In retail and hospitality, we see several different types of items with several different features/properties. That´s why the RETAIL7 system offers different types of items for different applications, which can also be combined in various ways.
The main item types are:
Simple (default) items
Simple items are the default type of item in the RETAIL7 POS system and therefore the basis for any sale. This means, these are the core items of any business, used as a reference point in pricing or stock levels or sales performance, and a basis for running promotions or offering discounts.
Deposit items
Deposit items, for example bottle or soft drink can deposits, can be attached to simple items and bring their own functionality. If a simple item is registered and a deposit item was previously attached or configured to the simple item, this deposit item is registered together with it the checkout process. Deposit items, although they cannot be registered separately, have their own price (and stock, if this is activated).
If a customer returns a deposit item, it is registered in the cash register via the deposit return mode. In this mode, the deposit item is used without the original item, which it was assigned to, and the customer gets back the price of the deposit item.
Option items
Option items serve as "additional items" to a simple item. If they have been assigned to a simple item, they are automatically displayed in the selection of a simple item. Also, they can influence both the price and the stock (if configured).
For example, a customer orders a pizza with cheese crust, where the cheese crust is an optional item with an additional price. The pizza costs 8€ and the cheese crust costs 1,50€. Thus, the price of the pizza with cheese crust increases to 9.50€.
Set items
A set item consists of several items linked together. E.g. a set may contain, for example, strawberries, cake icing, cake base and cream. In this case, the customer buys the entire set. Set items can also be nested again in further sets and, also contain variants or item options. Depending on the configuration, the cashier is guided through the item registration process accordingly.
Before a set item can be created, the items of the set have always be created first. It is recommended to think about the structure or content of the set item beforehand.
Variant master items
Item variants are different versions of a product that share a common base or core item but vary in specific attributes or features, e.g. different sizes, colors, styles, or other customizable attributes. For this, a variant master item must be created first, and the the variants can be assigned to it in the Variant settings menu. This way it´s possible to offer the customers a range of options within a single product category without creating separate product listings for each variant.
Gift card
Gift cards are prepaid cards or vouchers that allow the recipient to make purchases at a specific store (or a group of affiliated stores), but they are used in hospitality as well. Gift cards serve as a form of payment, much like cash or a credit/debit card, but with a predetermined monetary value. For managing gift cards, Management Console has an own menu under Masterdata -> Gift cards.
All the items in the database can be managed here, in the Item section in Management Console (except Gift cards, which have their own menu within the Masterdata menu). For this, you can use these different submenus:
Item list
All available items that are all stored in the database, listed and can be managed (created, edited, duplicated, downloaded, their structure assignment changed, edited in batches, or deleted) with the help of the item list. Already existing items from other systems can also be imported here.
Item menu
For registering items, you need a button on the display of your device. In this section you can define this in details by adding, editing or deleting item menu properties.
Item groups
For a better transparency, the items of a store are organized to groups. The same applies to databases: the item groups are listed and can be managed here in the Item groups menu.
Variant settings
It´s very common that some items have variants, which means that they are identical, except one detail, like color or size. After a variant master item is created in Item list, here the different variants can be predefined and fixed, via the Variant definitions and Variant item groups submenus here.
Item idents
The items in a store must be identified somehow, that´s why they need item idents. Here are the most common ones (EAN, PLU, GTIN, SKU, etc.) listed, but new ones can also be added.
Item choices
It´s also common, that some items has attributes that is allowed to be defined by the customer. E.g. they would like their item engraved or not, or their breakfast egg poached, scrambled or sunny side up. This means, that item choices are flexible and dynamic, and in this menu, you can define, add and manage the choices the customers can make when buying these items.
For learning more about managing the items of the database with the help of these menus and the functions within, please read further in the following chapters.