Create a Product with Add-Ons
Quick path: Resources → Products → + New product → Item → Set price → Link as add-on → Save
What this helps you do
Section titled “What this helps you do”Add-ons are secondary products that you attach to a main product. When a customer books the main product — a surf lesson, a dive trip, a kayak rental — they get the option to include extras like photos, insurance, wetsuit rental, or transport.
This lets you upsell without complicating your product catalog. The main product stays clean, and the extras appear as checkboxes during the booking flow in both the POS and your online booking widget.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- You already have a main product created (Flexible Sessions, Course, Rental, or Item)
- You know which extras you want to offer (e.g., photos, insurance, gear rental, transport)
- You know the price for each add-on
- You know which tax rate applies to each add-on
1. Create an Item-type product for the add-on
Section titled “1. Create an Item-type product for the add-on”Add-ons in Bloowatch are Item-type products. There is no separate “Add-On” product type — you create a regular Item and then link it to the main product.
Go to Resources > Products and click + Create new product. Select Item as the product type.
Why Item? Items are the simplest product type — no scheduling, no calendar. They represent a thing or service you sell alongside a booking: a photo package, an insurance policy, a wetsuit rental.
2. Fill in the General Information
Section titled “2. Fill in the General Information”Complete the Item creation form:
| Field | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name * | e.g. “Photo Package” | Required. This is what the customer sees during booking. |
| Short code | e.g. “PHOTO” | Optional. Abbreviation for internal use. |
| Product positioning | e.g. 10 | Optional. Sort order in catalogs — lower number = higher priority. |
| Product category | Select from dropdown | Optional. Group it with related products. |
3. Set the price
Section titled “3. Set the price”Switch to the Pricing tab and configure the add-on price:
| Field | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price (tax included) | e.g. 15 | Per-unit price. This is what the customer pays per add-on. |
| Tax rate * | Select from dropdown | Required. Select the applicable rate (e.g. “Tax 0%”, “VAT 21%”). |
Watch out: The price you enter includes tax. If your Photo Package is 15 EUR with 21% VAT, that means the pre-tax price is 12.40 EUR. Bloowatch calculates this automatically.
4. Save the Item
Section titled “4. Save the Item”Click Create item product. The Item now exists in your product catalog but it isn’t attached to anything yet — it’s just a standalone product.
5. Open the main product’s Add-Ons tab
Section titled “5. Open the main product’s Add-Ons tab”Navigate back to Resources > Products and click on the main product you want to attach this add-on to (e.g., your “2-Hour Surf Lesson”).
In the product form, switch to the Add-Ons tab.
6. Link the Item as an add-on
Section titled “6. Link the Item as an add-on”In the Add-Ons tab, click + Add (or the add button). A dropdown shows all available Item-type products. Select the one you just created.
Once linked, you’ll see configuration options for each add-on:
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Show in eCommerce | Whether this add-on appears in your online booking widget. Turn off to offer it in POS only. |
| Pre-selected | Whether the add-on checkbox is checked by default during booking. Use for mandatory or highly recommended extras. |
| Match to pax count | Automatically sets the add-on quantity to match the number of participants. Good for per-person extras like insurance. |
7. Save the main product
Section titled “7. Save the main product”Click Save to apply the add-on configuration. The add-on is now live.
What should happen next
Section titled “What should happen next”- When you create a POS booking for the main product, the add-on appears as a selectable extra in Step 2 (Configuration)
- If Show in eCommerce is enabled, customers see the add-on checkbox when booking through your online booking widget
- The add-on price is added to the booking total automatically
- If Match to pax count is on, booking for 3 participants auto-sets the add-on quantity to 3
Optional vs. mandatory add-ons
Section titled “Optional vs. mandatory add-ons”Bloowatch doesn’t have a strict “mandatory” toggle for add-ons. But you can simulate mandatory extras:
| Goal | How to achieve it |
|---|---|
| Recommended by default | Enable Pre-selected — the checkbox starts checked. Customer can still uncheck it. |
| Effectively mandatory | Enable Pre-selected and add a note in the product description explaining it’s required. |
| Truly mandatory | Include the cost in the main product’s price instead of using an add-on. This avoids customer opt-out. |
Adding multiple add-ons
Section titled “Adding multiple add-ons”You can link as many Item-type products as you need to a single main product. Common combinations:
| Main product | Typical add-ons |
|---|---|
| Surf lesson | Photo package, wetsuit rental, insurance |
| Dive trip | Equipment rental, underwater photos, Nitrox tank upgrade |
| Kayak rental | Waterproof phone pouch, guided tour upgrade |
| Sailing course | Course materials, certification fee, accommodation |
Each add-on is configured independently — one can be pre-selected while another is optional, one visible in eCommerce while another is POS-only.
Common mistakes
Section titled “Common mistakes”| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| ”I can’t find my add-on in the dropdown” | The product wasn’t created as an Item type | Add-ons must be Item-type products. Check the product type in the product list. |
| ”Add-on doesn’t show online” | Show in eCommerce is turned off for that add-on | Edit the main product > Add-Ons tab > enable Show in eCommerce. |
| ”Quantity doesn’t match participants” | Match to pax count is not enabled | Edit the main product > Add-Ons tab > enable Match to pax count for that add-on. |
| ”Customer was charged twice for the add-on” | The add-on was linked to two products and both were booked | Review the add-on links on each product. Remove duplicates if not intentional. |
If it still doesn’t work
Section titled “If it still doesn’t work”If your add-on isn’t appearing or behaving as expected:
- Verify the Item product exists and isn’t archived (Resources > Products — check the archive filter)
- Check the Add-Ons tab on the main product — is the Item listed and properly configured?
- For eCommerce issues, confirm the main product also has Online Sale enabled in its eCommerce tab
- Contact Bloowatch Support via the chat widget with your product names and a description of the issue
