Create Product Templates
Product templates are the made-to-order products you sell. Each template describes one product, such as a sofa model, with its vendor, category, base price, and the options a customer can choose. When a sales rep adds a template to a quote or order, they configure it into one specific product (for example, the Linden Sofa in Sage Velvet with Feather Blend cushions), and OrderPilot works out the price and lead time.
Templates live on the Products page in the top navigation. Each active template also has one matching product in your Shopify catalog, which OrderPilot creates and keeps up to date (see Products & Shopify Sync).
This article explains how to add a template, set it up in the template editor, attach and price its options, and activate it.
Before You Start#
A few minutes of planning here will save you from editing templates after your team starts using them.
Do you have your vendors set up?#
Every template needs at least one vendor, the supplier who builds it. If your vendors aren't in OrderPilot yet, see Create Vendors. (If your store renamed “Vendor”, for example to “Supplier”, the template fields use your term.)
Do you have your categories and options set up?#
Categories help staff find the template, and options are the choices a customer makes. You can create both later, but it's quicker to have them ready. See Create Categories and Create Options.
Will several templates share the same options?#
If many templates offer the same set of options, create a bundle first. You can start a new template from a bundle and skip attaching options one by one.
How to Add a Product Template?#
Step 1: From the OrderPilot dashboard, click “Products” in the top navigation.
Step 2: Click “Add template” to open the Add product template dialog.
Step 3: Enter a Title. This is the name sales reps search for when adding a product, so make it specific, for example “Linden Sofa”.
Step 4: Search for and select the Vendor who builds this product. Title and vendor are the only required fields.
Step 5: Choose a Category (optional).
Step 6: Enter a Base price (optional). This is the price before any option adds to it.
Step 7: Under Start from these bundles, tick any bundles whose options this template should use. Bundles bring their options, values, and rules with them.
Step 8: Click “Add template”. OrderPilot creates the template as a draft and opens it in the template editor.
Note: A new template starts as a Draft. Sales reps can't add it to orders, and nothing is sent to Shopify, until you activate it. This gives you time to finish the setup first.
Set Up the Template in the Editor#
The template editor opens whenever you click a template on the Products page. Make changes in any card, then click “Save” in the save bar at the top of the page.
Template Details#
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Title | The template's name. |
| Vendors | Required. One or more vendors who can build this product. If there are several, the sales rep chooses one when adding the template to an order. |
| Category | One or more categories for this template. |
| Base price | The selling price before options. |
| Base cost | What the product costs you before options. Leave it empty if you don't know it yet. Option costs are set per value. |
| SKU prefix | Optional. The start of the SKU used for this product. |
| Status | Active or Draft. Only active templates can be added to orders. |
| Purchase orders | Do not create stock or Create stock: what extra units ordered for this template do by default on a purchase order. An option can override it, and a buyer can change it on each purchase order. This setting saves as soon as you change it. |
Note: A template must keep at least one vendor. If you remove the last one, saving is blocked until you select another.
Options#
The Options card lists every option this template offers, with its type, how many values are offered, whether inventory is tracked, warranty, and lead time. Options that come from a bundle are marked with the bundle's colour, and From bundles lists the bundles this template follows.
To attach options or a bundle:
Step 1: Click “Add option or bundle”.
Step 2: On the Options tab, tick the options to add, or open the Bundles tab and choose a bundle. To make a brand-new option, click “Create new”.
Step 3: Click “Attach selected”. Options attached here are added to this template only. To add an option to many templates at once, put it in a bundle.
To set how an option works on this template, click “Manage” on its row. The dialog is titled with the option and template, for example “Fabric on Linden Sofa”:
- When ordering: Required or Optional on this template.
- Shown: Always, or conditional. Click “Edit rules” to show this option only when another option has a certain value, or to narrow its values by another option.
- Values table: Tick Offer for each value this template offers, or use “Offer all” and “Clear all”. Type a Price, Cost, or Lead time to override the option's default for this template only, and use the reset icon to go back to the default. Tick Starts as on the value that should already be selected when the template goes on an order.
- Add value: Adds a new value to the shared option without leaving the template.
- A value is added to (option) and A value is edited or removed: Decide what happens to this template when someone changes the shared option for the whole store. Choose whether new values are Offered straight away or Added but not offered, and whether edits Follow the change or Keep what is here.
Click “Save” in the dialog to apply your changes. An option changed on this template shows a Changed badge.
Each option row also has a ⋯ menu with Move up, Move down, Where a figure comes from (shows whether a price or cost comes from the option's default or from this template), and Remove from template.
Note: For an option without values (such as Text or Number), use Starts as in the Manage dialog to fill in a value that's already there when the template goes on an order.
Additional Terms & Conditions#
Click “Add terms” under Additional terms & conditions to add wording printed on every quote and order that includes this template, after your standard terms. Terms set on the template's category print separately, before these. Quotes already signed keep their wording.
Warranty, Lead Time, and Costs#
The right side of the editor shows:
- Warranty: The warranty a new order would get for this product. Click “Review warranty” to change it, and check Require a serial number if each fulfilled unit needs a serial number. See Warranty & Serial Numbers.
- Lead time: The longest lead time among the values this template offers. Options are chosen in parallel, so their lead times don't add up. Lead times are set per value on the option or overridden in Manage.
- Cost cards: Once you've received this product on purchase orders, cards show its current cost and the history of what it actually cost. See PO Costs & Landed Cost.
More Details#
Click “More details” at the top of the editor to open Template details, where you can edit:
- Description: The product description. It's also used as the description of the template's Shopify product.
- Media: Product images. Click the image to add or change images.
- Manual Review: When on, any quote or order that includes this template is marked as needing review. See Review Quotes & Orders.
- Template visibility: Which locations (or brands) can use this template. Keep all locations, or pick specific ones.
Click “Save details” to save.
How to Activate a Template?#
When the template is ready, click “Activate” at the top of the editor. OrderPilot:
- Makes the template available to sales reps on the web app and Shopify POS, at the locations it's visible to.
- Creates the template's product in your Shopify catalog. The badge next to the title shows Syncing, then Live once Shopify has it.
To take a template off sale, click “Deactivate”. It goes back to Draft, and its Shopify product is archived (never deleted). Orders that already include it are not affected.
You can also set Status to Active or Draft in Template details and save. See Products & Shopify Sync for what each badge means.
Other Template Actions#
The “More actions” menu at the top of the editor has:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Duplicate template | Copies every option, price, cost, lead time, and availability onto a new draft and opens it. Rename and re-price the copy, then activate it. |
| Hold back bundle changes | Locks the template so changes to its bundles stop reaching it. Everything on the template stays as it is, and you can still edit it yourself. Choose Follow bundles again to unlock it. |
| Delete template | Removes the template and the prices set on it. The shared options stay in your store. Orders and quotes that already include it don't change. |
Example: Creating the Linden Sofa#
Harlow & Finch Interiors adds its best-selling sofa:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Linden Sofa |
| Vendors | Atelier Homeworks |
| Category | Living Room › Sofas |
| Base price | 3200 |
| Base cost | 1450 |
| SKU prefix | LIN-SOFA |
| Start from these bundles | Upholstery (Fabric, Cushion Fill) |
| Extra options attached | Leg Style, Dimensions, Special Instructions |
| Purchase orders | Do not create stock |
In Manage for Fabric, they offer all three fabrics, set Starts as on Oatmeal Linen, and lower Sage Velvet to $300 on this sofa only. They make Fabric and Cushion Fill Required. Finally, they click “Activate”.
Now, when a sales rep adds the Linden Sofa to a quote for Marcus Reed, Oatmeal Linen is already selected, the rep must choose a cushion fill, and picking Sage Velvet adds $300 instead of the usual $350.
Important Notes & Tips#
The Base Price Is a Starting Point#
The base price is what the product costs in its simplest configuration. Every selected value's price is added on top.
Templates With Inactive Vendors#
If all of a template's vendors are made inactive, the template can still be added to an order, and the line shows that it has no vendor until one is chosen. If your store requires a vendor on every line, staff are asked to choose one before saving. Inactive vendors show as “(inactive)” in the editor and on the Products page.
Templates Created From an Order#
Staff can also create a template while taking an order. A template created that way is active straight away, so it can go on the order, and its Shopify product is created right then.
Deleting a Template Doesn't Affect Existing Orders#
Each order line keeps its own record of the wording and prices it was sold with. Deleting or changing a template never changes past orders.
What's Next?#
- See where your templates are listed and how they sync: Products & Shopify Sync
- Take your first order with a template: Create Quotes & Orders
Need Help?#
Sales reps not seeing a template when creating an order? Unsure how to set up options or bundles on a template? Reach out to us at support@bevycommerce.com, and we'll help you review your template setup.