Introducing Product Catalogue: Speed Up Your Purchase Order Creation

We're excited to announce a feature that many of you have been asking for – the Product Catalogue! If you've ever found yourself typing the same product details over and over again when creating purchase orders, your days of repetitive data entry are officially over.

What Is the Product Catalogue?

The Product Catalogue is your centralized library of products and services that you regularly purchase. Think of it as your go-to reference guide that stores all the important details about each item – SKU codes, descriptions, pricing, VAT rates, suppliers, and more. Once you've added a product to your catalogue, you can instantly pull it into any purchase order with just a single click.

No more hunting through old emails to find that specific product code. No more manually typing descriptions and prices. Just quick, accurate purchase orders every time.

Why You'll Love It

Save Time (Lots of It)

Let's be honest – creating purchase orders can be tedious, especially when you're ordering the same items regularly. With the Product Catalogue, what used to take several minutes of typing and double-checking now takes seconds. Click "Add from catalogue," select your products, and you're done. The time savings really add up when you're processing multiple orders each week.

Reduce Errors

We've all been there: you accidentally type £50 instead of £500, or you mix up similar product codes. When you're manually entering data, mistakes happen. The Product Catalogue eliminates these errors by storing the correct information once and reusing it consistently. Your pricing stays accurate, your VAT rates are always correct, and your product descriptions are standardized across all your purchase orders.

Maintain Consistency

If you work with a team, you know how challenging it can be to keep product information consistent. Is it "Office Chair – Black" or "Black Office Chair"? Does that component cost £19.99 or £20.00? The Product Catalogue ensures everyone on your team is working from the same playbook, making your purchasing data cleaner and your reporting more reliable.

Build Your Product Library Over Time

The more you use the Product Catalogue, the more valuable it becomes. Start by adding your most frequently ordered items, and gradually build out your library. Before you know it, you'll have a comprehensive catalogue that covers most of your regular purchases.

How to Get Started

Adding Products to Your Catalogue

Getting started with the Product Catalogue is straightforward. Here's how to add your first products:

Navigate to Product Catalogue – You'll find it in the left sidebar of your Appcrual dashboard.

Click "Add New" – This opens the new product form where you can enter all the relevant details.

Fill in the Product Details:

Supplier – Select which supplier provides this product

Name – Give your product a clear, descriptive name

Description – Add any additional details that will help identify the product

SKU – Enter the product code or SKU

Unit Price – Set the default price for this item

Item Type – Choose whether this is sold in Units, Hours, or another measure

VAT Rate – Select the appropriate VAT rate

Currency – Set your currency (GBP, EUR, USD, etc.)

Status – Mark the product as Active or Inactive

Save Your Product – Click "Create New Product" and your item is now in your catalogue!

Importing Products in Bulk

Already have a spreadsheet with your product list? No problem! You can import multiple products at once using the CSV import feature:

Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the "Add New" button

Select "Import CSV"

Upload your CSV file with product details

Review and confirm the import

This is perfect if you're migrating from another system or if you have a large product catalogue to set up. You can also export your existing catalogue to CSV at any time for backup or reporting purposes.

Using the Catalogue in Purchase Orders

This is where the magic happens. Creating a purchase order with catalogue products is incredibly fast:

Start a New Purchase Order – Click "Add New" from the Purchase Orders page.

Fill in the Basic Details – Select your supplier, add your order number, set dates, and any other standard information.

Click "Add from Catalogue" – In the Items section, you'll see a button labeled "Add from catalogue" (it's right next to the regular "Add item" button).

Select Your Products – A modal window will pop up showing all your active catalogue products. You can:

Browse through the full list

Use the search bar to find specific items

Filter by supplier to see only products from your selected vendor

Add Products with One Click – Simply click the green "Add" button next to any product, and it's instantly added to your purchase order with all the details pre-filled: name, description, unit type, price, and VAT rate.

Adjust Quantities – Once products are added, just enter the quantity you need for each line item. The system automatically calculates subtotals, VAT, and the total order value.

Complete Your Order – Add any notes or terms, review the totals, and click "Create new purchase order."

What used to take 10-15 minutes of manual entry now takes 2-3 minutes. You can create accurate purchase orders in a fraction of the time.

Real-World Use Cases

For Regular Suppliers: If you order from the same suppliers weekly or monthly, add all their products to your catalogue once. Creating future orders becomes a breeze – just select the items you need and adjust quantities.

For Service-Based Businesses: Add your standard service offerings (consulting hours, design packages, maintenance contracts) with their hourly or fixed rates. When you need to create a purchase order for outsourced work, your services are ready to go.

For Multi-Currency Operations: Store products in different currencies and switch between them as needed. Perfect for businesses that work with international suppliers.

For Teams: Keep your entire team aligned with standardized product information. Everyone pulls from the same catalogue, ensuring consistency across all purchase orders.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Product Catalogue

Start Small: Begin with your top 20-30 most frequently ordered items. You can always expand later.

Use Clear Naming: Give products descriptive names that are easy to search for. "Office Chair - Ergonomic, Black" is better than just "Chair."

Keep Prices Updated: When supplier prices change, update your catalogue. This ensures your purchase orders reflect current costs.

Use the Active/Inactive Status: Don't delete discontinued products – just mark them as inactive. This keeps your historical data intact while cleaning up your active catalogue view.

Leverage Descriptions: Add useful notes in the description field – part numbers, color codes, size specifications, or anything else that helps identify the exact product.

What's Next?

The Product Catalogue is available to all Appcrual users right now. Log in and give it a try – we think you'll love how much time it saves.

We're always listening to your feedback and looking for ways to improve. If you have ideas for making the Product Catalogue even better, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to our support team at contact@appcrual.com or use the help widget in your dashboard.

Happy purchasing, and here's to spending less time on data entry and more time growing your business!

Need help getting started? Check out our Getting Started Guide or contact our support team. We're here to help!