How to Add/Edit Categories and Subcategories in BakeSmart
What Are Categories?
Categories are high-level groupings that organize your bakery’s products. Examples include:
- Pastries – Includes croissants, danishes, muffins
- Bread – Includes baguettes, rolls, specialty loaves
Subcategories are used to further organize products within a category. For example, under Bread, you might create subcategories such as:
- Baguettes
- Rolls
- Specialty Loaves
- Or by dough type: Sourdough, Rye, Challah, White
Categories and subcategories determine how products are grouped and displayed in the following areas:
- POS screens
- Order-taking screens
- eCommerce store navigation
Proper category and subcategory setup ensures a seamless experience for both staff and customers.
Why Use Categories?
Categories streamline order-taking by organizing your product library in a logical manner.
They improve the online shopping experience for customers by grouping similar products together.
They ensure accurate reporting, as products are tracked according to their primary category.
Categories visually group products in the POS and online menus, making it easier for staff and customers to locate items quickly.
Navigating to Manage Categories
To access and manage your categories:
- From the Dashboard, click on the Products tab.
- Navigate to Product Types. The Standard view is the default.
- Click the Categories tab (this is the default view for Product Types).
Creating and Managing Categories and Subcategories
To create a new category:
Click the Add Category button at the top right of the screen.
To create a new subcategory:
Click the Add Subcategory button next to the category you want to refine.
Edit Category Menu
When you click Add Category or Add Subcategory, the Edit Category Menu will appear. This is also used to edit any existing category or subcategory by clicking on its name in the list.
Fields and settings available:
Name
- Enter a clear, descriptive name for your category or subcategory.
- Visible to staff and customers in the POS, order flow, and eCommerce store.
Include in Orders/POS
- When checked, the category or subcategory appears in the Order Flow and POS interface.
- Unchecked, it is hidden from staff-facing interfaces.
Include Online
- When checked, the category or subcategory appears in the eCommerce store.
- Unchecked, it is hidden online.
Sort Order
- Determines placement relative to other categories/subcategories.
Orders/POS Sort Order: Affects placement in POS and Order Flow.
Online Sort Order: Affects eCommerce store navigation.
- Lower numbers appear first (e.g., 1 is displayed before 2).
- 💡 Sort Order will override BakeSmart’s default alphanumeric listings.
Image
- Click Browse or drag-and-drop a file into the placeholder.
- Supported formats: .JPEG (.JPG), .PNG, .HEIC
- You can crop, center, and optimize the uploaded image.
Delete
- Access the delete function for categories or subcategories from this menu.
Assigning Products to Categories
- Click the Products tab on the Dashboard.
- Navigate to Product Types > Standard (default).
- Select the product you want to assign.
In the product’s details, locate the Category dropdown.
- To create a new category: Scroll to the bottom and select "- New Category -".
- To create a new subcategory: Click "- New Subcategory -".
- To assign secondary categories, click the + Add Category button.
Reporting and Primary Category Rules
Even if a product is assigned to multiple categories, it will appear only once in reports under its first assigned category.
This rule ensures accurate reporting while allowing products to appear in multiple menus or views.
Video Walkthrough
A step-by-step video on managing categories and subcategories is available in the [BakeSmart Help Center]
Keywords (for Search)
category setup, subcategory, POS menu, eCommerce product grouping, product library, edit categories, assign categories, BakeSmart catalog organization, create new category, online product sorting, internal bakery categories
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