Configuring WP Inventory Manager
Now that WP Inventory Manager is installed, the next step is to configure it for your inventory.
WP Inventory Manager gives you control over how you manage and display inventory items. You can create categories and statuses, customize labels, configure SEO-friendly URLs, and use shortcodes to control where inventory appears on your site.
This guide walks through the initial configuration step by step. We will start with the main WP Inventory dashboard.
Main Dashboard
The main WP Inventory page gives you a quick overview of your inventory. It shows your total number of items, highlights low-stock and out-of-stock items, and provides shortcuts to the main setup options.
From here, you can start by creating your inventory categories.
Categories
Categories help organize your inventory into logical groups. Go to WP Inventory → Categories to create and manage them.
For example, a rental shop might create separate categories for Skis and Snowboards. Each inventory item can then be assigned to the appropriate category.
Categories can also control which inventory items appear on different pages. For example, you can use a shortcode to display only items from a specific category.
We cover these options in more detail in the shortcode options documentation.
Statuses
Statuses describe the current state of an inventory item. They also control whether visitors can see that item on the front end.
Every inventory item has a status. By default, WP Inventory Manager includes two:
- Active – visible on the front end and available for reservation.
- Inactive – hidden from the front end and unavailable for reservation.
Using an inactive status lets you remove an item from public view without deleting it. The item keeps its record, history, and quantity, but no longer appears to visitors.
You can manage statuses under WP Inventory → Statuses.
Creating Custom Statuses
Click Edit Statuses to modify the existing statuses or create your own.
Each status can have a name, an internal description, a sort order, and a visibility setting. The visibility setting determines whether items with that status appear on the front end.
Custom statuses can make inventory management more descriptive without changing what visitors see. For example, you could create statuses for:
- Featured items
- Backordered items
- Sold items that you want to keep in your records
- Items that are currently being repaired
Once your categories and statuses are ready, the next step is to configure the plugin’s main settings.
Next step: Configure WP Inventory Manager settings →
