Create Partial-Use Products for Backbar Use – Vagaro Support

Managing consumable partial-use products is essential for charging customers for services that rely on items like Botox, Dysport, or hair color. Vagaro’s inventory system includes tools to track these partial-use products down to the vial, lot number, and expiration date, making it easier for businesses to stay compliant, reduce waste, and maintain accurate reporting. Instead of relying on workarounds, you can monitor and deduct product usage directly from the checkout screen.

Partial-use tracking not only streamlines day-to-day operations but also ensures every drop, unit, or ounce is accounted for. In this article, we’ll highlight what sets partial-use products apart from standard inventory, show you how to add and manage them, and walk through the checkout process step by step.

Note

Partial-use products don't show up on your booking page. This may cause confusion when your customers come in to pay for their service and see there are additional charges for the partial-use product. To avoid any confusion, you can let customers know in your service's description and by turning on the Show Price as Starting Point setting for that service.

Prerequisites: This feature is only available to the following business types:

Injectables
Hair Replacement
Mental Health
Cryotherapy
Acupuncture
Electrolysis
Laser Hair Removal
Chiropractor
Physical Therapy
Nutritionist
Weight Loss
Tattoo Removal
Body Enhancement
Ultrasound
Medical Spa
Medical Clinic

Create a Partial-Use Product

Creating a partial-use product in Vagaro is a little different from adding a standard retail item, since these products are designed to be used across multiple services rather than sold outright. To make sure every unit is tracked correctly, you’ll go through a short setup process that captures details like container type, measurement units, and, if applicable, lot IDs and expiration dates.

On a Phone

To create a partial-use product:

Select More → Settings → Management.
In the top-right corner, select Action → Add → Product.
Enter the product's ID or scan its GS1 QR code, then select Next.

A GS1 QR code is not a typical product barcode. Pharmaceutical information, such as GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), serial number, expiration date, and lot ID, is encoded in the QR code. This information is then used to populate your product's information in the Vagaro system. If you scan a GS1 barcode, the Partial-Use Product wizard will appear. If you don't have a QR scanner, you can manually enter all this information as a single string to prepopulate the product's details, or if your backbar product doesn't have a GS1 QR code, then you can just scan the product's barcode instead.
From the wizard, complete the following steps:
1. Select a Container Type, then select Next. If the container you need isn't shown in the list, select Create New Container to create a new one.
2. Select a Unit Type, then select Next. If the unit you need isn't shown in the list, select Create New Unit Type to create a new one.
In Edit Item, enter any additional information, then select Save.
- Lot ID: A unique identifier assigned to a batch of items, usually provided by the manufacturer, used to track and manage inventory.
- Serial Number: A unique number assigned to a single item within a batch, allowing businesses to track that exact unit.
- Expiration Date: The date after which the product should no longer be sold or used.
- Barcode ID: The scannable code that identifies the item in your inventory system.
- Business Cost per (Container): The amount your business pays for one container of the item.
- Total (Container) per (Unit Type): How many containers are included within one unit type (for example, 12 bottles per case).
- Total Quantity of (Container) (with This Lot ID): The total number of containers in stock that share the same Lot ID. This option will only display if there wasn't a serial number entered.
Enter the final details for your product:
1. Enter your Product Name, then select a Brand and Vendor.
2. Enter the Selling Price per unit for this product, then select a Tax rate, if applicable.
3. If you have more items in stock, scroll down to Track Inventory, turn it on, select Add (Containers), add your products, and then select Done. If you don't have a scanner, select Add (Units) Manually.
4. Enter any additional information, then select Save to add this product to your inventory.

On a Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro

To create a partial-use product:

Go to Inventory Management:
- Computer: Select Settings → Inventory.
- Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Inventory .
In the top-left corner, select Add (or +) → Product
Enter the product's ID or scan its GS1 QR code.

A GS1 QR code is not a typical product barcode. Pharmaceutical information, such as GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), serial number, expiration date, and lot ID, is encoded in the QR code. This information is then used to populate your product's information in the Vagaro system. If you scan a GS1 barcode, the Partial-Use Product wizard will appear. If you don't have a QR scanner, you can manually enter all this information as a single string to prepopulate the product's details, or if your backbar product doesn't have a GS1 QR code, then you can just scan the product's barcode instead.
From the wizard, complete the following steps:
1. Select a Container Type, then select Next. If the container you need isn't shown in the list, select Create New Container to create a new one.
2. Select a Unit Type, then select Next. If the unit you need isn't shown in the list, select Create New Unit Type to create a new one.
In Edit Item, enter any additional information, then select Save.
- Lot ID: A unique identifier assigned to a batch of items, usually provided by the manufacturer, used to track and manage inventory.
- Serial Number: A unique number assigned to a single item within a batch, allowing businesses to track that exact unit.
- Expiration Date: The date after which the product should no longer be sold or used.
- Barcode ID: The scannable code that identifies the item in your inventory system.
- Business Cost per (Container): The amount your business pays for one container of the item.
- Total (Container) per (Unit Type): How many containers are included within one unit type (for example, 12 bottles per case).
- Total Quantity of (Container) (with This Lot ID): The total number of containers in stock that share the same Lot ID. This option will only display if there wasn't a serial number entered.
Enter the final details for your product:
1. Enter your Product Name, then select a Brand and Vendor.
2. Enter the Selling Price per unit for this product, then select a Tax rate, if applicable.
3. If you have more items in stock, scroll down to Track Inventory, turn it on, select the box under Scan to Add (Containers), and then scan your products to add them. If you don't have a scanner, select Add (Containers) Manually instead.
4. Enter any additional information, then select Save to add this product to your inventory.

Enter Product and Tracking Details

When creating a partial-use product, you’ll see several fields you can complete. Only a few are required, but adding optional details gives you more control and visibility when tracking your inventory.

Product Information:
- Image: The image you uploaded to your product.
- Product Name: The product's name.
- Brand: The product's brand.
- Vendor: The product's vendor.
- Description: The product's description.
Metrics:
- Container Type: The container your product is stored in, like a syringe, vial, or jar.
- Unit Type: The measurement unit for this product.
- (Units) per (Container): How many units can be stored in the container you selected.
Pricing:
- Business Cost per (Container): The amount your business pays for one container of the item.
- Selling Price: The selling price for each unit of this product. For example, $3.00 per mL.
- Tax: The tax rates that apply to this product.
- Points Given: The points received for purchasing this product.
- Points to Redeem: The points needed to redeem this product for free.
Inventory:
- Purchase Date: The day this product was last purchased.
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): A unique number that helps you identify a specific item and variation of a product in your inventory, usually representing a product's price, manufacturer, size, or color.
- Storage Location: A word or phrase for where you store this product. Example: Back Room
Track Inventory: Turn this toggle on to access additional tracking information for your product.
- Discard Date: The number of days a product must be discarded after it's opened. This is different than the expiration date, which applies to products that haven't been opened yet.
- Discard Warning: The number of days in advance you'll receive a reminder that the discard date is approaching, giving you time to discard or remove the product from inventory.
- Low Quantity Warning: The lowest amount of an item before you will receive a notification that a product is low in stock. You will receive a notification within Vagaro when the Quantity reaches the threshold you enter.
- Max Quantity: The maximum product quantity you would like to have in stock. When you create a new purchase order, your order quantity will auto-fill to reach this number based on your current stock.
- Minimum Order Quantity: The minimum amount (in multiples) you can order for Purchase Orders with your Vendor. For example, enter "2" to purchase products in multiples of two.
- Select Categories to Track: Track lot ID, serial number, and expiration date from the Inventory Management screen.

Add Additional Stock to a Partial-Use Product

When new stock of a product comes in, you can change the quantity from Inventory Management.

On a Phone

To add additional stock:

Select More → Settings → Management.
From your inventory, select your partial-use product.
In the top-right corner, select Action → Add.
Scan your products or Add (Containers) Manually.

If you scan your product, it'll appear on screen.
- To add more products, keep scanning them or select Add (Containers) Manually.
- To change the quantity or business cost, select an item in the list.
- To remove a product, select X.
After adding all products, select Next.

If your product has the same barcode when scanned or entered, the Barcode Already Exists popup appears prompting you to increase the quantity of your product.
1. From Barcode Already Exists, select Add Quantity.
2. Enter the date you received this product and the Business Cost for it.
3. Enter the Total Quantity of (Container) you're adding to the stock.
4. Select Add to add the new stock.
Select the Date you received this item, then select Save.

On a Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro

To add additional stock:

Go to Inventory Management:
- Computer: Select Settings → Inventory.
- Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Inventory .
From your inventory, next to your partial-use product, select Action → Add.
Scan your products or Add (Containers) Manually.

If you scan your product, it'll appear on screen.
- To add more products, keep scanning them or select Add (Containers) Manually.
- To edit a product, select Action → Edit.
- To remove a product, select Action → Remove
If your product has the same barcode when scanned or entered, the Barcode Already Exists popup appears prompting you to increase the quantity of your product.
1. From Barcode Already Exists, select Add Quantity.
2. Enter the date you received this product and the Business Cost for it.
3. Enter the Total Quantity of (Container) you're adding to the stock.
Select Add to add the new stock.

Discard an Expired Partial-Use Product

If you enter an expiration date for a partial-use product, a Products to Discard notification will appear in the Notification Panel once the item expires. From there, you can view all expired products and discard them directly from Inventory Management.

On a Phone

To discard an expired product:

Select More → Settings → Management.
Select the product to be discarded, then in the top-right corner, select Action → Discard Product.
Choose the Date the product was discarded.

The Quantity will automatically be set to the entire quantity of the product.
Select Save.

On a Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro

To discard an expired product:

Go to Inventory Management:
- Computer: Select Settings → Inventory.
- Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro: Select Inventory .
Next to the product to be discarded, select Action → Discard Product.
From Subtract, enter the Date you discarded the product.

The Quantity will automatically be set to the entire quantity of the product.
Select Save.

Add a Partial Use Product at Checkout

To add a partial-use product to your service, you can select the product at checkout.

On a Phone

To add an item at checkout:

Go to the Checkout screen, or check out the customer directly from the Calendar.
Select Select Customer, then choose a customers that's In Today or select from All Customers.

If the customer is a walk-in, manually add items to the cart.
Select Shopping Cart → Add Item → Product.
For the partial-use product, select Right-Arrow > to view all items associated with the product.
Select the item you plan to use for this service or class, then select Add (number of) Products.

The partial-use product will be added to the customer's cart.
Optionally, to change how much product you're using, swipe left on the item, then select - or +.
Select Done, then check out your customer.

The quantity of the product will be updated.

On a Computer, Tablet, Pay Desk, or PayPro

To add an item at checkout:

Go to the Checkout screen, or check out the customer directly from the Calendar.
Select Select Customer, then choose a customers that's In Today or select from All Customers.

If the customer is a walk-in, manually add items to the cart.
At the bottom of the screen, select Product.
For the partial-use product, select Right-Arrow > to view all items associated with the product.
Select the item you plan to use for this service or class, then select Add Product.

The partial-use product will be added to the customer's cart.
Optionally, to change how much product you're using, change the quantity (Qty).
Check out your customer.

The quantity of the product will be updated.