I am trying to set up my MC inventory database. As it is, I understand that I have to set up categories in order to organize the inventory so customers can find products. However, I need to sort in more than one way.

We sell beads for making jewlery. The beads are classified by size, color, finish and product number. I want a customer to be able to sort the beads by each of the above attributes (the color, size, etc) so they can quickly find the beads they want. Categories allows me to set up the database by, for example, size, then color, then finish, and then product number, but I cannot see how, if the customer wants, to sort the products in another way, by color, then size, etc.

How can this be done?
Thanks in advance,
Wesley

Ok-
This is 100% possible in Version4.0.

Here is how i would do it. Each product can go in multiple categories so your main categories would be:

Sort by Color
Sort by Size
Sort by Finish

Your SubCategories Under Color would be:
Red
Blue
Green
Yellow

Your SubCategories Under Size would be:
1/2 inch
3/4 inch
1 inch

Your SubCategories Under Finish woule be:
Wood
Bone
Ceramic
Acrylic

and then you would file each product in all of its relevant subcategories.


You would allow them to SEARCH by product number. You can do this with the search field.


Hope this helps!
-gup

Hi guppy...thanks so much for the info, I appreciate it and will try this. If anyone else has any other out-of-the-box or clever methods to achieve the desired results sought feel free to comment. Thank you!

I think it would be easier if we could make a product group and have an option to select All categories. Right now we are only able to add product groups and apply them to a certain category.

What are the purpose of product groups exactly? What can you accomplish by using them?

Help me someone. Thanks