Configuring your Legacy Online B2B Site

Setting up Categories for your B2B Site

Categories are very important for the B2B to operate. This article explains why.

Overview

Categories in Cin7's product modules also control the categorisation of the navigation bar in your B2B site. Changing the categorisation in Cin7 will ultimately change categorisation in the B2B site.

If you haven't already switched on the B2B options in the products page - explained in Setting up Products for your B2B Site - then you will need to do so to see the various B2B category options. These options are explained below.

To edit a category:

1. From the left navigation, select Products.
2. Click on the folder icon next to the product categories to edit a category.

You will now be able to see five additional fields; Display on B2B, Sort, Category Image Thumbnail, Category Banner and Description.

Choosing which Categories to display

You do not have to display all your categories on your B2B site. If you wish to hide a category, change the Display on B2B drop-down to Hide.

Changing this will not have an immediate effect - see below.

Changing the Sort Order

All categories are created with equal sort order - meaning that the category will appear in alphabetical order on your B2B site. It may be that you wish to have an alternative order - in which case you can use the Sort field to control this.

By assigning a higher number, the category will appear further up the page.

Adding a Category Thumbnail

Category Thumbnails are shown when a number of categories appear on the page. Thumbnail images will display on the B2B Portal according to their dimensions. The B2B Portal is optimized for thumbnail images with square dimensions.

To upload a thumbnail:

1. Click on the Folder button next to the field labelled Category Thumbnail Image.
2. Click on the Choose File button, select an image from your computer or network, then click the Open button.
3. Click the Upload button.
4. Click the Close button.
5. Click Save and Close to finish.

Adding a Category Banner

The category banner image is a wide image that shows at the top of the page when you are viewing a list of products in a category. The optimal size for a category banner is 770px x 365px. Note that products must be assigned to a category for the banner to display. This means that only the lowest level category will display a banner even if subcategories are assigned to a parent category.

To upload a banner:

1. Click on the Folder button next to the field labelled Category Thumbnail Image.
2. Click on the Choose File button, select an image from your computer or network, then click the Open button.
3. Click the Upload button.
4. Click the Close button.
5. Click Save and Close to finish.

Adding a Description

A category description appears just below the category banner image. It shows at the top of the page when you are viewing a list of products in a category and can be used to describe the contents of a category.

To enter a description simply enter plain text into the field provided.

Updating the Categorisation

Changes to categorisation in Cin7 don't automatically update to the B2B site, allowing you to make changes first, and update the site in one go.

To update the categories:

1. From the left navigation select Products.
2. Hover over actions and click Update Website Category Navigation.

This will push all categorisation changes through to the B2B site.