Categories group your products on the till, for example Hot Drinks, Sandwiches or Gifts, so staff can find items quickly. In the POSable Backoffice, Categories is where you create, edit and archive them, one at a time or in bulk by CSV. Each category can have its own colour and icon on the till. Categories are never deleted. They’re archived, so your sales history stays complete. This guide is for owners and managers. You need Manager or Administrator access to add or edit categories.
Why it matters
- Faster selling. Clear, colour-coded categories help staff find products in seconds.
- Better reports. Category reports show which areas of your business sell best.
- Seasonal ranges made easy. Archive a category after the season and bring it back next year.
The Categories page at a glance
Open Categories from the menu to see a table of your enabled categories, with their attributes, status and how many products each one contains.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add Category | Create a single category |
| Upload / import | Bulk-create categories from a CSV file |
| Download | Download your categories |
| Edit | Change a category’s details at any time |
| Archive | Hide a category from the till without losing its sales history |
How to add a category
- Open Categories and click Add Category.
- Fill in the form, including a colour and icon if you’d like them on the till.
- Submit. The category syncs to your tills.
To change it later, click the edit button next to the category in the list.
How to import categories by CSV
- In the admin dashboard, go to Categories and download the CSV template so your file has the right structure.
- Fill it in using any spreadsheet or CSV editor, or export your categories from your old system.
- Click the import button and select your file.
- Map any columns POSable hasn’t matched automatically.
- Click Upload.
Tip: Import your categories before your products, so each product has a category to go into. See How to migrate to POSable.
Archiving instead of deleting
POSable doesn’t delete categories. If it did, past sales in that category would no longer make sense in your reports. Instead, archive it:
- It disappears from the till, but its sales and product data stay searchable and downloadable.
- There’s no limit on the number of categories, so archived ones won’t get in your way.
- Seasonal ranges: archive Christmas or Easter after the season and reactivate them the following year.
Troubleshooting
A new category isn’t on the till
- Check it’s enabled, not archived. Tap Sync Data on the till.
I can’t add or edit categories
- Viewer and Staff users have read-only access. Ask an Administrator to change your level in Dashboard Users.
Still stuck?
- Email everythingis@posable.co.uk or call +44 7356 055601. Support is included in every plan.
- Watch the categories set-up tutorial on our YouTube channel.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a category in POSable?
No. Categories are archived instead, so your sales history stays complete. Archived categories can be reactivated later.
Can I import categories in bulk?
Yes. Download the CSV template from the Categories page, fill it in, import it, map any unmatched columns and upload.
Should I create categories or products first?
Categories first, so each product has a category to go into.
Can categories have their own colours on the till?
Yes. Each category can have its own colour and icon, so staff can find items quickly.
Is there a limit on how many categories I can have?
No. POSable doesn’t limit the number of categories.
Related Guides
- How to manage products. Reason: the next step after creating categories.
- How to migrate to POSable. Reason: CSV templates for categories and products.
- How to manage inventory and taxes. Reason: category colours, icons and archiving in context.
- How long does it take to set up POSable?. Reason: where categories fit in the full setup.