You can leave all Retail POS categories disabled in your eCom(E-Series) dashboard and create eCom-only categories, allowing you to offer an online experience more suited to your customers’ navigation habits. This will also allow you to list a product in multiple categories online and to create subcategories, which cannot be done in Retail POS.
To create online-only categories:
- Navigate to Catalog > Categories
- Click Add Root Category.
- Enter the name of your category.
- Click Save.
This category will be identifiable as online-only because it will not have a lock icon next to it.
Online-only categories can be created directly within the eCom (E-Series) platform and are fully managed there. These categories do not sync back to your Retail POS account.
What's next?
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Learn moreSyncing products between Retail POS (R-Series) and eCom (E-Series)
Learn how products are synced between Retail POS and eCom.
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