Category navigation menu and search index updates
Key Takeaway
Category changes, including selecting "Show In Menu", don't take effect for buyers until you update the store's search index from its "Settings | Search" page. Stores in trial orgs have "Automatic Updates" turned off by default, so you must update the index yourself or turn Automatic Updates on.
In a B2B Commerce store, buyers browse the catalog through a navigation menu built from product categories. Before categories and products show up for buyers, three things must line up: the category settings, the store's default navigation in Experience Builder, and the Commerce search index. When buyers can't see categories or products before launch, check all three.
Category settings
A category appears in store navigation only if it is marked for a menu. To mark it, open the category record from the store's "Merchandising | Categories" page and select Show In Menu.
Category structure comes from how you create categories. You place a subcategory by selecting its parent category. The sort order you assign decides where each category appears in the navigation menu and in results filters.
A store that sells office supplies has three categories: Paper with sort order 1, Pens with sort order 2, and Folders with sort order 3. They appear in that order across the Multilevel Navigation Menu. The results filters on results pages list them in the same order. Next, the admin creates a Gel Pens category and selects Pens as its parent category, so Gel Pens sits under Pens.