Article Grouping 

Use

You use this function to combine articles of your choice in specific quantities. You can then enter the article grouping as a prerequisite or as a target when defining bonus buys.

Once you have created an article grouping, you can change it as desired and use it as often as you like for creating bonus buys.

Integration

An article grouping can contain single articles or generic articles and even all the articles in a merchandise category, promotion or layout area.

Scope of Functions

·        You can define the articles to be included in the grouping on the following tab pages:

ArticleMerchandise categoryPromotionLayout area

All the articles you enter on the various tab pages make up the article grouping.

·        You can enter the number of articles you want to include for every item. You thus determine how often all the articles on promotion, for example, should appear in the article grouping.

If you enter a single article, you also have to enter a unit of measure in addition to the number.
If an item is multi-level (such as a generic article, a merchandise category, promotion or layout area), you can leave this field empty. On the tab page Merchandise category, the number always refers to the base unit of measure of the article in each case. For other multi-level items, the number refers to the unit of measure in which the article appears as a variant, in the promotion or in the layout area.

If you define at least one item on a tab page, the system marks the tab page with a green dot.

·        You can change the sequence in which the tab pages are displayed by entering item numbers. When you switch screens, the system re-arranges the item numbers in increments of ten in line with what you entered.

·        If items are multi-level (containing generic articles, merchandise categories, promotions or layout areas), you can display the components and single articles in an item by selecting an item and choosing Details.

·        On the details screen, you can enter exceptions (to numbers and units of measure) for individual articles in the item. You can also specify that individual articles should not be used by selecting a line and choosing Do not use.

You entered the number 3 for promotion PROMO1 on the Promotion tab page. If you use this grouping as a prerequisite for a bonus buy, the system only grants the bonus buy condition if a customer buys three of the article in the unit of measure in the promotion.

However, customers only need to buy two of article SPEC1 on promotion. You therefore go to the details screen and enter 2 for this article.

You can tell the status of an item by its color. The status can be as follows:

Exceptions possible: yellow dotExceptions exist: red dot

On the details screen, articles for which the default values were changed are also highlighted by the system.

If an item is multi-level (containing generic articles, merchandise categories, promotions, or layout areas) and you enter a number or unit of measure as an exception, the exception also affects the other tab pages in which the article appears in a multi-level item. The data you enter for a single article on the Article tab page, on the other hand, only applies for the article in the unit of measure specified. It is not affected by any exceptions you define.

·        You can delete article groupings as required by choosing Article Grouping ® Change, entering the article grouping, and then choosing Grouping ® Delete. This does not apply to bonus buy conditions that use this article grouping, however, because the system only determines which articles the used article groupings contain when it creates new bonus buy conditions.

Activities

Article groupings can be reached from the initial screen of Retailing by choosing Master data ® Condition/Arrangement ® Conditions: Sales ® Bonus buy ® Article grouping ® Create.