Product Categories Explained
Categories give your product catalog structure. They create a hierarchical navigation tree — like Sport → Football → Jerseys — that guides your customers through product selection in the customizer.
Product Categories Explained
How Categories Work
Each Konfiwear account has its own independent category tree. Categories support unlimited nesting, but two to three levels deep is recommended for the best customer experience.
Every category has:
Property | Description |
Name | The display label shown to your customers (e.g., "Football", "Jerseys") |
Parent | The category this one sits under. Root categories have no parent. |
Image | An optional thumbnail image displayed in the grid view and customizer |
Sort Order | Controls the sequence among sibling categories at the same level |
Enabled | Whether this category is visible in the customizer |
💡 Tip: Categories are separate from the category text field on individual products. The category field on a product is a flat tag (e.g., soccer-jersey), while the Categories module provides the browsable tree your customers navigate.
Navigating to Categories
From your account dashboard, go to Assets → Categories in the left sidebar.
You'll see two view options:
List View (default) — An expandable tree with indentation showing parent-child relationships
Grid View — A card-based layout with drill-down navigation
Toggle between views using the List / Grid buttons in the page header. Your preference is saved automatically.
Caption: The Categories list view with root and nested categories visible.
Creating a Category
1. Click Add Category
Click the Add Category button at the top of the page. This opens the category creation dialog.
2. Fill in the category details
Field | Description | Required |
Name | Display label for the category | Yes |
Parent | Select a parent category to nest under, or leave empty for a root category | No |
Image | Upload a thumbnail image (PNG, JPEG, or WebP) | No |
Enabled | Whether the category is immediately visible | Yes |
3. Save the category
Click Save to create it. The category appears in the tree at the position determined by its parent and sort order.
Caption: The category creation dialog with sample data.
Adding Child Categories
You can add a child category in two ways:
From the list view — Click the + button on any row, or select Add Child from the row's dropdown menu
From the grid view — Click the Add Child button in the footer of any card
The dialog opens with the parent pre-selected. Fill in the name and optional image, then save.
Editing a Category
List view — Click any row's content area, or select Edit from the dropdown menu
Grid view — Click a leaf card (no children), or click the Edit button on any card
The edit dialog lets you change the name, parent, image, and enabled status.
⚠️ Important: Changing a category's parent moves it and all its children to the new location in the tree.
Reordering Categories
Use the Move Up and Move Down actions in each row's dropdown menu (list view) or card footer (grid view). Reordering only affects siblings at the same level — it does not move categories between parents.
Hiding and Showing Categories
Click the Eye icon on any row or card to toggle visibility. Hiding a parent category automatically hides all its children. Showing a parent restores visibility for the entire branch.
This is useful for seasonal collections or categories under development — you keep all the configuration intact without exposing them to customers.
Deleting a Category
Select Delete from the dropdown menu. A confirmation dialog shows the count of nested child categories that will also be removed.
⚠️ Important: Deleting a parent permanently removes all its children. This action cannot be undone. Use the visibility toggle if you only need to temporarily hide categories.
Category Images
Images appear in the grid view cards and in the customizer's category navigation. For the best results:
Use square or 4:3 aspect ratio images
Recommended minimum resolution: 400×300px
Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP
Images are stored in cloud storage under a path scoped to your account
To upload an image, use the image upload area in the create or edit dialog. You can also remove an existing image and replace it.
Caption: The grid view with category cards displaying uploaded images.
Building an Effective Hierarchy
Principles to follow:
Keep it shallow — Two to three levels is ideal. Deeper trees add navigation friction for customers.
Name for your audience — Use terms your customers recognize, not internal jargon.
Use images on root categories — They help customers orient quickly in the grid view.
Order by popularity — Place your most-ordered categories first using sort order.
Tips & Best Practices
Use the visibility toggle instead of deletion when running seasonal promotions — it preserves your category setup
Upload images for at least your root categories to improve the grid view experience
Review your category tree quarterly as you add new products to keep navigation intuitive
The grid view is ideal for visual merchandising; the list view is faster for bulk management