Products vs Materials in shopVOX Pro

Crystal Richard Updated by Crystal Richard

Understanding Products and Materials in shopVOX PRO

Overview

This video explains one of the most important concepts in shopVOX PRO: the difference between a Product and a Material.

Related Video Link: Products vs Materials

Understanding this distinction is critical before building products, importing materials, or working on pricing. Once these concepts are clear, the rest of the product-building process becomes much easier.

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What is a Product?

In shopVOX PRO, a Product represents the finished item that you sell to your customer.

Example

A shop produces a rigid sign using:

  • 6mm DiBond
  • Printed vinyl
  • Laminate

The Product is not the DiBond, vinyl, or laminate individually.

The Product is:

Rigid Sign with Digitally Printed Graphics

This finished sign is the item being sold to the customer.

How shopVOX Differs from Other Systems

Many accounting systems and industry-specific competitors may treat products differently. In shopVOX PRO, products are built around the finished good rather than the raw materials.

For example:

❌ Product = 6mm DiBond

✅ Product = Rigid Sign with Digitally Printed Graphics

The Recipe Analogy

A helpful way to think about products in shopVOX PRO is to compare them to a recipe.

Product = Chicken Parmesan

Imagine you're cooking Chicken Parmesan.

The finished meal is the product.

Materials = Ingredients

The ingredients represent your materials, such as:

  • Chicken breast
  • Flour
  • Breading
  • Cheese
  • Sauce

In shopVOX PRO, materials work the same way:

  • DiBond
  • Vinyl
  • Laminate
  • Corrugated plastic
  • Aluminum

These are all materials used to create the finished product.

Labor = Instructions

The recipe instructions represent labor.

Examples include:

  • Breading the chicken
  • Sautéing the chicken
  • Baking the dish

In shopVOX PRO, labor might include:

  • Design time
  • Printing time
  • Finishing time
  • Installation preparation

Machines = Equipment

Machines are similar to the kitchen equipment used while cooking.

Examples might include:

  • Printers
  • CNC routers
  • Cutters
  • Laminators

Understanding the Bill of Materials (BOM)

The Bill of Materials is essentially the recipe for your product.

When building a product, you can define:

Materials

Examples:

  • 6mm DiBond
  • Specific vinyl types
  • Laminate (optional or required)

Labor

Examples:

  • Printing labor
  • Finishing labor
  • Assembly labor

Machines (Pro Version)

Examples:

  • Printer time
  • Router time
  • Laminator time

Together, these components create the complete recipe for your finished product.

Material Selection Options

Products can include selectable options that allow users to choose different materials.

Example:

A rigid sign product may allow selection of:

  • 6mm DiBond
  • Alternative substrates
  • Different vinyl types
  • Optional laminate

These options help standardize quoting while still providing flexibility.

Labor and Machine Measurements

shopVOX PRO allows labor and machines to be measured in different ways.

Labor Can Be Measured By

  • Units
  • Hours
  • Minutes

Machines Can Be Measured By

  • Units
  • Hours
  • Minutes

This flexibility allows products to reflect real-world production processes.

Material Pricing Methods

Materials do not always have to use the same pricing structure.

Examples include:

Square Foot Pricing

Used for materials sold by area.

Examples:

  • Vinyl
  • Sheet goods
  • Sign panels

Linear Foot Pricing

Used for materials sold by length.

Examples:

  • Trim
  • Extrusions
  • Banner hem tape

The pricing structure should reflect how the material is purchased and consumed in production.

Many industry standard materials are in your shopVOX account from the moment it was created.

Product Structure Is Flexible

There is no single "correct" way to build products in shopVOX PRO.

Some products may contain:

  • Materials only

Others may contain:

  • Materials
  • Labor
  • Machines

Some pricing structures may already include labor costs within the material pricing, while others may track every production step separately.

The system is flexible enough to support different business models and workflows.

The system can have a mix of very intricate products for complex items that are time intensive and extremely custom when it is needed, yet keep pricing simple and streamlined for the rest of the products that are more predictable and are known to be profitable. It is not always necessary to get into the weeds, unless you want or need to.

Before You Start Uploading Materials

Before importing materials or creating products, make sure everyone involved understands:

  1. What a product is.
  2. What a material is.
  3. How products are assembled from materials, labor, and machines.
  4. How your shop wants to structure pricing.

❌ Do not simply import a list of materials prematurely.

✅ We highly recommend waiting to import any materials into shopVOX until discussing it with your Implementation Specialist.

A Note About Pricing

Pricing is extremely important, but during onboarding the primary goal is to first learn:

  • How shopVOX PRO works.
  • How shopVOX can be customized.
  • How workflows are configured and drive production management.

THEN

  • Build Products and Pricing

Shops begin seeing operational improvements before completing their initial pricing setup because they gain:

  • Increased efficiency
  • Better workflow visibility
  • More streamlined processes
  • A stronger understanding of the platform

As users become more familiar with the system, they are typically able to build more effective products and pricing models.

Next Steps

During onboarding, the implementation team will work with you when the time is right to:

  • Understand your products
  • Organize materials
  • Build Bills of Materials (BOMs) starting with simple BOMs and moving to more complexity over time
  • Configure labor and machine rates
  • Establish pricing strategies

During your implementation, all questions should be directed to your Implementation Specialist via the GuideCX Messages tab. This ensures your specific site configurations are considered before making any changes. Access to the general Support team will be granted once your implementation is complete and you have graduated to the Support phase.

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