Organize products with categories and tags in OmniOrders. Improve searchability, streamline reports, and group inventory by product type for faster management.
---
title: "Categories & Tags"
description: Organize products with categories and tags in OmniOrders. Improve searchability, streamline reports, and group inventory by product type for faster management.
---
Categories and tags help you organize your product catalog for easy searching, filtering, and management. Categories create hierarchical groups (like "Apparel > Shirts"), while tags add flexible labels (like "Summer Sale" or "Featured") that work across categories.
<SupademoEmbed demoId="cmk42efas4unsgmn8cn59bx3y" />
:::tip[Quick Start]
Create a few main categories first (like "Apparel," "Accessories," "Electronics"), then add tags as you need them for promotions, seasons, or special collections.
:::
## Why Use Categories & Tags?
**Categories and Tags help you organize your product catalog so you and your team can filter, find, and group products quickly. Categories create a hierarchical structure (e.g., Apparel → Men's → T-Shirts), while tags add flexible labels for promotions, seasons, or any custom grouping you need.**
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Better Organization" icon="folder">
Group similar products together with categories and subcategories for logical structure.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Easy Filtering" icon="filter">
Find products quickly by filtering your inventory by category or tag.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Flexible Labels" icon="tag">
Add multiple tags to products for promotions, seasons, or special collections without changing categories.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Nested Structure" icon="network">
Create parent categories with child categories (e.g., Apparel > T-Shirts > Men's T-Shirts).
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Understanding Categories
Categories organize products into groups and subgroups. Each category can have a parent category, creating a hierarchy.
### Category Fields
When creating or editing a category, you'll fill out these fields:
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Name" icon="type">
The category name that appears in your product list (e.g., "T-Shirts," "Hats").
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Description" icon="file-text">
A description that helps identify what products belong in this category.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Legacy" icon="archive">
Optional identifier for migrated data from previous systems.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Products Sorting" icon="arrow-up-down">
Choose how products within this category are sorted (A-Z, price, newest, oldest).
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Parent Category" icon="folder-tree">
Select a parent category to create nested organization (leave blank for top-level categories).
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
### Sorting Options
Products within a category can be sorted by:
- **Alphabetical (A-Z)** - Products listed from A to Z
- **Alphabetical (Z-A)** - Products listed from Z to A
- **Item (Old-New)** - Oldest products first
- **Item (New-Old)** - Newest products first
- **Price (Low-High)** - Lowest prices first
- **Price (High-Low)** - Highest prices first
## Creating Categories
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<Steps>
1. **Open Product Form**
Navigate to **Inventory** in the sidebar, then click **New Product** or edit an existing product.
2. **Find Category Section**
Scroll to the category field in the product form. You'll see a dropdown with existing categories and a **+** button.
3. **Click the + Button**
Click the **+** (plus) button next to the category dropdown to open the "New category" dialog.
4. **Fill Category Details**
Enter the required information:
- **Name** - Category name (minimum 3 characters)
- **Description** - Describe what belongs in this category (minimum 3 characters)
- **Legacy** - Optional legacy identifier (minimum 3 characters if used)
- **Products Sorting** - Select how products should be sorted
- **Parent Category** - Select a parent category or leave blank for root category
5. **Save Category**
Click **Save category** to create the new category. It becomes immediately available for selection.
</Steps>
## Assigning Categories to Products
Once categories exist, assign them to products:
<SupademoEmbed demoId="cmk4d613u00gfk6sk3zl4dd11" />
<Steps>
1. **Open Product Form**
Navigate to a product (new or existing) in the Inventory section.
2. **Select Categories**
In the Category field, click to open the dropdown and select one or more categories.
3. **Save Product**
Save the product to apply the category assignments.
</Steps>
:::note[Multiple Categories]
Products can belong to multiple categories. Use the multi-select dropdown to choose all relevant categories for each product.
:::
## Understanding Tags & Attributes
Tags are flexible labels you can add to products for promotions, seasons, collections, or any custom grouping. Unlike categories, tags don't have a hierarchy - they're simple labels with customizable colors.
### Tag Features
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Custom Colors" icon="palette">
Assign a color to each tag for easy visual identification in product lists.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Multiple Per Product" icon="tags">
Add as many tags as needed to each product (e.g., "Sale," "Featured," "New Arrival").
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Quick Filtering" icon="search">
Filter your inventory by tags to find all products with specific labels.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Bulk Operations" icon="list">
Add or remove tags from multiple products at once using bulk actions.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Creating Tags
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<Steps>
1. **Open Product Form**
Navigate to **Inventory** in the sidebar, then open any product (new or existing).
2. **Find Tags Section**
Look for the **tag icon** button in the product form. Click it to open the tags panel.
3. **Open Tag Dialog**
In the tags overlay panel, click **Add new tag** at the bottom.
4. **Enter Tag Details**
In the tag dialog:
- **Name** - Enter the tag name (e.g., "Summer Sale," "Featured")
- **Color** - Pick a color using the color picker to identify this tag visually
5. **Save Tag**
Click **Add** to create the tag. It's now available for all products.
</Steps>
## Assigning Tags to Products
Add tags to individual products to label them for easy filtering and management:
<SupademoEmbed demoId="cmk76nd5k3ew7k6skvhf2cxht" />
<Steps>
1. **Open Product Form**
Navigate to a product (new or existing) in the Inventory section.
2. **Open Tags Panel**
Click the **tag icon** button to open the tags overlay panel.
3. **Select Tags**
In the tags list, check the boxes next to the tags you want to assign to this product.
4. **Close Panel**
Close the overlay panel. The selected tags now appear as colored chips on the product.
5. **Save Product**
Save the product to apply the tag assignments.
</Steps>
## Managing Tags in Bulk
Add or remove tags from multiple products at once:
<SupademoEmbed demoId="cmk77bzg93fgdk6skx3m8l8vj" />
<Steps>
1. **Select Products**
In the Inventory list, check the boxes next to the products you want to update.
2. **Open Actions Menu**
Look for the bulk actions menu that appears when products are selected.
3. **Choose Tag Action**
Select either **Add Tags** or **Remove Tags** from the actions menu.
4. **Select Tags**
In the dialog, choose which tags to add or remove.
5. **Apply Changes**
Confirm the action. Tags are applied or removed from all selected products.
</Steps>
## Editing Categories & Tags
### Editing a Category
<Steps>
1. **Find the Category**
Open any product that uses the category you want to edit.
2. **Open Category Dialog**
Click the **+** button next to the category field, then select the category from the list to edit it.
3. **Update Details**
Make changes to the category name, description, sorting, or parent category.
4. **Save Changes**
Click **Update Category** to save your changes. All products using this category are automatically updated.
</Steps>
### Editing a Tag
<Steps>
1. **Open Tags Panel**
In any product form, click the tag icon to open the tags panel.
2. **Click Tag Name**
In the tag chips displayed on the product or in the list, click the tag name to open the edit dialog.
3. **Update Details**
Change the tag name or color as needed.
4. **Save Changes**
Click **Edit** to save your changes. The updated tag appears across all products using it.
</Steps>
## 💡 Best Practices
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Plan Your Structure" icon="clipboard-list">
Design your category hierarchy before creating products. Think about how customers browse and search for items.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Keep Categories Broad" icon="folder-open">
Use 2-3 levels maximum for categories. Too many subcategories make navigation confusing.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Use Tags for Temporary Labels" icon="clock">
Tags work great for promotions, seasons, or limited-time collections that change frequently.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Consistent Naming" icon="check-circle">
Use consistent naming conventions (Title Case, all lowercase, etc.) for a professional appearance.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Color-Code Tags Meaningfully" icon="palette">
Use red for clearance, green for new arrivals, blue for featured - colors that make sense at a glance.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Review Regularly" icon="calendar">
Clean up unused tags and reorganize categories as your catalog grows and changes.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Common Use Cases
### Seasonal Collections
Create tags for each season:
- "Spring 2025" (light green)
- "Summer 2025" (yellow)
- "Fall 2025" (orange)
- "Winter 2025" (blue)
Apply these tags to relevant products, making it easy to filter and manage seasonal inventory.
### Promotional Groups
Use tags to identify products in promotions:
- "Black Friday" (black)
- "Clearance" (red)
- "BOGO" (purple)
- "New Arrival" (green)
### Product Types with Categories
Organize products with clear categories:
- **Apparel** (parent)
- T-Shirts (child)
- Pants (child)
- Dresses (child)
- **Accessories** (parent)
- Hats (child)
- Bags (child)
- Jewelry (child)
## Troubleshooting
### Category Not Saving
If a category won't save, check:
- **Name** - Must be at least 3 characters
- **Description** - Must be at least 3 characters
- **Legacy** - If filled in, must be at least 3 characters
- **Sorting** - Must select a sorting option
### Tag Not Appearing
If a tag doesn't show up:
- **Refresh** - Reload the product form to see newly created tags
- **Check Selection** - Make sure the tag is checked in the overlay panel
- **Save Product** - Don't forget to save the product after assigning tags
### Products Not Filtering by Category
If category filters aren't working:
- **Check Assignment** - Verify products are actually assigned to the category
- **Reload Page** - Refresh the inventory view
- **Clear Filters** - Clear all filters and try again
---
**Next Steps:**
- [Managing Products](/products/managing/) - Learn how to create and edit products
- [Inventory Overview](/inventory/overview/) - Understanding inventory management
- [Stock Management](/inventory/stock/) - Track and adjust stock levels