CopyCat Category Duplicator App for BigCommerce – Single Storefront
🔧 Quick Info: CopyCat Category Duplicator is a standalone BigCommerce app that creates one-time or synchronized copies of individual categories and complete category branches from a dedicated dashboard inside your BigCommerce admin.
Single-Storefront Guide: This article is for BigCommerce stores with one storefront. For a store using BigCommerce Multi-Storefront, see the Multi-Storefront app guide.
What It Does
This is the standalone app version of CopyCat Category Duplicator. You install it directly into your BigCommerce store, where it provides its own embedded Dashboard, Billing, and Contact Us pages.
Instead of opening CopyCat from the YourStoreTools dashboard, you manage category copies from inside the BigCommerce administration area.
CopyCat can duplicate the following category information:
- Category name
- URL
- Description
- Meta title
- Meta description
- Meta keywords
- Assigned products
- Product sort order
- Category image
- Category page banner, when selected
You can create either:
- A single-category copy with control over the destination parent, name, URL, description, SEO fields, image, and banner.
- A bulk copy of one or more parent categories and all their subcategories, preserving the category-tree structure.
Each copied category can be configured as either:
- Copy – A one-time duplicate that does not update automatically.
- Sync – A mirrored category that is checked and updated once a day, including its product sort order.
Copy or Sync: Use a one-time copy when the new category should be edited independently. Use Sync when the copy should continue following changes made to the original category.
When Should You Use This?
- You only need CopyCat and do not need the complete YourStoreTools dashboard.
- You want CopyCat available inside BigCommerce like any other installed app.
- You need to reuse an existing category without rebuilding it manually.
- You want to create a similar category with a different name, URL, description, or SEO information.
- You want a copied category to remain synchronized with its source.
- You want a one-time copy that can be managed independently.
- You need to duplicate a complete category branch with all its subcategories.
- You want assigned products and their sort order copied along with the category.
Before You Get Started
- Install the CopyCat Category Duplicator app in your BigCommerce store.
- Complete the app’s onboarding and billing setup.
- The app subscription is $10 per month.
- Choose the category you want to copy.
- Choose where the copied category should be placed in your category tree.
- Decide whether the new category should be a one-time copy or a synchronized copy.
- Decide whether to copy the category image and page banner.
- Make sure the app has the BigCommerce permissions required for categories, products, and banners.
Onboarding Required: The CopyCat Dashboard is not available until the Sync Settings and Payment steps have been completed.
First-Run Onboarding
The first time you open the app, CopyCat guides you through a short setup wizard.
1 Choose the Daily Sync Time
On the Sync Settings step, choose when CopyCat should run its daily synchronization.
This is the time when Sync-type copies are checked against their original categories. You can change the setting later from the Dashboard.
2 Complete Billing
On the Payment step, approve the app’s subscription charge through BigCommerce.
The Dashboard opens after both onboarding steps are complete.
The Dashboard
After onboarding, the app opens on Welcome to your CopyCat Dashboard!
From the Dashboard, you can create new category copies, manage existing copies, review synchronization history, and change the app’s settings.
A help icon at the top of the app provides quick access to assistance.
Dashboard Buttons
| Button | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Create | Opens the CopyCat form to create a new single-category or bulk copy. |
| Settings | Opens CopyCat Category Settings, where you can change the daily sync time and category-description editor. |
CopyCat Categories Table
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the copied or synchronized category. |
| Original Category ID | The BigCommerce category ID of the source category. |
| Copied/Synced Category ID | The BigCommerce category ID created by CopyCat. |
| Type | Shows whether the entry is a one-time Copy or a daily Sync. |
| Last Synced At | The last time CopyCat created or synchronized the category. |
Row Actions
- Edit – Changes the CopyCat entry’s settings.
- History – Opens the background-job history for that copy.
- Edit Copied Category – Opens the copied category in BigCommerce.
- Edit Original Category – Opens the source category in BigCommerce.
- View Copy – Opens the copied category on the storefront.
- Delete – Removes the CopyCat entry and stops future synchronization.
Deleting a CopyCat Entry: Delete removes the entry from CopyCat and stops synchronization. It does not delete the copied category from BigCommerce.
Dashboard Settings
Select Settings on the Dashboard to open CopyCat Category Settings.
| Setting | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Sync Daily At | The time of day when CopyCat checks and updates synchronized categories. |
| Select Category Description Editor | Chooses whether category descriptions are edited using the HTML Editor or Text Editor. |
How to Create a Copy
1 Select Create
Select Create on the CopyCat Dashboard.
2 Choose Single or Bulk Copy
At What would you like to do?, choose one of the following:
- Copy a single category
- Bulk copy a category and all of its subcategories
3 Select the Source Category
In single-copy mode, use Select the category to be copied or synced to choose one category from the searchable category tree.
In bulk-copy mode, use Select the parent categories to bulk copy (with all subcategories). You can select one or more parent categories.
A preview shows every category and subcategory that will be included in the bulk copy.
4 Choose Copy or Sync
At Do you want to keep this category in sync with the original category or just copy it?, choose:
- Yes, sync with original category – Creates a mirrored category that updates daily.
- No, just copy the category – Creates a one-time copy that can be managed independently.
5 Choose the Destination Parent
Under CopyCat Category Settings, choose the parent category where the copy should be placed.
Leave the parent category blank to create the copied category at the root of your store’s category tree.
6 Review the Name, URL, and Description
In single-copy mode, review the pre-filled category Name, URL, and Description.
CopyCat appends a number to the copied category’s name and URL so they do not conflict with the original category.
You can review and adjust the available fields before submitting the copy.
7 Set Additional Category Details
In single-copy mode, review the options under Set Additional Category Details:
- Meta Title
- Meta Description
- Meta Keywords
- Would you like to copy the category image?
- Would you like to copy the category page banner (if one exists)?
You can copy the original category image or upload a different image.
Copying the category banner requires the appropriate BigCommerce Marketing permission.
Meta Keywords and Sync: Meta Keywords can be edited for one-time copies. Synchronized copies manage keywords automatically as part of the ongoing SEO synchronization.
8 Submit the Copy
Submit the form to begin creating the category.
The app displays:
Created Category Mirror. In process of creating category in the store.
The category is then built as a background job.
9 Review the Progress
Return to the Dashboard to review the copy’s status.
Use the row’s History option to review the background-job log and any errors.
Single Copy vs. Bulk Copy
| Mode | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Single Category | Copies one category and provides detailed control over the destination parent, name, URL, description, SEO fields, image, and banner. |
| Bulk Copy | Copies one or more selected parent categories and all their subcategories while preserving the branch structure. |
Bulk Copy Order: Bulk jobs create parent categories before their subcategories so the copied structure is built correctly.
Copy vs. Sync
| Type | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Copy | Creates the category once. Future changes to the original are not applied automatically. |
| Sync | Checks the original category once a day and updates the copied category, including product assignments and product sort order. |
One-Time Copies Do Not Update: Changes made to the original category after a one-time copy is created are not transferred to the copied category.
Name and URL Handling
A copied category cannot use the same name and URL as the original category within the same storefront category tree.
CopyCat automatically appends a number to the copied category’s name and URL to prevent a conflict.
| Original | Possible Copy |
|---|---|
| Summer Clothing | Summer Clothing 2 |
/summer-clothing/ |
/summer-clothing-2/ |
More Detailed Field and Sync Information
The app uses the same CopyCat form and copying behavior as the YourStoreTools version.
For the complete field-by-field reference, synchronization behavior, and conflict-handling details, see the CopyCat tool guide.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
The app will not let me continue past setup
The Sync Settings and Payment steps must be completed before the Dashboard becomes available.
Choose the daily synchronization time, approve the subscription charge through BigCommerce, and finish the onboarding wizard.
The new category did not appear immediately
Category copies are created as background jobs. Return to the Dashboard and review the entry’s status.
Use the row’s History option to see the current progress or review an error.
My copied category is not updating
Only entries with the Type set to Sync are updated automatically.
Synchronized copies are checked once a day at the time shown in Settings. One-time Copy entries never update automatically.
The copied name or URL has a number added
This is expected. The number prevents the copied category from conflicting with the original category’s name or URL.
The category banner was not copied
Confirm that you selected the option to copy the category page banner and that your BigCommerce connection has the required Marketing permission.
The product order in the copy is different
CopyCat copies the product assignments and sort order from the original category. For a synchronized copy, changes to the source category’s product order are applied during the next daily sync.
I deleted an entry, but the category still exists
Deleting an entry from CopyCat stops future synchronization and removes it from the Dashboard. It does not delete the copied category from BigCommerce.
Delete the category separately in BigCommerce if you no longer want it in the store.