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Product Catalog

The Product Catalog is where your entire range of items lives: everything a customer can browse and buy on your website. This guide walks through every part of managing it: individual product details, grouping similar products into variants, organizing categories, and creating bundles.

The product overview​

When you open Products, you land on the overview: a single list of everything in your catalog. Each row shows the product's image, name and category, whether it has variants, its stock status and its price.

  • Variants at a glance. A product that is built up from options carries a variants badge (for example 3 variants), so you can immediately see which items have several versions and which are plain single products.
  • Stock status. Every product shows a colored stock indicator: in stock (with the number of units left), low stock when only a few units remain (three or fewer), or out of stock.
  • Quick actions. From each row you can edit the product, open its public page in a new tab, or delete it.

Filtering the list​

Three filters at the top of the list help you find the right product quickly, which matters more as your catalog grows:

  • Search by name, SKU or barcode.
  • Category narrows the list to a single category. Categories are listed alphabetically.
  • Stock shows only products that are in stock, low on stock (three or fewer left) or out of stock.

You can combine the filters, and the product count and paging update to match whatever you have selected.

Managing individual products​

Click on any product in your catalog to open its detailed editor, where every aspect of that item is configured.

General information​

  • Name & Description: Give your product a clear, specific title and a compelling description. A good description answers the questions a customer would naturally ask (what it's made of, what it's used for, and why it's worth buying) rather than just restating the title.
  • Categories: Assign the product to one or more categories, making it easier for customers to find through browsing rather than only through search.
  • Images: Upload high-quality photos from multiple angles where possible. The first image you upload becomes the primary thumbnail shown in listings, so choose your clearest, most attractive shot for that spot.

Inventory & pricing​

  • Pricing: Set your standard selling price. If you want to run a sale or promotion, enter a Promo Price, the discounted price shown alongside (or instead of) the regular one.
  • SKU & Barcode: Enter unique identifiers used for internal tracking and inventory management. An SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is simply a code your business uses to identify a specific product, useful for your own records and for matching up with suppliers.
  • Stock Management: If enabled, track exactly how many units of a product you have available, helping you avoid selling items you don't actually have in hand.

Specifications (facets)​

Facets are technical attributes that describe a product in more detail, things like "Material," "Color," or "Size."

  • Adding facets to your products helps customers understand exactly what they're buying at a glance.
  • These same facets can also be used to build Filters on your category pages (see Store Settings), letting customers narrow down a large catalog by the attributes that matter to them.

Options & variants​

Some products come in several versions, the classic example being a shirt available in multiple sizes and colors. You build these directly on the product itself, so a shopper picks their size and color on one shared product page. Whether a product is a plain single product or one with many options, you create it the same way.

You manage options and variants right inside the product, in the Options & variants section. You can build them straight away while creating a new product, without saving it first: the options and variants you set up are saved together with the product when you create it.

  1. Add your options. In the Options & variants section, add one or more options, such as Size and Color, and type in the values for each (for example L, XL for Size and Yellow, Red for Color).
  2. Generate the variants. Click Generate variants, and every combination is created for you: Size L / Color Yellow, Size XL / Color Yellow, Size L / Color Red, and so on.
  3. Fill in each variant. For every generated variant you can set its own SKU, barcode (EAN), stock, price, and a single image that is shown when a shopper selects that combination. You can also add per-variant specifications and metafields when a version needs its own details.

Everything in this section is saved together with the product: click Save product (or Create product for a new one) and the options, variants and their images are stored in one step. There is no separate save button for this section.

On the product page, choosing an option jumps to that variant's image and shows its price and stock, and a variant that is out of stock is shown as unavailable.

Categories​

Categories give your store a clear, browsable structure, much like the aisles and shelves of a physical shop.

  • Main Categories: Top-level groupings, such as "Clothing" or "Electronics."
  • Sub-categories: Nested groupings within a main category, such as "Men's Wear" living inside "Clothing."
  • Reordering: Use the nested list view to rearrange how categories and sub-categories appear to customers browsing your store.

A well-organized category structure is one of the simplest ways to help visitors find what they want quickly. The less effort it takes to find a relevant product, the more likely a visitor is to buy.

Merging duplicate categories​

Over time you can end up with categories that are really the same thing, for example "Shirts" and "shirts", or a category that was created twice while importing products. Instead of deleting one (and losing the products linked to it), you can merge them into a single category.

At the top of the Categories screen, SitePack shows a Merge categories panel whenever it spots categories that look like duplicates: categories at the same level with the same name, ignoring capitalisation. For each suggestion you:

  1. Choose which category to keep from the dropdown. SitePack pre-selects the one with the most products.
  2. Click Merge and confirm.

Every product linked to the other categories is then moved onto the category you kept, and the duplicates are removed. Menu links that pointed to a merged category are updated automatically, so nothing on your site breaks.

Merging only works for categories at the same level (both main categories, or sub-categories under the same parent). If a category still has sub-categories of its own, move or merge those first.

Bundles​

Bundles let you offer two or more products together as a single combined package, a proven way to increase your average order value.

  1. Create a bundle. Go to Bundles and click Create Bundle.
  2. Select products. Add two or more products from your catalog that make sense sold together, for example, a razor and a pack of blades.
  3. Set a bundle price. Define a special combined price, ideally offering a modest discount compared to buying the items separately, to give customers a clear incentive to choose the bundle.
  4. Use shortcodes. SitePack generates a shortcode for each bundle (a small snippet you can copy and paste into any page on your site) to display that bundle offer wherever it makes sense, such as on a related product's page.

Frequently asked questions​

What is the difference between a product variant and a category?​

A category groups broadly related products together for browsing (like "Clothing"). A variant is one specific version of a single product, such as a particular size and color of the exact same shirt design, chosen by the shopper on that product's page.

How can I see which products have variants?​

In the product overview, any product built up from options shows a variants badge (for example 3 variants) in its row. Products without that badge are plain single products.

How do I find products that are almost out of stock?​

Use the Stock filter at the top of the product overview and choose Low stock. This shows every product that still has stock but only a few units left (three or fewer), so you know what to reorder. The same products are highlighted with a low-stock indicator in the list.

My category list has duplicates. How do I clean them up?​

If two categories are really the same (such as "Shirts" and "shirts"), use the Merge categories panel at the top of the Categories screen. Pick the category you want to keep and merge the duplicates into it; all linked products move across automatically and the duplicates are removed. See Merging duplicate categories above.

What is a facet, and why would I add one to a product?​

A facet is a specific attribute of a product, such as its material, color, or size. Adding facets makes your product listings more informative and also allows you to build filters that let customers narrow down your catalog by these same attributes.

Which image should I upload first for a product?​

The first image you upload becomes the primary thumbnail shown in product listings and search results, so choose your clearest and most representative photo for that position.

What is an SKU and do I need one for every product?​

An SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique code you assign to a product for your own internal tracking and inventory purposes. While not always required, it becomes increasingly useful as your catalog grows or if you work with suppliers who use their own product codes.

How do bundles help my store?​

Bundles encourage customers to purchase multiple related items together, typically at a modest combined discount, which increases the average amount spent per order compared to selling each item separately.

Can I feature a bundle on a specific product page?​

Yes. Every bundle comes with its own shortcode, which you can copy and paste into any page (including an individual product's page) to display that bundle offer exactly where you want it.