🏷️ Products

By Julien·Updated August 24, 2026

Products

Products are the catalog foundation of Patio. A product defines what your organization offers for rental or sale, and it acts as the template for all related inventory units.

Why This Matters in Patio Workflow

Product setup directly affects frontline operations. If product configuration is incomplete or inconsistent, checkout becomes slower, inventory becomes harder to manage, and pricing outcomes can be unreliable.

What a Product Includes

A product typically contains shared information used across operations:

Name and description
Images and category
Rental or sale behavior
Pricing setup and policy context
Availability settings used by inventory workflows

Products describe the item type. They do not represent a physical item by themselves.

Product and Inventory Relationship

One product can have multiple inventory units. This lets teams:

Standardize information once at product level
Track each physical item at inventory-unit level
Keep checkout and check-in flows accurate

Product Lifecycle in Daily Operations

Define product
- Create product with complete, consistent details.
Attach inventory
- Add inventory units that inherit product context.
Apply policy
- Ensure rental rules and pricing logic are compatible.
Operate
- Use product and unit data during checkout and return workflows.
Maintain
- Update product details when catalog, pricing, or policy changes.

Operational Best Practices

Use clear naming conventions for fast search.
Keep product descriptions accurate and concise.
Standardize categories to improve filtering.
Review product setup before creating many inventory units.

Common Mistakes

Treating products as physical stock instead of templates.
Creating inconsistent product naming across categories.
Changing product behavior without reviewing rental rule impact.