Product types
Standard, serialized, composite, pre-order and customized products, and what each one changes.
The product type decides how a product tracks stock, how it is priced and what extra settings it has. You choose it when you create the product, and you cannot change it afterwards.
Who can do this: the type is chosen on the add form, so the same people who can create a product.
The five types#
| Type (as the picker shows it) | Stock tracking | What is different |
|---|---|---|
| Standard product | Optional | The default. Everything on the field reference applies as written. Can be sold by measure. |
| Serialized (IMEI) | Always on | Each unit has its own serial number, such as an IMEI. You cannot switch tracking off, and you cannot sell part of one. |
| Composite (bundle) | Through its parts | A bundle made from a recipe of other products. |
| Pre-Order | None | Sold before it arrives, so there is no stock to track. Has a release date and can ask for a deposit. |
| Customized | None | Made to order from options the customer picks. Has a lead time and can ask for a deposit. |
Older products may show a type ending in "(legacy)". They still work, but you cannot create new ones.
Composite products#
A composite's recipe lists its parts and how many of each. For example, a gift hamper might be one tea, one treacle and two jaggery blocks. Parts sold by measure can use part quantities, such as 0.2 kg of coffee.
- Selling the bundle takes stock from its parts. The bundle has no stock of its own. How many hampers you can sell depends on the stock of each part. See How inventory works.
- Its price is one of two kinds. Dynamic roll-up price adds up the parts' prices and follows them when they change. Static manual price is a price you set for the bundle. The normal pricing choices do not apply.
Pre-orders#
A pre-order has Pre-Order parameters:
- A release date. Choose Fixed release date (global launch), or let the customer choose with Customer-Specified fulfillment date (flexible booking).
- A Deposit: No deposit, Partial deposit or Paid in full upfront. A partial deposit is a flat amount or a percentage.
The deposit is asked for when the order is placed. You can also set the deposit by hand on a single order. See Recording payments & deposits.
Customized products#
A customized product defines its options. Each option has a type: Text field, Number field, Image / file upload, Dropdown select, Checkboxes or Radio buttons. An option can add to the price.
It also has Delivery terms: a Lead time (days), which sets the earliest date a customer can ask for, and the same Deposit choices as a pre-order.
When one is ordered, staff can answer the options on the order, or send the form to the customer to fill in. See Creating an order.
Behind the scenes#
- The server prices options, deposits and bundles. What the customer pays always follows your catalogue rules, not sums done on the screen.
- Pre-order and customized products never track stock, so they never show as low or out of stock.
Watch out#
Troubleshooting#
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You cannot switch stock tracking on. | The product is a pre-order or customized product. | This is by design. These types have no stock. |
| You cannot switch stock tracking off. | The product is serialized. | This is by design. Every serial is tracked. |
| A bundle cannot be sold. | One of its parts has no available stock. | Check the stock of each part in that store. |
| You picked the wrong type. | The type cannot change after saving. | Create a new product with the right type, then delete or archive the old one. |
Related pages#
Creating a product · Product fields reference · How inventory works