Products & Retail

Manage your retail and professional product inventory, add products with names, prices, stock levels, barcodes, brand/category details, supplier details, cost, and reorder settings so your team can sell products at checkout, create supplier orders, receive deliveries, and track products used during services.

Where to find it. Web: Sidebar → Products (under Catalogue). Mobile: More menu → Products (under Catalogue).

TL;DR

• Products lets you sell retail items at checkout alongside services, available on all plans
• Product catalogue fields include category, brand, size/measure, short description, full description, and product-level tax handling
• Barcode scanning is available from the mobile checkout product picker
• Turn Track stock on for live counts, or leave it off for unlimited availability; an empty tracked quantity starts at zero
• Owners and Managers can adjust stock, run stocktakes, create supplier purchase orders, and receive deliveries
• Web and mobile support supplier management, supplier-order authoring and receiving, stocktakes, service-usage setup, and profitability
• Professional-use products can be attached to services for usage and profitability tracking
• Stock at 0 disables the product at checkout, team members cannot add it to orders
• Only Owners and Managers can manage products; Staff can add them to orders but not create or edit them

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Overview

Products & Retail lets you:

• Add products with a name, managed category, managed brand, size/measure, descriptions, price, SKU, barcode, image, tax handling, cost, managed supplier, reorder settings, Retail / Professional / Both use, and optional stock tracking
• Sell products at checkout alongside services and gift cards
• Scan product barcodes from the mobile checkout product picker
• Track stock levels with automatic low-stock and out-of-stock warnings
• Adjust stock with a reason and keep an immutable stock ledger
• Create supplier purchase orders, generate email/CSV/print outputs, and receive deliveries into stock
• Run stocktakes and review variance cost impact
• Attach professional-use products to services and review service profitability
• View a compact operational summary for product, low-stock, out-of-stock, and retail stock value
• Archive products without affecting existing orders or immutable stock history

Products are available on all plans, there is no PRO requirement.

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The products dashboard

Products is organised into four workspaces on web and mobile:

• Catalogue — create, search, filter, edit, archive, and restore products
• Stock — review low, out-of-stock, or untracked products and run stocktakes
• Orders — manage suppliers and supplier orders from draft through receiving
• Usage & margin — configure service product usage and review profitability

Staff see Catalogue and delegated active-stocktake work. Orders, suppliers, and Usage & margin are shown only to Owners and Managers.

Operational summary and views

The catalogue shows a compact summary of active products, low-stock products, out-of-stock products, and retail stock value. Use the view pills to switch between All, Low, Out, Untracked, Missing details, and Archived. Missing-details guidance explains which workflow each optional field affects rather than treating every optional field as required.

On mobile, Add product remains the primary Catalogue header action. Supplier management is available from the secondary header menu, while Stocktake, Orders, and Usage & margin retain visible native navigation.

Toolbar

Action	What it does
Search	Filter products by name, SKU, barcode, brand, supplier, category, size, or description
Add product	Open the create product form
Manage suppliers	Open supplier contacts, ordering details, low-stock counts, and supplier order actions

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Adding a product

Step 1: Open the create form

1. Go to Products in the sidebar (web) or More → Products (mobile).
2. Click + Add Product (web) or tap the add button (mobile).

Step 2: Fill in the product details

Field	Required	Notes
Product Image	No	Square image, cropped to 1:1, saved as 512×512 WebP. Web only.
Product Name	Yes	What customers see on receipts (e.g. "Cleansing Shampoo 250ml")
Price	Yes	In your local currency. Tax label varies: "Excluding GST" (AU/NZ) or "Excluding VAT" (UK)
Category	No	Managed category such as Colour, Backbar, Retail, or Disposables. Matching names are linked together across web and mobile.
Measure / unit	No	Structured size such as 250 ml, 12.5 g, or 1 unit. Product names display the size only when it is not already in the name.
Short description	No	Short internal/import description used for product search and future retail surfaces.
Description	No	Longer client-facing product description for future retail surfaces.
Product tax	No	Venue default, no tax, or custom product tax rate. Venue default keeps existing checkout behaviour.
Product use	No	Retail appears at checkout, Professional is used by services, and Both supports both workflows. Defaults to Retail.
Track stock	No	Turn on to manage a live quantity. Leave off for unlimited availability without stock warnings.
Starting Stock	No	Shown while creating a tracked product, or when enabling tracking for the first time. Leaving it empty starts at zero.
SKU (Optional)	No	Stock keeping unit code (e.g. "SHAM-250")
Barcode	No	Used by the mobile scanner at checkout and during stocktake counting
Cost	No	Used for inventory value, variance cost, and service profitability
Brand	No	Brand name used for faster product search and supplier ordering
Supplier	No	Managed supplier record used by supplier orders and reorder lists
Reorder settings	No	Per-product low-stock threshold and reorder quantity

On web and mobile, stock tracking is controlled by a Track stock toggle. A Starting stock quantity field appears while creating a tracked product or enabling tracking for the first time. After that, the current quantity is read-only in product details and changes go through Stock control.

Managed categories preserve existing stock-category labels for stocktake and supplier-order compatibility. If a product only has an older stock-category value, OpenChair keeps it readable while linking future edits to the managed category.

Step 3: Save

Click Add Product (web) or tap Add Product (mobile). The product appears in your product list immediately.

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Editing a product

On web

1. Find the product in the products table.
2. Click the labelled Edit action on the product row.
3. Update any field in the product sheet.
4. Click Save Changes.

On mobile

1. Tap the product in the product list.
2. Update any field in the edit form.
3. Tap Save Changes.

On iPad, the products page uses a master-detail layout, tap a product on the left to edit its details in a side panel without navigating away.

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Stock tracking

Stock levels are tracked automatically when you turn on Track stock for a product.

How stock works

Event	What happens
Order completed	Stock is decremented by the quantity sold (atomically)
Order voided	Stock is refunded (incremented back)
Stock reaches 0	Product shows as "Out of stock", disabled in the checkout product picker
Track stock is off	Product is treated as unlimited, always available, no warnings

Stock badges

Products display a stock badge based on their current level:

Stock level	Badge	Colour
Unlimited (tracking off)	"Unlimited" / "∞"	Neutral
Above threshold	"{count} in stock"	Default
Low stock	"{count} in stock, low"	Warning (yellow)
0 (out of stock)	"Out of stock"	Destructive (red)

Stock validation at checkout

When a team member adds a product to an order, the system checks that enough stock is available. If the requested quantity exceeds the available stock, the add is rejected with an error message: "Not enough stock, reduce quantity."

Stock adjustments

Owners and Managers change tracked stock through Stock control with a reason such as received, damaged, lost, recount, return, professional use, or manual. The normal product-details save action does not directly overwrite an established stock count. Every movement records before/after quantities, delta, reason, actor, venue, source record, optional note, and timestamp in the immutable Stock history.

Low stock and reorder levels

Each product can use its own reorder threshold. If no product threshold is set, OpenChair uses the venue's low-stock threshold. Reorder quantities use the explicit product reorder quantity when present, otherwise OpenChair suggests enough units to return above the threshold.

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Supplier orders and receiving

Supplier orders are the stock operations loop for buying and receiving products without running a fresh stocktake.

Create a supplier order

1. Go to Products -> Orders.
2. Click New supplier order.
3. Choose an active supplier. Add or edit suppliers from Products -> Suppliers.
4. Start from low-stock products for that supplier, or create a blank order.
5. Search the products carried by that supplier by name, SKU, barcode, brand, or category.
6. Add products, adjust quantities and cost snapshots, then save the draft.
7. Use Copy email text on web or Share order text on mobile for concise purchasing copy. The text includes the purchase-order reference, product identifiers, quantities, optional order note, and a request for delivery confirmation; it excludes stock, category, brand, and pricing.
8. Use CSV or web print when you need the detailed commercial record, then select Mark as ordered after reviewing the line items.

Draft line totals are calculated from quantity and unit cost. Use Override total only when the supplier provides a different line total; clearing the override restores the calculated value.

Receive a delivery

1. Open an ordered or partially received supplier order.
2. Click or tap Receive delivery.
3. OpenChair pre-fills every remaining line as fully received.
4. Change only exceptions. Every shortfall requires an explicit Keep open or Close short choice.
5. Over-delivery requires a separate confirmation and receipt note.
6. Commit the receipt. On mobile, the pinned Receive units action remains visible above the keyboard while quantities or notes are edited.

Mobile keeps changed receiving quantities, decisions, and notes on that device for up to 24 hours so an interrupted receipt can be recovered. Committing or explicitly discarding the receipt clears the saved draft.

When the receipt is committed, stock updates immediately and the stock ledger records a linked received adjustment for every received line. The supplier order keeps the full audit trail, receipt lines, missing/backordered quantities, closed-short decisions, and export history.

Staff can view product information but cannot create, order, cancel, or receive supplier orders.

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Selling products at checkout

Products can be added to any order during checkout, whether it originated from a booking or is a walk-in sale.

Adding a product to an order

1. Open or create an order at checkout.
2. Click + Add Item and select a product (web), or tap the product picker (mobile).
3. Choose the product and set the quantity.
4. The product is added as a line item on the order.

On mobile, the Product Picker sheet shows all active products with a search bar and quantity stepper. Products are sorted with in-stock items first, followed by out-of-stock items (which are greyed out and disabled).

The product's price is captured at the time it is added to the order. If you later change the product's price, existing order items are unaffected.

Barcode scanning

On mobile checkout, tap the scan action in the product picker and point the camera at the product barcode.

Scan result	What happens
One match	The product is added to the cart with quantity 1
Multiple matches	A picker shows matching products with name, price, stock, and image when available
No match	The barcode is saved for Owner/Manager review and checkout remains usable
Camera blocked	Use the manual search fallback

Professional-only products do not appear in the normal checkout picker or checkout barcode scan results.

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Reorder lists

Go to Products -> Reorder to review tracked products at or below their reorder levels.

The reorder view groups selected products by supplier. You can export a CSV for all selected rows, copy an email draft, or open a mail draft when the supplier email is present. Generated rows include supplier, product, SKU, barcode, current stock, reorder quantity, and unit cost when known. Creating a reorder export records an audit event; it does not mean an order has been placed with the supplier.

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Stocktakes

Go to Products -> Stocktakes to start a count of tracked products.

Owners and Managers start a stocktake and choose its counting mode. Blind counting hides expected quantities until Review so counters record what they physically find; Guided counting shows expected quantities while counting. Blind is selected by default. A venue can have one active Draft or Review stocktake at a time.

Team members can enter counts on web or mobile, but only Owners and Managers can move the stocktake into Review, resolve conflicts, cancel it, or commit it. Review and commit are available on web and mobile. Counts are locked during Review; choose Return to counting to make corrections.

If sales, receipts, or other stock changes occur while a stocktake is open, choose Refresh affected rows. OpenChair keeps unaffected counts, updates only the changed baselines, and asks for those products to be recounted. Products that became inactive are excluded with an audit record. Cancelling preserves the saved count history but does not change product stock.

Mobile barcode counting increments a product only after the saved count is confirmed. A failed, out-of-scope, or conflicting scan is not reported as successful. When committed, OpenChair writes recount adjustments for every variance and updates product stock.

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Professional product usage

Products can be marked as:

Type	Behaviour

Set Product use to Retail for checkout-only products, Professional for service-use products, or Both when a product supports both workflows. Configure whole-unit service consumption from Products -> Usage & margin on web, phone, or tablet. When checkout containing that service is completed, OpenChair records the product usage. If the product has tracked stock and enough units are available, stock is decremented and a professional-use stock ledger row is written.

Service profitability uses only rows with known product cost for margin calculations. Unknown-cost usage is counted separately so missing cost data is visible.

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Archiving and restoring a product

Archiving a product deactivates and hides it from the product list and checkout while preserving existing orders and Stock history.

On web

1. Open the product for editing.
2. Click Archive product at the bottom of the form.
3. Confirm in the Archive product? dialog.

To bring it back, open the Archived catalogue view, open the product, and click Restore product.

On mobile

1. Open the product for editing.
2. Tap Archive product.
3. Confirm in the Archive product? sheet.

To bring it back, open Archived products, open the product, and tap Restore product.

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Role access

Role	Access
Owner / Manager	Full access, create, edit, archive products, view dashboard
Staff	View-only, can see products and add them to orders during checkout, but cannot create, edit, or archive products

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Platform differences

Feature	Web	Mobile
Navigation	Sidebar → Products (under Catalogue)	More menu → Products (under Catalogue)
Product list display	Table with columns (name, SKU, price, stock, actions)	Card list with badges
Product form	Side sheet	Full-screen form
Product image upload	Drag-and-drop with crop dialog	Not available
Master-detail (iPad)	Not applicable	Master-detail layout, tap product on left, edit on right
Metrics cards	3 cards (Total, Low Stock, Inventory Value)	4 cards (Total, Low Stock, Out of Stock, Inventory Value)
Stock filter	Search only	Tappable Low Stock / Out of Stock cards to filter
Checkout product picker	Quick-add menu with search	Bottom sheet with search and quantity stepper
Keyboard shortcuts	-	Cmd+N (new), Cmd+R (refresh), Escape (close detail pane)
Archive and restore	Archive product? dialog; restore from Archived	Archive product? sheet; restore from Archived products

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Product not showing at checkout	Check that the product is not archived. Archived products are hidden from the catalogue and checkout. Go to Products and verify the product appears in the list.
"Not enough stock" error when adding to order	The product's stock level is lower than the quantity you are trying to add. Reduce the quantity, or go to Products and increase the stock level on the product.
Cannot add or edit products on mobile	Only owners and managers can manage products. If you are a team member (staff role), ask the venue owner to make changes.
Product price is wrong on an order	The product price is captured when it is added to the order. Changing the product's price afterwards does not update existing order items. To correct the price, remove the item from the order and re-add it, or use the price override on the line item.
Low stock warning but stock seems fine	Low stock warnings trigger when a product is below its venue-level or per-product threshold. If your product typically has low inventory, adjust the threshold to match how you reorder.
Product image not uploading	Product images are only supported on web. Images must be JPEG, PNG, or WebP format. The image is cropped to a square and saved at 512×512 pixels.
Archived product still appears on old orders	Archiving hides the product from the catalogue and checkout but does not remove it from existing orders or Stock history. This is required to preserve the audit trail.

FAQ

What is Products & Retail?

Products & Retail lets you add retail items with names, prices, and stock levels so your team can sell them at checkout alongside services. It is available on all plans with no PRO requirement.

How does stock tracking work?

Turn on Track stock for products whose live quantity you want OpenChair to manage, then enter the current quantity. Stock decrements automatically when items are sold and refunds when orders are voided. Turn tracking off to treat a product as unlimited; leaving the quantity empty while tracking is on starts it at zero.

What happens when a product runs out of stock?

When stock reaches 0, the product shows as "Out of stock" and is disabled in the checkout product picker. Team members cannot add it to new orders until stock is replenished.

Who can create or edit products?

Only Owners and Managers can create, edit, archive, or restore products. Staff can view products and add them to orders at checkout.

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