In promotion processing, member stores are informed of upcoming promotions via the announcement function. They are given full details about the merchandise involved in the promotion, the quantities (suggested or mandatory) allocated to each individual store, and the necessary logistics control data (such as the date when the merchandise is scheduled to arrive).

Part of the planning process is determining when announcement is to occur.

You can define an announcement date that is different for different store groups. For example, a Winter promotion might create an announcement on October 1 for stores in cold climates and on November 1 for stores in warmer climates. Announcement is set up when you perform subsequent processing, and the R/3 message control function prints the announcements when the announcement date is reached. Announcements can be either printed on paper or sent to stores in EDI format via a BAPI.

The quantity of stock to be allocated to the stores depends on the announcement type you set up. In Customizing, you can define an announcement type for each promotion type. However, when creating promotions, you can change the announcement type.

• Mandatory quantity: Standard allocation rules can be used to apportion stock automatically to the various stores participating in the promotion. Individual stores have no choice with regard to participation or quantities; they must accept the quantity specified by headquarters. Stores cannot order additional quantities.

• Suggested quantity with optional override: The distribution center determines suggested quantities for the various stores participating in the promotion, but the stores can change the quantities. There is no automatic allocation from the distribution center to the stores; allocation rules are not involved. The system will take into account the store’s requested quantity, but the actual quantity shipped need not match the requested quantity (for example, if a store requests 75 items but the minimum quantity is 100, the store will receive 100).

• No suggested quantity, mandatory response: stores must inform the distribution center of the goods and quantities they wish to receive. There is no automatic allocation from the distribution center to the stores; allocation rules are not involved. All merchandise must be specifically ordered by the stores. If a store does not want to participate in the promotion (quantity = 0), it should still send a response at least to confirm receipt of the announcement. If it does not respond by a designated date, the system generates a warning message indicating that the store has not responded. However, if the warning is overridden, the system assumes that a quantity of 0 is to be confirmed for that store.

Stores can respond to several announcements at once. For example, a user can select all promotions for a given timeframe and see all the announcements for his or her store, then change the desired quantities in each case as desired.