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Item Profiles

Each product to be showcased in the store requires a product profile. Profiles are linked to the actual products from the back office for information regarding pricing, weight, availability, etc. Profiles also allow you to update extended information conducive to Ecommerce but not often found in a back office ERP system as described below.

Multiple Descriptions

Profiles have several descriptive fields for display in the store.

  • Display ID: The product’s ID to search by and display which may be different than the back office product ID. Often times this is the manufacturer’s model # or catalog number.
  • Item name: 75 character descriptive name displayed on all VIEW modes as well as the product details page.
  • Short description: 250 character brief description which displays on the LIST View mode when browsing products
  • Extended description: Marketing description shown on the product details page only. Maximum content can be put in this field including images, links, and more.
  • Technical description: Used for technical details or specifications on the product. This is displayed in conjunction with any extended properties on the product which are designated as display fields on the product detail page.

Multiple Images

Products support one primary full size image and one primary thumbnail image. In additional, multiple alternate images can be sequenced for products. Typically used for showing different angles of the product for the user to gain perspective.

Product Pricing Options

Several pricing options are supported for various use cases as described below.

  1. Display Discount Price
  2. Display List and Discount Price
  3. Price Displays in Cart
  4. Request For Quote
  5. Do not Display Price

SEO Support

Search Engine Optimization Metadata can be defined for products to improve visibility.

Document Links

Specific documents can be linked to products (e.g. Manuals, Specification Sheet, MSDS). Documents linked may refer to a document uploaded to the library of can be external paths to documents.

Product Relationships

Product profiles can refer to other product profiles with different relationships. Relating products together can help increase the average per order amount. Relationship types supported are:

  • Accessory: Products that are optional but are directly related to another Product. For example, an optional case can be purchased for a Power Tool.
  • Cross-Sell: Products that may not be directly related but are commonly purchased together. For example, plumbers putty or a pipe wrench may be recommended when purchasing a sink.
  • Replacement: Products that are consumed or wear out with normal use that are often handled by the consumer. For example, a replacement battery pack may be an available for a cordless drill.
  • Variant: Products that are essentially the same base product but very by a slight detail may be grouped together under a single product detail page.

Product Availability

Multiple options are available for displaying the availability for products. There is an overall default for the website but can be overridden on a product-by-product basis. The supported availability modes are:

  • Quantity On Hand (QOH): The actual quantity on hand is shown as one aggregate number regardless of branch warehouse. Note: Kourier Integrator allows for filtering inventory data so it does not necessarily have to show what is in the back office ERP.
  • In/Out Stock (OH): Product will show “In Stock” if there is a positive quantity on hand for the product, otherwise “Not in Stock” is displayed.
  • Available-To-Promise (ATP): Displays present available to promise quantity as well as the next 3 future dates of projected inventory available. Note: This mode is currently only supported for the DataFlo ERP system.
  • Lead Time (LT): Display the lead time in days for which the user can expect delivery. Note: The lead time days are sent from the back office.
  • Text String (TEXT): User-defined text is always displayed. May be useful when product is backlogged due to supply chain delays or other factors.
  • Branch Quantity On Hand (BQOH): Similar to the QOH but the actual inventory is shown by branch on a model dialog window that allows the user to limit the branch locations by zip code; the presumption being that the consumer plans to pick up the order at the selected branch.
  • Branch In/Out Stock (BOH): Similar to BQOH but displays “In Stock” or “Out of Stock” by branch instead of actual quantity on hand.

Product Pricing

Multiple options for handling the display of pricing are supported. There is a default display option for the website but can be overridden on a product-by-product basis.

  • Discount: Displays a single price which is either the designated list price or the discounted price given for a connected customer.
  • List + Discount: Displays the designated List price as well as the discounted price for the connected customer.
  • In Cart Only: Useful when restrictions apply to the advertisement of pricing on-line. This option will hide the price unless the user adds to their cart.
  • RFQ: In some cases, it may be more appropriate to have the potential buyer request a quote instead of showing the price. For example, if the product requires complex configuration configurable, the price is volatile in price or simply an expensive product that is unlikely to be sold on-line.
  • Hide: Some products may not be sold on-line but it is still advantageous to display product information and possible sell accessories, replacement products, or cross-sell customers other related products.

Outside Dealers/Reps

If outside sales agencies are used to sell certain products, KommerceServer facilitates this by leveraging the user-defined agencies integrated with the storefront (see Agencies for more information). Products may be declared as Sold by Dealers which enables a special control (i.e. Find a Dealer) on the product detail page. Users interested in the product can use this control to find the nearest sales agency that sells this particular product. It is likely that a product sold exclusively by outside agencies will not be sellable on-line nor will it show the price and availability of the product. Following is an example product display configured as described.