In this section, we will show how to add, update, view, and archive your items. Catalog items can be used to itemize imports POs, bills and/or GRNs as well as for creating new POs or bills.
The Catalog tab is where you would go to input and manage all item details for goods and services purchased from your vendors. With the ability to add items both through Quickbooks sync and manually within the Catalog tab, it is the one-stop-shop for organizing and accessing your items.
Manually add a catalog item
Navigate to the Catalog tab.
Click on the "Add new item" button at the top.
A new form will appear where you can enter all the necessary details for your item such as:
Item Name
Vendor
Description of Item
Unit Price
SKU
You can also add Properties to each item, which will allow you to add your specific customizations. Examples would be size or color. If you use these properties across multiple catalog items, you can save those as templates. To create either, click on the Properties tab when you have the Add an Item window open.
Select Add Custom Property to create a property that will apply to that item only.
Select Manage Property Template to create a template you can apply to multiple catalog items. Next, click Add Property Template then add Property Name (i.e. sizes) and add individual values (i.e. Small, Medium, etc.). Click Save. When applying Properties, you can now choose that template that applies to that vendor from the dropdown.
Now that you have variations for the items, you can also toggle the option to 'Varies per Variation' on both SKU and price. This will allow you to set a distinct option for either of these fields on this unit.
Next, add expense category and class to your item for quick syncing to your accounting software. You can also add Class and Location to further refine your items.
After adding an item, it will appear in your Catalog list. If you need to make any edits, simply select the item from the list and click the "Edit" button in the top right corner.
With the Catalog, you can easily stay organized and keep track of all your items purchased from vendors. This will not only make filling out purchase orders easier, but it will also give you better control and visibility over your inventory.
Categories in Settle
When looking at your Catalog, you will see the "Category" field populated only from the Shopify integration. Otherwise, we recommend using Labels to manage and categorize products and variants.
If you're not using Shopify Categories, we recommend hiding the Category column.
Categories from Quickbooks or other Accounting systems are labeled "Expense Categories" in Settle.
SKU management
Stock keeping units, informally known as SKUs, are codes used to keep track of individual inventory units and components. Please note that all SKUs must be unique and not blank across a business. To edit the SKU, click into a Catalog Item and edit the text. Changes will be autosaved.
There are four main types of SKUs that Settle uses to keep track of inventory and purchasing documents:
SKU: The identifier that you use internally to identify an item. This must be unique and not blank.
Vendor SKU: The identifier that your supplier (or vendor) uses to identify a particular item. This is sometimes also referred to as a Manufacturer Code.
Channel SKU: The identifier that a particular sales channel uses to identify an item (e.g. What this item is called on Shopify or FBA?). This is sometimes also referred to as a Sales SKU.
Warehouse SKU: The identifier that your warehouse or WMS team uses to identify a particular item. This is sometimes also referred to as a Package SKU.
Why use vendor SKUs?
Vendor SKUs are the unique relationship between Vendors and SKUs. In addition to being the primary SKU field that your vendor will see on the Purchase Order, allowing you to customize it to the Vendor's needs, it will also allow you to have multiple Vendors to the same SKU. If you order "Digital Clock and Pen" from two different manufacturers with the exact same specs, you can now track them using a single Catalog Item in Settle, allowing you to keep a pulse on your costs over time across all suppliers.
Create a new vendor SKU
To add a SKU to a Vendor, you'll need:
the SKU
the Vendor SKU
the Lead Time for the SKU
the Unit Cost from your supplier
The Lead Time should factor in travel time and manufacturing time.
The Unit Cost will be used when cutting an ordering document. If you have tiered pricing, use the most expensive pricing.
Adding a new Vendor SKU:
From the Purchasing Tab on the Catalog Item, select "Add Purchase Source."
Select an existing Vendor.
Add the lead time, factoring in typical travel and manufacturing time.
Add unit cost in USD.
Add multiple vendors to a SKU with vendor SKUs
You can leverage vendor SKUs to add multiple Vendors to the same Settle SKU. Follow the instructions for Creating a new Vendor SKU and add the new Vendor. You can do this even if you are using the same identifier for the item as you do with an existing Vendor.
Edit a vendor SKU
Changes can be made to the Catalog Item or the Variant directly. To edit the catalog item, edit the Purchasing Tab for the Catalog Item.
To only edit information for a specific Variant, click on the Variant first in the table view on the left and then edit that Variant's information on the Purchasing Tab for the Variant.
Updating the SKU will not update the Vendor SKU. Updating the Vendor SKU will not update the SKU.
QBO and Catalog Items
Through the automated sync, you can also add Catalog items directly from your QBO account. This is especially helpful if you would like to mass import Catalog items to Settle. Using the QBO CSV import tool, you can mass import your products via Tools > Import Data > Products & Services within your QBO account.
Note: if you are using Variations on items within Settle, please note that these will appear as distinct items within your Quickbooks catalog.