How to Set Up Your Product Catalog Fast in Lebanon

Start with categories, not products

The first mistake most people make is going straight to adding products before setting up categories. Then they realize mid-way that they have no structure and everything is lumped together. Categories are the skeleton of your catalog. Set them up first. For a café: Drinks, Food, Pastries. For a clothing shop: Men, Women, Kids, Accessories. For a pharmacy: Vitamins, Skincare, Baby, OTC Medicines.

Getting categories right at the start means you assign each product to the right place during import — and your store navigation makes sense to customers from day one. If you add them later, you'll spend time going back and re-categorizing everything.

Use bulk import for 10+ products

If you have a list of products — whether it's in your head, on paper, or in an Excel file — use the bulk import grid rather than the regular product form. The bulk import grid is a spreadsheet-like table where each row is one product. You can enter dozens of products in the time it takes to manually fill out a few individual forms.

The keyboard shortcuts help: Tab to move across columns (name → category → price → stock), Enter to jump to the next row. No mouse required. Once you get into a rhythm, entering 50 products takes under an hour.

You only need three things for each product to get started: name, category, and price. Add images, descriptions, and variants afterward in the product editor. The goal is to get everything into the system first, then refine.

Take photos in batches

Product photos are one of the biggest time sinks when setting up a catalog. The mistake is taking each photo as you add each product. Instead, set up a simple photo station (good light, plain background — even a white wall works) and photograph everything in one session before you start entering products. Then upload images as you go through the bulk grid, or after the import is done.

For physical products: use natural light from a window. One angle is enough to start. For food items: photograph them fresh, at the same time of day when lighting is consistent. You can always replace photos later — a decent photo now is better than no photo.

Set pricing once, adjust later

In Lebanon, many businesses are still figuring out their pricing or dealing with fluctuating costs. Don't let pricing uncertainty stop you from launching. Set your best current prices, publish the store, and update prices when things change. Updating a price in YellowPOS takes seconds — find the product, change the number, save. You can also set both USD and LBP prices at once, and they update across your store and QR menu automatically.

If you use the compare price (the "was" price shown with a strikethrough), you can make items look like they're on sale without running a formal offer. Useful for clearing slow-moving stock or highlighting value.

Generate barcodes after importing

Once your products are in, YellowPOS can generate printable barcodes for them. Go to Products, select the items you want barcodes for, and download a print-ready barcode sheet. This is useful for retail shops that scan products at the POS rather than searching by name. You can print on any printer and stick the labels on your products or shelves.

Don't wait for perfection to go live

The most important thing is to launch. A catalog with 40 products and basic photos is infinitely more useful than a perfect catalog you haven't finished yet. Customers can start ordering, you start getting feedback on what they want, and you fill in the gaps as you go.

You can hide products from customers (by setting them as not public) while you finish adding details. So you can import everything, hide what's not ready, make the rest live, and unhide items as you complete them. This way your store is live from day one even if the catalog isn't 100% complete.

Summary

Set up categories first. Use bulk import for any catalog larger than 10 products. Batch your photography. Set prices now and update them later. Generate barcodes after importing. And launch before everything is perfect — you'll iterate faster once customers start engaging. The fastest path to a complete catalog is a working one, not a finished one.

Ready to start? Sign up for a free trial — no credit card needed. Your catalog can be live today.