DBC: Promo Item - Setup

Item Configuration

To begin configuring promotional products for a DB Commerce site, you must first select the company under which the items should be created, then select Promo Items from the Items section of the navigation pane. From the Promo Item list page, you can begin to add new promo items. The first step is to create a “Base Promo Item” by clicking the “+” icon above the item list.

The first thing you’ll be prompted to enter is a “Base Item Code." Unlike traditional Item Codes, this "Base Item Code" will serve as the identifier for a collection of individual item variations within the context of a catalog, as well as users’ shopping carts. This is comparable to the existing non-promo item concept of an “Item Group Code” in that it doesn’t correspond to a single item record in your back-office system.

For example, in the case of an apparel item that might have size and color variations that have different cost or setup implications, a typical "Base Item Code" might be SHIRT, while individual variations may be identified with unique Item Codes relevant to their specifications such as “SHIRTRED,” “SHIRTXL,” etc. As a best practice, we recommend keeping "Base Item Codes" as short as possible (e.g., 4-6 characters.

We’ll cover this in more detail in the upcoming sections, but this is because a SKU specific to each option will be appended to the "Base Item Code" to create an Item Code that represents each unique variation. Those unique Item Codes will ultimately be transmitted to your back-office system and, in turn, be subject to certain length limitations.

Clicking “Add Item and Continue” will add the Base Item to the Item List and allow you to continue adding more items, while clicking “Add Item and Edit” will add the Base Item and take you into the "Promo Item Overview" where you can begin setting up that item’s details.

Note: Immediately after being created, items will be considered “inactive,” and as a result, will be hidden from the item list by default.

To view or edit a newly created item, simply click the All toggle above the item list. Certain components of the item configuration that will be covered in the sections below must be complete before an item can be activated.

Base Item Setup

Once a Base Item has been established, you can begin to define key item-level data. Data entered under this tab will help users find and identify the item when browsing any DB Commerce sites where this item might appear, and much of the data will also flow into your back-office system once the item has officially been created and transmitted.

Item Details

Below is a brief overview of the information you’ll be prompted to enter. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

• Product Code * - The distributor-specific list of product categories that exist in your back-office system. The Product Code selected for the Base Item will be applied to each of the individual variant items within. This will not be visible to end users.

• Item Name * - Text used to identify the item within catalogs and on the item detail page. This should be independent of any variations of an item (e.g., “Short-Sleeved T- Shirt”). Up to 255 characters are allowed, but it is recommended to keep this short for optimal front-end display.

  
  

  Note: As users add permutations of a Base Item to their shopping cart, a brief description specific to that unique variant combination will be dynamically generated behind the scenes in the format::, etc. For example, a shirt where the “Size” variant option is “Small” and the “Color” variant option is “Red”, the description would be “Size: Small, Color: Red.” This will be used as the shopping cart description in addition to the Base Item Name to distinguish each variation that is added.

• Item Description - A long description of the item that will appear to end users on the item detail page. While the character limit for this field is less restrictive, users are advised to keep this brief as well so as not to clutter the item detail page.
• Collapsible Details - Text entered into this field will be displayed to users on the item detail page but will be collapsed by default. Consider using this field as a place to house overflow content from the Item Description such as measurements, care instructions, etc.
• Keywords - Keywords or phrases that pertain to or define the item. When end users search for these words on a site, the item will be returned in search results (keywords may be separated by spaces or commas).
• Base Item Weight (lbs) - The weight of the item, in pounds, independent of any variant options or add-ons, that will be used in relevant freight calculations. The weight of individual variant items may be adjusted as necessary prior to transmission into your back-office system. This will not be visible to end users.
• Approval Group - If this item is one that will require approval before it can be ordered, this is where you’d select which of the company’s user groups would have the authority to approve orders containing this item.
• Line-Item Identifier - When enabled for a given item, the end user will have an option to enter or select a unique code for the line item in their shopping cart. This is often used for purposes such as a line-level PO code.
• UNSPSC - The "United Nations Standard Products and Services (UNSPSC)" is a taxonomy of products and services for use in eCommerce. This is often required for punchout scenarios.
• Notepad Comment - Up to 40 characters of text that you’d like to appear to users in your back-office system when viewing the “order notepad” or “bill notes” for orders containing this item.

Quantity and Price

• Unit of Measure * - Choose from your distributor-specific list of units of issue.
• Quantity Per UOM - The number of pieces per unit of issue.
• Pricing Display (Show vs. Hide) - This permission controls whether the price will be shown to end users when browsing catalogs and the item detail page. It is set to “show” by default.
• Inventory Display (Show vs. Hide) - This permission controls whether available inventory is shown to end users when browsing catalogs and the item detail page. It is set to “show” by default.
• Suggested Order Quantity - The quantity entered here will populate anywhere users are prompted to add this item to their cart. By default, this will be set to 0, and no quantity will be suggested to end users (if an item is configured to use the Batch Ordering feature, a suggested order quantity may not be used).

• Item Pricing - You can choose between one of two pricing methods: Standard and Volume Pricing.

  
  

  a. Standard - When the Standard pricing method is selected, you will be prompted to enter amounts for Base Cost and Base Sell (required). These values should be entered in terms of the selected "Unit of Measure."

  
  

  Note: These prices are independent of any variant options you will be able to dictate variant-specific cost and sell modifications later. If the Pricing Display permission has been set to “Show” for a given item, the Base Sell price (plus or minus any modifications) will be shown to end users when browsing catalogs and on the item detail page.

  b. Volume Pricing - With Volume Pricing, you can create tiers of prices based on quantity breaks. When this pricing method is selected, you will be required to enter the minimum order quantity for which a cost and sell are applicable, and the corresponding UOM cost and sell for that pricing tier.

  
  

  You can create as many volume pricing tiers as needed. To remove a pricing tier, simply hover over its row in the "Volume Pricing table" and click the Delete icon.

Once "Volume Pricing tiers" have been established, the ranges will appear to users on the item detail page below the Item Description. As users adjust the quantity they wish to add to their cart, the price shown below the Item Name will update accordingly, and the total sell price will be calculated and displayed below the quantity field.

One key benefit of the Volume Pricing feature is that purchases of multiple item variations within a Base Item across lines of a single order are aggregated into the overall order quantity.

For instance, given the example of the mug above with color variations of Red, Orange, Green, Blue, and Cosmic Gray, if a user were to add 12 units of the Orange mug and 12 units of the Blue mug to their cart, the total order quantity would be 24 units, making the cost per unit $100 since the combined quantity falls between 11-20.

Furthermore, users’ current shopping cart contents are taken into consideration for items using the Volume Pricing method to determine the appropriate price. To that end, if a user shops for an item in which Volume Pricing is used, a summary of eligible items already in their cart will be displayed, along with the Unit Price based on the total combined order quantity.