How to Add Products in O2VEND POS & Ecommerce (Complete Catalog Guide)

Product Creation & General Section Guide

Proper product setup is the foundation for smooth billing, accurate inventory tracking, and consistent product visibility across sales channels.

This guide explains how to add, configure, and manage products in O2VEND POS and Web Store, with a primary focus on the General section, where pricing, tax behavior, inventory rules, and product visibility are defined.

When products do not appear in POS or Ecommerce, the cause is usually an incomplete or incorrect catalog configuration.
Following this guide helps ensure products are visible, orderable, and billed correctly across both POS and Web Store environments.

Quick Answer: How to Add a Product in O2VEND?

  1. Back Office → Catalog → Products
  2. Click Create Product
  3. Enter Product Name, SKU, Category, Price, and Tax
  4. Enable Published & Allowed To Order
  5. Save the product

Once saved, the product becomes available for billing in POS and listing in the Web Store.

This setup process is recommended for all businesses using O2VEND POS and Ecommerce to avoid product visibility and billing issues.

Why Catalog Product Setup Matters

Proper catalog setup helps to:

  • Improve product discoverability
  • Ensure accurate pricing and tax calculation
  • Reduce inventory inconsistencies
  • Enable faster product updates
  • Maintain consistency across sales channels

Each catalog product acts as a core data entity for sales, inventory tracking, and reporting in O2VEND.

General Section Overview

The General section contains the core configuration required to activate a product across the platform.

It defines:

  • Product identifiers (Product Name, SKU, GTIN)
  • Brand and category mapping
  • Pricing, discounts, cost, and tax behavior
  • Product visibility and ordering rules
  • Descriptions and images for storefront display

Most configurations affecting visibility, pricing logic, and ordering flow are managed in this section.

Note
Review the General section before publishing to ensure correct behavior across Web Store and POS.

How to Create a Catalog Product

Creating a catalog product in O2VEND allows you to list, manage, and sell products across Web Store, POS, and other sales channels.

Create Product Dialog showing General tab with fields for Name, SKU, GTIN, Brand, Category, and other product details

Steps to Create a Catalog Product

  1. Open Back Office
  2. Navigate to Catalog → Products
  3. Click the Create Product button (top-right corner)
  4. Fill in the required details in each tab (starting with General)
  5. Click Save to create the product

Once saved, the product can be published to the web store or used in POS billing.

Products List View

You can view all existing products in the Products list, which displays product thumbnails, SKU/GTIN, vendor information, and creation dates.

Products list view showing product catalog with thumbnails, names, SKUs, and management options

General Section Configuration

The General section contains the core information required to define, display, price, and sell a product in O2VEND.

Product General section displaying all fields for product setup including Name, SKU, GTIN, Brand, Category, Tax Class, pricing, and visibility settings

Product Name

Enter a Product Name. The Product Name is displayed under the Product Image in most O2VEND themes and across the catalog.

The Product Name is also used to generate the slug name, which becomes the product URL in the web store.

Best Practices:

  • Use clear, descriptive names (e.g., "Wireless Bluetooth Headphones" instead of "Product")
  • Avoid excessive capitalization or special characters
  • Include key product attributes when relevant (e.g., color, size, model)
  • Keep names concise but informative

A clear and descriptive product name helps customers understand the product quickly and improves discoverability and SEO rankings.

SKU and GTIN

Enter the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) and/or GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) for the product.

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit):

  • Unique identifier for inventory management
  • Used for barcode generation and POS scanning
  • Can be set automatically or manually

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number):

  • Standardized international product code
  • Used for retail and ecommerce integration
  • Enables product matching across channels

Benefits:

  • Generate barcodes and print barcode labels
  • Scan products directly in the POS Sales Screen
  • When scanned, the product is automatically added to the billing cart
  • The same SKU or GTIN can be used across online and physical stores, enabling unified inventory tracking
  • Facilitates product lookup and order fulfillment

Brand

The Brand field is used to associate a product with a specific brand. This helps organize products and allows brands to be used for filtering, grouping, and reporting across the catalog.

In the General tab, the Brand field includes action icons:

  • Edit icon (pencil) – Used to modify the selected brand details
  • Create (+) icon – Used to create a new brand without leaving the product screen

Inline Brand Management:

  • Clicking the Create (+) icon opens the Brand creation page
  • A new brand name and related details can be added
  • Once saved, the newly created brand becomes immediately available for selection
  • Clicking the Edit icon opens the selected brand in edit mode for updates

Benefits:

  • Organize products by brand for better catalog management
  • Use brands for filtering and sorting in the storefront
  • Generate brand-specific reports and analytics
  • Manage brands without leaving the product setup workflow

Category

The Category field determines where the product appears within the catalog structure.

Key Features:

  • A product can be assigned to one or multiple categories
  • Allows products to appear in different sections of the store
  • Enables hierarchical catalog organization (categories and subcategories)

Inline Category Management:

  • A Create (+) icon is available next to the Category field
  • Clicking this icon opens the Category creation page
  • New categories or subcategories can be created and saved
  • Newly created categories are immediately selectable for the product
  • This feature allows catalog structure to be adjusted during product creation

Best Practices:

  • Assign products to the most relevant primary category
  • Use subcategories for better organization
  • Keep category names clear and customer-friendly
  • Avoid overly broad category assignments

Tax Class

The Tax Class field defines how tax is calculated for the product during checkout and billing.

Inline Tax Class Management:

  • Edit icon – Used to modify the selected tax class
  • Create (+) icon – Used to create a new tax class directly from the product screen

Features:

  • Tax rules are applied automatically during checkout
  • Different tax classes can be used for different products or regions
  • Tax calculations are based on the selected tax class and store location
  • Ensures compliance with local tax regulations

Common Tax Classes:

  • Standard VAT/GST
  • Reduced tax rate (groceries, books)
  • Exempt products
  • Zero-rated items

Units

The Units field defines the basic unit of measurement for the product (e.g., each, dozen, meter, kilogram, liter).

Inline Unit Management:

  • A Create (+) icon is available next to the Units field
  • Clicking opens the Unit creation page
  • New units of measure can be defined as required
  • The newly created unit becomes available instantly for selection

Purpose:

  • Ensures accurate quantity handling and inventory tracking
  • Standardizes measurement across inventory and sales
  • Enables proper unit conversions in reports

Ordering Units

Select the unit of measure used while ordering the product.

This controls how quantities are displayed during ordering and billing processes.

Note - Inline Management Features
The inline Create (+) and Edit icons in Brand, Tax Class, Category, and Units fields are designed to streamline catalog management.
They allow related master data to be created or updated directly from the product screen, improving efficiency and reducing navigation time.

Pricing & Cost Configuration

Price

Enter the selling price of the product that customers will pay.

Important: The price entered is inclusive of all taxes, based on the selected tax class.

Tips:

  • Ensure pricing is accurate, as it is used across all sales channels
  • Price appears on product pages, POS, and invoices
  • Use consistent pricing across channels for customer trust

MRP (Maximum Retail Price)

Enter the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) if applicable.

This is typically used for:

  • Display purposes on invoices and receipts
  • Comparison with selling price to show discounts
  • Compliance with regional pricing regulations

Cost

Enter the actual cost of the product (wholesale or procurement cost).

Usage:

  • Margin calculation (Price - Cost = Profit Margin)
  • Profit analysis and business reporting
  • Accounting and inventory valuation
  • Not visible to customers

Old Price

Enter the old/regular price of the product.

Display Purpose:

  • Some O2VEND themes calculate and display discount percentages (e.g., "Save 20%")
  • Shows comparison between old and current price
  • Helps customers recognize savings

Special Price (Discounted Price)

Enter a Special Price to offer a discounted price for a limited time.

When Applied:

  • During the active period, the special price replaces the regular price on the product page
  • Creates urgency and encourages purchases

Special Price Start Date and End Date

Set the Start Date and End Date for the special price promotion.

Automated Behavior:

  • Discounts apply automatically on the start date
  • Prices automatically revert to regular price after the end date
  • No manual intervention required

Product Availability & Visibility

Allowed To Order

When Allowed To Order is enabled, customers can add the product to the cart.

Behavior:

  • Enabled: Add to Cart button is displayed and functional
  • Disabled: Add to Cart button is hidden, preventing orders
  • Useful for products that are temporarily unavailable or out of stock

Allow -ve Stock (Negative Stock)

Controls whether inventory is checked during checkout.

Options:

  • Disabled: Product shows Out of Stock if quantity is zero; orders are prevented
  • Enabled: Orders are allowed even if stock is zero

Use Cases:

  • Pre-orders for upcoming products
  • Backorders when stock is temporarily unavailable
  • Popular items with expected restock

Published

When Published is enabled, the product becomes active and visible to customers.

Status:

  • Published: Product is live and visible in the storefront and POS
  • Unpublished: Product remains inactive and is treated as a draft
  • Allows you to complete all details before going live

When Featured is enabled, the product becomes a highlighted/featured product.

Benefits:

  • Featured products are highlighted in key areas such as the homepage
  • Increases visibility and customer attention
  • Used in Featured Home Page Components
  • Helps promote new, popular, or high-margin items

Lot Enabled

When Lot Enabled is true, the product can be assigned a lot number.

Purpose:

  • Track batches of products
  • Expiry date tracking
  • Traceability and quality control
  • Useful for FMCG, pharmaceuticals, and perishable goods

Call For Pricing

Some products do not have a fixed price and require customer interaction.

When Call For Pricing is enabled:

  • The product price is hidden
  • A Call For Price button is displayed instead

This is useful for custom, bulk, or quote-based products.

Product Descriptions

Description

Enter a detailed description of the product.

Content:

  • Features, benefits, and specifications
  • Usage instructions or care guidelines
  • Materials, dimensions, and other relevant details
  • Why customers should choose this product

Visibility:

  • Appears on the Product Details page (depending on the selected theme)
  • Helps customers understand the product thoroughly
  • Improves SEO and search rankings

Formatting Tip:

  • Use the editor tools to color and style text for readability
  • Format with bullet points, bold, and italics where appropriate

Short Description

Enter a short description of the product.

Content:

  • Brief 1-2 sentence summary of the product
  • Highlights key selling points
  • Quick overview for customers browsing the catalog

Visibility:

  • Usually displayed under the Product Name
  • Provides a quick summary before clicking to full details
  • Important for mobile shopping experiences

Product Images & Media

Product Images

Product images visually showcase the product and significantly impact purchase decisions.

Image Alt Text dialog showing how to add descriptive alt text for product images

Image Upload & Management

Features:

  • Upload one or more images for the product
  • The first uploaded image is used as the thumbnail in product lists
  • Add variant images for different colors, sizes, or views

Tips for Best Results:

  • Use high-quality, high-resolution images (minimum 800x800px recommended)
  • Ensure consistent image backgrounds and lighting
  • Show product from multiple angles
  • Use the edit button to crop and adjust images

Adding Alt Text to Images

What is Alt Text? Alt text (also known as "alt tags" or "alt attributes") is crucial for:

  • Accessibility: Helps visually impaired users understand the image
  • SEO: Improves search engine rankings and visibility
  • User Experience: Displays when images fail to load

How to Add Alt Text for an Image:

  1. Open the Create or Edit product details page
  2. Click the edit icon (pencil) on the product image or variant image
  3. Enter descriptive Alt Text in the provided field
    • Example: "Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with noise isolation in black"
  4. Click the OK button
  5. Click the Save button to save the product

Best Practices for Alt Text:

  • Be descriptive but concise (50-125 characters)
  • Include the product name and key features
  • Avoid keyword stuffing
  • Don't start with "image of" or "picture of"
  • Example Good: "Premium wireless Bluetooth headphones with deep bass"

Accounting Details

Purchase Account

Select the Purchase Account for the product.

Purpose:

  • Used to track product acquisition costs in accounting
  • Records purchases in financial reports
  • Enables cost analysis and inventory valuation

Sales Account

Select the Sales Account for the product.

Purpose:

  • Records revenue generated from product sales
  • Ensures accurate income reporting in financial statements
  • Used for sales analysis and profit calculation

Edit Product

Edit and update a product along with its variations and all associated details.

How to Edit a Product

Follow these steps to update an existing product:

  1. Open Back Office
  2. Go to Catalog Menu
  3. Click and open Products section
  4. A list of already existing products will be displayed
  5. Click the Product Name in the product list to open the product for editing
  6. Update the needed information in the related tabs (General, Variations, Attributes, Stock Levels, Pricing, SEO, etc.)
  7. Press the Save button at the end of the page to save your changes

Additional Actions Available:

  • Clone Product: Create a duplicate of the product with all settings
  • Print Barcode: Generate and print product barcodes for inventory management
  • View History: Track changes and revisions made to the product

Related Topics

Product Management

Inventory & Pricing

Catalog Configuration

SEO & Marketing

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