## Categories

The **Categories** feature in fabric Dropship allows retailers to group products together and apply different commission rates by category. Categories can then be used when creating [Commission Profiles](https://developer.fabric.inc/v3/dropship/dropship-retailers/settings/commission-profiles) to maximize revenue and manage supplier partnerships more effectively.

## Accessing Categories

1. Click your business name in the menu at the top of the page in Dropship and click **Merchant Settings**. The **Merchant Settings** page is displayed.
2. Click **Categories**.

The **Categories** page displays a table of all categories you’ve created:

| Field             | Example Value        |
|-------------------|---------------------|
| ID                | 101                 |
| Category Name     | Apparel             |
| Number of Items   | 245                 |
| Updated At        | Feb 1, 2023, 12:07 |

Each row also includes a **⋮ (ellipsis menu)** with options to:

- **Rename**: Update the category name.
- **Delete**: Remove the category (only available if no items are assigned).
- **View Items**: See all products in the category (same as clicking the category name link).

## Creating a Category

1. From the **Categories** page, click **Add New Category**. The **Create Category** window is displayed.
2. Enter a **Category Name**.
3. Click **Save**.

The category is added to the table on the **Categories** page.

Category names must be unique.

## Adding Products to a Category

Categories are set as product attributes in Dropship, similar to a product name, description, or color. To assign products to a category, include the **Category** attribute in the CSV file you import into Dropship. For more details, see [Import Products & Attributes](https://developer.fabric.inc/v3/dropship/dropship-retailers/products/import-products-attributes).

## Visibility to Suppliers

Suppliers can see:

- All the categories you create.
- Any products you assign to those categories.

This ensures transparency and alignment across your catalog.

## Best Practices

- **Keep categories broad enough** to be meaningful across multiple suppliers (for example, **Apparel**, **Electronics**), but not so broad that commission differences can’t be applied effectively.
- **Use categories strategically for commissions**: Set higher or lower commission rates based on product type and margin.
- **Keep names clear and consistent** so that suppliers and your team understand what belongs in each category (for example, **Women’s Footwear** rather than **WF**).
- **Review and clean up categories regularly** to prevent unused or duplicate categories from cluttering your catalog.
- **Align categories with reporting needs**: design them in a way that supports the sales and compliance reports you’ll want to generate.