The Retail items screen is used to manage the products you will sell through the Point of Sale screen.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Interested in opening up an online store or cafe? Learn how to sell retail online with IBIS E-Commerce or find out how to configure IBIS for your cafe.


Add a new retail item

To add items to a supplier, you must first ensure the supplier is set up in the Contacts screen, with a Retail Type set to either Consignment (meaning you will pay the supplier for these items after they have been sold) or Non-Consignment (you will purchase the items from the supplier before you sell them).

  1. Open the Retail items screen and click Add. 
  2. Enter the Item name (max 40 characters inc spaces), then select the Supplier from the drop list.
  3. Select the item type - ensure you choose carefully as you cannot change after you set: 

    TypeDescription
    StockAn item you purchase from a Supplier that decreases the stock units when sold (includes consignment items).
    Non-stockItems you do not purchase from a Supplier such as luggage storage, photocopying, or admin fees.
    Build itemAn item that stores the sale value of a collection of individual items sold together.  See build item section for details.
    PostageNot used.
    SurchargeAdds a payment surcharge if configured on the payment type used in the sale.
    Cash commissionTo record payouts of cash commissions to drivers/guides at POS.
    TicketUsed in conjunction with admission packages, for selling a ticket for a 3rd party product in conjunction with an admission item.  

  4. If the item already contains a barcode, scan or type the number into the barcode field. 
  5. If you know the Supplier code, enter it here. This is the unique reference code the supplier uses for the item and will display on purchase orders generated from IBIS if you are using the Stock module.
  6. Enter an item group or subgroup, this will appear on sales reports. 
  7. Choose the Price type to determine the following behaviour at Point of sale:
    • Fixed - the price cannot be changed
    • Editable - the price can be amended (the retail item will display with ** in the POS grid)
    • Prompt - the user will be prompted to enter the price (useful if you are selling items by weight)
    • Restricted - the user will be prompted to enter a supervisor password when adding an item of this type (the password needs to be set in the System settings > Point of sale > Restricted item password).
  8. Enter the Cost ex and sell Price (ex or inc).
  9. Specify whether to allow discounts to be applied at Point of Sale.
  10. Click Save, the PLU code will generate automatically.


PLU code numbering

IBIS will auto-generate PLU (Price Look-Up) codes based on the next highest available number. PLU codes are primarily intended for quick and accurate pricing at the point of sale. Changing PLU codes to identify suppliers or other product features, or changing PLUs to high numbers so you can reuse them is not a recommended practice.


Here are some reasons why using PLU codes for other purposes may not be a good idea:

  1. Limited number range 
    PLU codes have a maximum range of 999999. This limitation makes it unsuitable for managing a large number of suppliers or product groups. If you use PLU codes for these purposes, you will quickly run out of available codes.
  2. Code reuse and changes
    As you approach the maximum limit of PLU codes, you will have to start reusing codes, which can lead to confusion. Additionally, if you need to make changes to your supplier or product group identification system, it can be challenging to manage and update PLU codes effectively.
  3. Point of sale confusion
    Using PLU codes for non-standard purposes can create confusion at the point of sale, as customers and staff may expect PLU codes to be related to pricing and may not understand the alternative use.
  4. Management complexity
    Managing a large number of PLU codes for purposes other than pricing can become cumbersome and make the item management process more difficult.
  5. Long PLU codes
    PLU codes longer than 5 digits may not fit on labels and require item descriptions or barcodes to be shorter to fit the dimensions, or you may need to purchase larger labels to accommodate.

To effectively manage labeling and finding items easier, it is advisable to use the item groups, subgroups and a clear naming convention when inputting these into the system. These options are customisable and can be easily adapted as your business evolves.


Update additional retail item details

Once a retail Item has been added you can edit, or add additional details. Highlight the retail item and the additional item fields will appear on the right panel. Save your changes once complete.   


SectionFieldDescription
MainBarcodePlace the cursor in the input box, then scan the item's barcode.
AttributesMinimum unitsEnter the minimum units required for re-ordering this item.
CafeDocket printer IDEnter the docket printer ID that the item will print on.
AddonThis will show an item on the order docket indented beneath the main item. E.g. extra cheese, or takeaway.
Finance integrationSale GL code
Purchase GL code		Enter a Sale or Purchase GL code so sales figures can be transferred to your finance system.


Add a build item

You can group a collection of individual items for a specific sale price while also decreasing the stock of each item by setting up a build item.

Prerequisites

  • Ensure the individual items you want to package are set up first and make a note of the PLU codes for each item.
  • Set up a Sale Discount called "Build item discount" in the Discounts screen. 
  • Set the default PLU code for the Build items discount in your System settings in IBIS Online.

To set up a build item: 

  1. Add a new retail item following the steps above, selecting the item type "build item".
  2. Enter the Build item PLUs in a comma-separated format of unit x PLU code. E.g. 2x1051, 2x1052, 1x1053.
  3. Click Save.
  4. If you need to make any changes after the build item is set up, the Build item PLU field can be found under the Attributes group in the Detail panel.


For each unit x PLU code specified, the items will be decremented from your stock units when the build item is sold. The discount is split across the items in the sale proportionally, and all sale revenue for the items is recorded against the item itself so your revenue can be allocated correctly for the item sold.


Prompt for extra info when an item is sold at Point of sale

Once your new item is added you can prompt your staff to capture additional info when the item is sold at Point of sale. This information will appear on the Sales report under the Detail field.

  1. Highlight the item row you wish to capture additional details about in the POS screen.
  2. In the detail panel, enter the Extra info question under the Attributes group.
  3. Tick the box Extra info required to prompt the user to answer the Extra info question at POS.


Set up minimum units for stock items

When running the stock-on-hand report you can report on items below their minimum unit. To set up the minimum unit for a retail stock item see below:

  1. Open the Retail items screen and locate the item you wish to add the minimum unit to.
  2. On the right panel click on Attributes, then enter the minimum units you wish to maintain in stock.
  3. Save and confirm your changes.


Import retail items in bulk

You can import retail items into your IBIS system from an Excel file. This will save you time if you have a lot of retail items to set up. You can import both new retail items, or you can update existing items updated with new details.

  1. Under the Point of sale menu, open the Import item screen. Alternatively, can open this directly from IBIS Online under Setup > System > Import retail items. 
  2. Download the import template file, and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to fill in the details and upload the file. You will find examples of how to enter the retail item data in tab 2 of the template (named Instruction Sheet). There are a few important things to note:
    • The columns can be in any order but the column captions MUST remain named as they are:

      Retail Item Headers

    • The Supplier Name must already exist as a Consignment or Non-Consignment retail supplier in your system. 
    • The spelling of the Supplier Name must match the Contact Name for the retail supplier in your system.
    • The Supplier Name must be filled in for each retail item (ie if you have multiple retail items for one supplier, the Supplier Name must be filled against each retail item, not just the top one in the list)
    • Fields in yellow are required fields and cannot be blank or the import will fail.
    • The import will only pull in retail items in the first sheet of the spreadsheet - any additional sheets will be ignored
    • As such the first sheet must be the items for import. The second sheet (instructions) must remain as the second sheet in the template

      Retail Import Sheet Tabs

  3. Once your spreadsheet is ready, click Browse and select the Excel template file to import
  4. Click Upload, a report will appear advising you of the outcome of the import. If you have errors, you can either manually add the items to IBIS yourself, or you can fix the error as described and re-import the data.

    Import Report

  5. When the items are imported into your Items screen all other fields will be set to the usual system default when adding a new retail item.


Make an item inactive

If you are no longer going to sell an item, you can make it inactive. 

  1. Open the Retail items screen.
  2. Untick the Active box at the bottom of the screen. This will display the Active tickbox in the grid. 
  3. Select the item you wish to make inactive, then untick the Active box for that item. 
  4. Save your changes.

Before you make an item inactive, please check the following: 


To view inactive items, you can click the Active property on the bottom of the Retail items screen to show both active and inactive items, then filter the Active column for unchecked items.


View item details

The summary tab on the Retail items screen will show you your current stock on hand per location, the last time the item was sold, and by who. This is the same detail you can see in the Item lookup screen at POS.