# Categories

Categories in Norce Commerce provide a hierarchical way to classify products within your catalog. They serve as your internal classification system and form the backbone of product organization, inheritance settings, and business logic throughout the platform.

## Overview

![Listing categories page](/assets/categories-list.72e1700c219afb456ccd4d6fa24f9cc0f2d54358064ebbb8be2d791f6281ec93.17d27d97.png)

The Categories page displays your complete category structure in hierarchical order, with all categories organized in a single tree structure. Categories serve multiple purposes:

- **Internal classification**: Organize products for efficient catalog management
- **Inherit data**: Set default values that cascade down to products
- **Business logic foundation**: Enable category-based rules and functionality
- **Navigation structure**: Although not intended, it can optionally be used for front-end navigation (with considerations)


## Page Layout

### Tree View (Left Panel)

- Expandable hierarchical view of all categories
- Shows parent-child relationships clearly
- Allows navigation through the category structure


### Category List (Center Panel)

- Plain list view of all categories
- Quick overview of all categories in the system
- Direct access to category management functions


### Management Actions

- **Remove categories**: Click the "X" to inactivate categories
- **Create new categories**: Add categories at any level
- **Edit existing categories**: Modify category information and settings


## Category Management

### Inactivating Categories

When you remove a category by clicking the "X":

1. You'll receive a confirmation prompt
2. The category becomes inactive (not deleted)
3. It moves to the "Show inactive" list
4. It can be reactivated later


> **Important**: When reactivating a category, the code will have changed. You'll need to rename the code if you want to use it the same way again.


> **Note**: Products that has an inactive category as primary category wont work. Make sure that the category is empty of active products, before deactivating them.


### Creating and Editing Categories

![Edit categories page](/assets/categories-edit.9138b845d75027e2e98666467eee3bc8bb270a4e2c2aa4c1e03d419446037f60.17d27d97.png)

#### Required Fields

- **Name**: Language-specific display name
- **Code**: Language-independent identifier for system use


#### Category Positioning

Two critical fields control category placement:

- **Parent Category**: Determines where in the hierarchy the category sits
- **Sort After**: Controls the ordering within the same level


> **Note**: When you move a category in the tree, all products within that category automatically move with it.


#### Translation Support

Names and descriptions can be translated between different languages using the translation view, making categories suitable for multi-language implementations.

## Category Configuration

The configuration part of the category settings **applies commonly to products that has the category as its primary**. Other products will not be affected.

### VAT Code Settings

Categories inherit VAT settings from the application by default, but you can override this:

- Set specific VAT rates for different sales areas
- Apply to entire category instead of individual products
- Useful for categories with consistent VAT requirements (e.g., reduced VAT categories)


### Category Attributes

#### Returnable Products

- Marks all products in this category as returnable
- Acts as metadata only (no built-in business logic)
- Applies to products where this is the primary category


#### Hide Products in Top Lists

- Prevents products in this category from appearing in ranking and sorting lists
- Useful for service products or items added via business logic
- Maintains clean customer-facing product rankings


#### Drop Shipping Only

- Marks all category products for drop shipping functionality
- Impacts status rules and availability rule behavior
- Designed for retail customers using drop shipping workflows


## Default Settings

Categories can set default values that inherit down to all products within them:

### Search and Classification

- **Synonyms**: Indexed in search, combining with product-specific synonyms
- **UNSPSC Codes**: Standard product classification codes
- **Commodity Codes**: Additional classification identifiers


### Product Specifications

- **Unit of Measurement**: Default measurement unit for category products
- **Actual Weight**: Default weight for shipping calculations when not provided by other systems
- **Stock Breakpoint**: Used by availability logic, can be set at product or category level


## Additional Settings

### Business Classification

- **Business Area**: Metadata field specific to the category (not inherited by products)
- **Competitor Data**: Thresholds for competitor pricing functionality, see [Competitor pricing](/user-portal/pricing/competitive-pricing) for more details.


## Categories vs. Navigation

### Internal Classification Recommended

Categories work best as internal product classification systems rather than front-end navigation structures because:

- Navigation doesn't need all the business logic that categories provide
- Different requirements for customer-facing vs. internal organization
- Greater flexibility in how products are presented to customers


### Dual Route Approach

For organizations needing both internal classification and navigation:

1. **Product Route**: Master data and complete product catalog with full category tree
2. **Navigation Node Route**: Customer-facing navigation structure
3. **Shared Categories**: Use the same category tree for both, with products maintained under the product route and additional category relations added under navigation nodes


## Best Practices

### Category Design

- Plan your hierarchy based on internal business needs
- Consider long-term scalability when designing the tree structure
- Use consistent naming conventions across languages
- Document category purposes and business rules


### Inheritance Strategy

- Set default values at leafs of the tree (or where the products have their relation), default values are not inherited down the category tree.
- Use category-level settings to reduce individual product maintenance
- Regularly review inherited settings for accuracy


### Performance Considerations

- Keep the category tree reasonably sized for optimal performance
- Use category-based business rules efficiently
- Consider the impact of deep hierarchies on system performance