1.0 Overview

Bitsila's system lets users control their entire catalog in one spot. Users can add items, groups, and categories manually or by importing them. You can also edit existing items and personalize details like descriptions, prices, and quantities for different outlets.

The items in the catalog can be further categorized into Item categories, Item Groups, and item subgroups.

This categorization helps not only the management but also the end customers as they can easily search for what they are looking for.

There are multiple methods to create a new catalog or add additional products to the existing catalog.These operations vary from Web to Mobile App. Now moving forward, let’s take a look at how various operations performed within these two mediums.

1.1 Catalog Creation During Account Creation

The quickest way to add a catalog to an account is by picking it when you create the account. This way, users start with a complete catalog that they can adjust as they like. Just choose the catalog from the drop-down menu when you're adding business details during the Lead Creation Process.

Or you can select it when you are creating a new account from the sales lead in the same Other Details section

If the catalog is chosen this way, when the account is created, by default all the items in the selected catalog will reflect in the client’s item page.

Users don't have much freedom to choose items when adding the catalog through this process.

NOTE: This way of organizing the catalog works well for accounts selling standard items like groceries or pharmacy products. These items can be easily identified by codes like EAN or barcode. You can create multiple catalogs for different stores based on their size and other factors. After creating the account, you can mark unsellable items as inactive using import/export or automatically through the inventory file provided by the client. Check other catalog management methods for a detailed understanding of this step.

1.2 Create Items with Master Catalog

Using a master catalog to create and add items to your product catalog is a straightforward way to save time. It works well for businesses selling common category items in their industry. The master catalog contains specific industry items, making it easy to create new items using those details.

With this method, you don’t need to add every detail manually and can use the pre-existing details of the item in the master catalog.

To create items from the Bitsila master catalog, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Items page under the Products Module and use the Create from Master option, as displayed in the screenshot.

Step 2: Select the Top Level, and the Brand of the items that you wish to add from the dropdowns. These are the broad categories under which the items fall under within the Master Catalog

Step 3: Once selecting the categories, click on the Add Items Button and in the pop-up select the items that you want to add

Step 4: Click on Add Button. You will redirected to the Create Items from Master Page and then Click on Create

Tip: In this stage before clicking on the create button, you can actually edit the list of items that now appeared under the Add items from Master section. You can delete the items that you don’t want or even change the price details.

Step 5: You can now see the new items added to your Items List

NOTE: This process lets users utilize all the existing data from the Master catalog, like item names, descriptions, images, measurements, inventory controls, pricing, and sales channels. They can edit these details later on, keeping the store-specific information unchanged.

Tip: This process is recommended when you want to update a large number of items.

1.3 Create Items with Express Create

Express Create is your quick option for making an item with only the necessary details. It'll instantly become active in your catalog, ready to be sold. Follow these steps to create an item.

Step 1: Click on Express Create.

Step 2: In the pop-up, you can choose an item from the Master catalog to automatically fill in details, or you can enter them manually. When you're done, just click "Create" to finish making the item.

Tip: When making multiple items in a row, click "Create & New" instead of "Create." This action not only creates the item but also brings up a new pop-up where you can keep adding details and making more items without pauses.

Step 3: Once the item is created, you will be redirected to the Overview Page. You can see that the item is now in the Active status, as seen in the screenshot.

1.4 Item Creation by Import/Export

For item creation through Import/Export, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on Catalog export in the Actions dropdown.

Step 2: To review the imported sheet, go to the products module and select Data Imports and Exports.

Step 3: Once the file is exported, click on the download link to obtain the product catalog file.

Step 4: Open the downloaded file, input the item details you want to add, and save the file.

Tip: If you want to create multiple items at the same time, you can add more item details in the spreadsheet.

Step 5: Select Catalog Import in the Actions dropdown.

Step 6: Upload the saved Excel file and click on the Import button.

Step 7: Verify the import status in Data Imports and Exports; a successful status indicates that the item has been created.

Step 8: The imported item is now created, as seen in the accompanying screenshot.

NOTE: With the Catalog Export/Import Method, you can actually add multiple items directly at the same time. The only difference is that when entering details in the spreadsheet, you need to add multiple item details and finish the import process.

1.5 Adding a New Item through Clone Feature

Clone lets you make a new item based on an existing one in your catalog. It's handy when you need a similar item. Follow these steps to create an item using the clone option:

Step 1: Click on Clone in the Actions dropdown, as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 2: Edit the necessary fields to customize the new item you are creating, and then click on the Clone button in the top right corner.

Step 3: The item is initially created in the proposed status. To activate it, select Change Status from the Actions dropdown in the top right corner.

Step 4: Change the status to active and click the Change Status button.

Step 5: The item is now in the active status, as illustrated in the screenshot.

1.6 Item Creation Through Manual Method

For manual item creation, follow these steps:

Step 1:Click on Create New next to Create from Master.

Step 2: Enter all the required details for the Item. After entering all the details, click on Create Button

Under the Details Panel, you can enter the basic details of the item. 

The "Search From Master Item" field pulls details from the Master Catalog, making the process quicker. "Name" is what customers see. "Item Category" and "Item Group" categorize the item and its subgroup. "Units" specifies the item quantity, associated with the Units of Measurement (UOM) like Kg, Pc, or ml.

The "UOM" field picks the measurement unit, like Kg or ml. "Description" and "Long Description" explain the item to customers. Check "Is aggregator" for aggregator availability, and "Allow Decimal Quantity" for decimal measurements.

"Variant template" selects how item variants are displayed.

Item Note field is selected if the item needs a note to be added during the check out.

NOTE: In the Details panel, there are three fields: Item category, Item group, and Item Subgroup. These fields organize the item effectively, shaping how it appears to customers. Good categorization makes it easier for customers to navigate the catalog and find what they need.

To understand the categorization and how to create and manage these categories, refer to the Item Categorization section.

In the Inventory Controls Panel, you can set the Item preparation time and choose inventory behavior using Check fields. You can also determine how the item behaves upon return by selecting an option in the On Return field. This choice affects how the item is managed when returned.

Daily Price Change check field is selected when the item price is changing consistently.

Return Details Panel has two entry fields. One is called the Return in Days which allows you to enter how many days in which the item can be returned. And the Returnable field in the panel shows whether the item can even be returned or not.

The Product and Tax Identifier Panel is for entering the details that allow for easier identification of the item.

Item Tag: Select the tags applicable to this Item. This will give your customer a better understanding of how this item is categorized. Ex: Discount which means there is a discount available for this item.

HSN Code: Enter the HSN code of the item. It helps with better categorization of your item for taxes and tariffs.

Bar Code: Enter the Bar Code of the Item. This will help you with the billing and tracking of the item.

GS1 Code: Enter the GS1 Code of the Item. This will help you with product listings and accurate inventory management.

EAN Code: Enter the EAN Code of the Item for better identification and easier inventory management.

Search Keywords Panel is to enter the keywords and other meta data for a better Search Engine Optimization of the Item page.

Search keywords: Enter the relevant keywords that customers can use in the search engine to look for this page.

Extra Attributes: Add additional attributes that contribute to the SEO of this page.

Page Title: Enter the Title of this Item page with relevant keywords so it can be highlighted when a customer searches for this Item.

Recipe Details Panel allows you to enter the information about how the item has been made. It is especially essential for the items of a food and beverage business.

Recipe: Enter the Recipe of the Item in detail including the ingredients used in the Item.

SOP: Describe the standard operating procedure for creating this Item. Add a detailed step-by-step procedure and guidelines to help customers understand the process of making this Item.

The Notify Limits Panel lets you set thresholds for notifications when an item meets certain criteria.

Min MbQ Qty: The minimum quantity triggering a restock alert.

Max MbQ Qty: The maximum quantity prompting a stock check to avoid overordering.

Expire Type: Choose how expiry details are shown for the item, like "Expires in X Months" or a specific date.

Weight UOM: Select the unit for item weight, such as grams.

Gross Weight: Total item weight with packaging for customer clarity.

Net Weight: Item weight without packaging for customer reference.

Sales Channels Panel is where the user has to select the Sales Channels that you want to sell this Item in

In Pricing Panel, user has to enter the Pricing details of your Item like price of the item in different sales channels, percentage of taxes applicable etc

The B2B Sales Check field needs to be selected if you are selling this Item to your B2B Customers.

In the Price field, user has to enter the Basic Price of the Item displayed to the Customer

In the Tax field drop-down, user can select the Percentage of tax applicable to the price of this Item

Select the Additional CESS Tax check field  if an additional CESS Tax is applied to this Item and also select the Percentage of applicable CESS Tax to this Item from the Drop-down.

Select the Additional tax check field if an additional Tax is applied to this Item and enter the applicable additional Tax amount for this Item in the entry field.

Store Price is the Price of the Item for the Customers who buy it from you through your POS.

Online Price is the Price of the Item for the Customers who buy it from you through your Online channels.

B2B POS Price is the Price of the Item for your B2B Customers who buy it from you through your POS.

B2B Online Price is the Price of the Item for your B2B Customers who buy it from you through your Online Channels.

UOM Details Panel is where the user can enter the details regarding the units by which the item is measured.

Dimensions UOM is a dropdown field where user can select the Units by which the dimensions of the Item are measured.

Height: Enter the height of the item.  Ex: 12

Width: Enter the width of the item. Ex: 12

Depth: Enter the depth of the item Ex: 12

After entering all the details, click on Create Button

Step 3: Change the status to Active by clicking on the Change Status button.

Step 4: The item is now in Active status, as displayed in the screenshot.

1Ua.7 Bulk Image Upload

With the bulk image upload feature, you can effortlessly update images for multiple items without the need for manual uploads. Simply name the images with their corresponding SKU or EAN codes.

Step 1: To update images in bulk, go to the Products module and select Bulk Image Upload.

Step 2: Download the images and give them names based on their SKU codes or EAN codes.

Step 3: Click on the Upload Images button and upload the item images named with their respective SKU codes or EAN numbers.

Step 4: The images will be uploaded to their corresponding SKU codes, as illustrated in the screenshot below.