Overview
Custom shop categories let you curate treatments and packages into a dedicated Shop tab. Schedule start and end dates so categories appear for seasonal promotions, staff picks, or device launches, then hide them automatically when the window closes.
This article covers creating, scheduling, editing, duplicating, and deleting custom shop categories. To promote a category with banners and pop-ups, see Create a sitewide promotion with a special offer (Admin Panel) or Create a sitewide promotion without a special offer (Admin Panel).
Before You Start
Available on Professional and Executive platform tiers.
Requires Administrator, Manager, or Marketing role access.
Services you want in the category must be live in Shop. Create missing treatments or packages in Catalog -> Services first.
Recommended image sizes:
Category thumbnail: 360 x 360 px, max 2 MB
Category header image: 1170 x 1080 px, max 2 MB
Keep tab names and descriptions concise (roughly 20 to 30 characters) to avoid truncation in the app.
Why It Matters
Custom shop categories help you:
Curate seasonal or thematic menus without reordering your entire Shop catalog.
Schedule promotions in advance so categories go live and expire on the right dates.
Duplicate past categories for recurring events (for example, annual holiday sales).
Give patients a single browse path into a coordinated set of services.
How It Works
Visibility rules: Scheduled categories stay hidden until their start date. When the end date passes, the category moves to Expired and disappears from the patient app.
Placement in Shop: A live custom category appears at the top of your shop category list and adds a tab at the top of the Shop screen (before Memberships).
Multiple categories: You can create and schedule multiple custom shop categories. Only one sitewide promotion can be active at a time, but you can schedule future sitewide promotions linked to different categories.
Linking to sitewide promotions: When you create a sitewide promotion, the linked category is pre-filled if you start from the category screen. The Sitewide Promotions list also shows which category each promotion uses.
Done-For-You Promos: RepeatMD can create promotional categories for seasonal holidays when you opt in under Done-For-You Promos.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Create a custom shop category
Log in to your Admin Panel.
Open App Builder and go to the Shop Browse tab.
Scroll to Shop Categories.
Click Add a custom category.
Upload the category display image (thumbnail shown on the browse page).
Enter a category header (title shown inside the category).
Add a short description.
Upload a category header image (top of the category page).
Add the treatments and packages to include.
Set start and end dates if scheduling in advance.
Click Save.
Edit an existing category
Open App Builder → Shop Browse.
Find the category and click the pencil icon, View and promote custom category, or open the category tab at the top of the screen.
Update title, description, images, services, or schedule.
Click Save.
Duplicate a category
Go to App Builder → Shop Browse → Shop Categories.
Click Duplicate on the category you want to copy.
The duplicate opens as a draft with all settings retained.
Customize dates, services, or creative, then save and publish.
Delete a category
Go to App Builder → Shop Browse → Shop Categories.
Click the trash can icon next to the category.
Confirm deletion.
Deleted categories cannot be restored. Recreate from scratch or duplicate another category if needed.
Best Practices and Pro Tips
Schedule start and end dates for seasonal tabs so they expire cleanly without manual cleanup.
Duplicate expired categories instead of rebuilding from scratch for recurring promotions.
Keep titles short (20 to 30 characters) so tabs align correctly in the patient app.
Build the category before the sitewide promotion so dates and services are ready to link.
Opt in to Done-For-You Promos when you want RepeatMD to generate seasonal categories automatically.
Common Mistakes and FAQs
Q: What happens when a category reaches its end date?
A: It moves to Expired and is no longer visible in the patient app. You can still duplicate it for future use.
Q: Can I restore a deleted category?
A: No. Deleted categories must be recreated.
Q: How many custom shop categories can I have?
A: You can create and schedule multiple categories. Visibility follows each category’s date rules.
Q: How do sitewide promotions relate to custom categories?
A: A sitewide promotion links to a custom category to drive banner, pop-up, and hero visibility. See Create a sitewide promotion with a special offer (Admin Panel).
Q: Can I run two sitewide promotions at once?
A: Only one sitewide promotion can be active at a time. Multiple promotions can be scheduled for future dates.
Q: A service I need is not available to add. What should I do?
A: Create or publish the treatment or package in MedCommerce Engine first, then return to the category.
Next Steps and Support
Need help? Email support@repeatmd.com