In Odoo 18 Sales, the Product Categories feature allows you to organize products efficiently, making it easier to manage operations and locate items through category-based filtering. This feature is accessible from the Configuration menu in the Inventory module.
The Product Categories window displays pre-configured categories, such as All, Consumable, Deliveries, Rental, Saleable, Internal, External, and more. Users can create new product categories by clicking the New button, which opens a configuration window.
In this window, users can specify the category name and its Parent Category. The Logistics tab allows defining the Routes of operation for the product category and setting a Force Removal Strategy. This strategy can override the source location rules for product removal within the category. Additionally, the Reserve Packaging feature offers two options: Reserve Only Full Packaging, which reserves full packaging units only, and Reserve Partial Packaging, which reserves available units even if full packaging isn’t possible.
Under the Inventory Valuation tab, users can choose a Costing Method for the product category. Odoo provides three options: Standard Price (valuing products at their standard cost), Average Cost (AVCO, which uses weighted average cost), and First-In-First-Out (FIFO, assuming the first stock entries are sold or used first).
Furthermore, the product category window includes smart buttons that provide quick access to details about the products configured under a category and the associated Putaway Rules. These features ensure streamlined management of products and their associated operational and accounting processes.