How many categories should I use?

Keep it few and clear. A handful of main categories that match the retailer's logic is more useful than dozens of subcategories. Categories let the retailer filter the catalog quickly.

What should I do with an out-of-stock product?

Mark the product as out of stock so the retailer doesn't order it with the wrong expectation. If you won't sell it for a while, you can set it to inactive to hide it without removing it from the catalog.

Are SKU and barcode required?

Not required, but recommended. A SKU or barcode acts as an identity when bulk-updating products; with consistent codes, updating via Excel becomes very easy.

Do I have to add a product image?

No, it's optional. But an image makes the product easier to recognize and makes the catalog look more trustworthy. Images are served resized to an appropriate size.

How are products ranked in search?

In global search, Bayim prioritizes in-stock products first, then the lowest visible price. That's why keeping stock status current directly improves the ranking the retailer sees.

Organizing your wholesale product catalog

Why an organized catalog matters

If a retailer drowns in your catalog, they won't order. Messy naming, missing categories and vague units make it hard to find the right product; in the end they message you "you had that one, right?" and the order drifts back into chat. An organized catalog does the opposite: the retailer searches, finds, and adds to cart.

The good news is that an organized catalog doesn't require a complex inventory system. Consistently filling in a few core fields is enough.

The core fields of a product

In Bayim, every product is made up of a few simple fields. You don't have to fill them all in, but consistency makes search and ordering easier:

Every product: name, category, unit, stock status, SKU and barcode.

Product name — the name the retailer sees; keep it clear and searchable.
Category — groups products; the retailer filters quickly by category.
Unit / pack label — like "case", "each", "tin", "kg"; it ends the "cases or units" guesswork.
Stock status — in stock / out of stock; you avoid showing a sold-out item and disappointing the retailer.
SKU / product code and barcode — your own stock code and barcode; the key for bulk updates.
Image and description — optional; an image makes products easier to recognize.

Use category and unit consistently

A catalog's searchability depends largely on consistency. A few practical rules:

Keep categories few and clear. A handful of main categories that match the retailer's logic beats dozens of categories.
Standardize units. Writing the same concept sometimes as "case" and sometimes as "box" creates confusion; pick one term and stick to it.
Name products consistently. "Olive oil 5 L" and "5lt olive-oil" may not look like the same product; decide on a naming pattern.

This small discipline noticeably cleans up both the retailer's search results and your own inventory view.

Stock status and active/inactive products

Stock status lets retailers order with the right expectations. If you mark a sold-out item as out of stock, the retailer won't order it and then feel let down. Seasonal items, or ones you temporarily stop selling, can be set to inactive to hide them without removing them from the catalog, and reactivated when they return.

In Bayim's global search, in-stock products rank first, followed by the lowest visible price. So keeping stock status up to date directly improves the ordering the retailer sees.

Set up fast with Excel, manage with Bayim

You don't have to enter the catalog from scratch one by one. If you already keep a product list, you can bulk import it from Excel on Bayim and later update the same file by SKU/barcode matching. We cover bulk upload step by step in a separate guide.

Bayim is a permissioned, multi-supplier B2B ordering app for micro wholesalers and their retailers; the desk side of catalog work is most comfortable on the web (giris.bayim.app). It is currently completely free for both retailers and wholesalers, and your data is kept on EU servers, compliant with GDPR/KVKK. To start with an organized catalog, get started with Bayim.