[intro] When you have completed this Guide, you’ll know how best to display your Products on your EKM online shop. [/intro]

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What is Category Management?

Category Management is a term we use for how Products are displayed on your EKM online shop. Products ‘live’ in one place, which is typically a Category or the Homepage. However, using Category Management, you can have one Product display in more than one Category, which increases its exposure and encourages additional sales.

Master Categories

A Master Category is the main place where a Product lives. This can be either a Category or the Homepage. Open an Edit Product window for any of your Products and click the Category Management tab. This is where you allocate where a product ‘lives’ on your website:

When you click this tab, you’ll be presented with two boxes; the Master Category listed at the top is the main place where the product lives on your site. Click the Change button:

You will then be able to navigate through your category folders until you have decided the most appropriate place for your product to be displayed, before clicking the category folder:

[/tips] Remember if you assign Products to live on the Homepage as their Master Category, limit this to one or two full horizontal rows of Products and no more. Research has revealed that visitors will often dive straight into an online shop by clicking an image or the menu and not scroll down to see any more content on the Homepage. With that in mind, aim to keep your Homepage nice and shallow, so a visitor does not need to scroll down to see all of its content. [/tips]

Additional Categories

Below the Master Category is the Category Management Tab, where you’ll see Additional Categories. These are any other categories where you would like this product to be displayed, which is particularly useful if the product can be related to more than one category. Using Additional Categories on your website is a great way to encourage sales and show off your product range.

To select Additional Categories for your product to be displayed within, as with the Master Category, simply click the green plus symbol to open any category folders to see subcategories, and tick the box next to the most appropriate for your product, before saving your changes as usual:

The process of Category Managing your Products can also be completed using spreadsheets and the Import/Export System. Click here for the Guide - you will need to have installed the Import/Export System before you begin. 

[tips] Don’t forget! You can add Products to the Homepage as Featured Products - instead of assigning them to the Homepage as their Master or an Additional Category, Featured Products display on the Homepage under their own header and are a great way of showing off new Products or discounted items on the Homepage. Click here for the Guide. [/tips]

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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Account Manager or Customer Support, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm on the weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions board. If you have a non-account specific question ask the EKM Team, join us in EKM Community.  [/contact]