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Block/Set

Presentation​

A Block (aka Set) is a way for a Manufacturer to provide preferential prices on sets of products. He can periodically provide its resellers with a list of blocks corresponding to several supported configurations. This list may differ depending on the target reseller.

A Block is characterized by:

  • A code, a name, a Catalog, and a collection (publication year)
  • A RangeCode, which serves as the identification key during HomeByMe imports: this value mainly represents a manufacturer's expertise on a given list of items for a defined period
  • A validity period
  • Separate budgets (in points) assigned by Merchandise Groups (e.g. "Furniture," "Appliances," "Accessories") and by Price Groups
  • A value (in points) also defined by Price Groups
  • "Points to Purchase price" and "Points to Sale price" conversion coefficients for the Block, as well as for each Merchandise Group
warning

The RangeCode value held by your Block definition must match the value held by the Document line items.

Merchandise Groups​

Merchandise groups are groupings of products corresponding to a high-level categorization (e.g., Furniture and Worktops can belong to the same Merchandise Group). They are assigned distinct weighting coefficients. Therefore, all the components of a kitchen must be linked to a Merchandise Group.

There is no standardization of Merchandise groups between manufacturers or catalogs. There can be any Merchandise groups for a given catalog, generally 3 or 4 (but potentially more), with varying identifiers. There is also no standardization of Merchandise group identifiers (furniture, appliances, etc.), but these Identifiers are key values in the Retail operations Block computation system: the Merchandise group identifiers defined in a Block definition must match those held by the lines of a Document in order for the system to be able to process a valid computation.

warning

The Merchandise group identifiers held by your Block definition must match the values held by the Document line items.

Price Groups​

The concept of a Price Group is closely linked to a Program (cf. Style/Program): each Program available in a Catalog is associated with a Price Group, but a Price Group can be assigned to one or more Programs/Styles.
Thus, a given product will be worth a different number of points depending on the Price Group of the Program assigned to it within the context of a given kitchen.

For a given kitchen configuration, it is the "majority" Price Group of the configuration (i.e., the one referenced by the most furniture) that defines the overall price in points to be used, corresponding to that Price Group.

warning

The Price group identifiers held by your Block definition must match the values held by the Document programs/styles.

Additional Packs​

Additional packs are similar to Blocks by the fact that they are preferential prices that can be applied on a set of products, but they are simpler:

  • They are linked to only one Merchandise Group
  • They are independent of Price Groups

Thus an Additional Pack is characterized by:

  • A code, a name
  • A Merchandise Group
  • A budget and a value (both in points)
  • Its related Catalog, RangeCode and coefficients are those of the Blocks included in the same Block definition
warning

The RangeCode and Merchandise group identifiers values held by your Block definition must match the values held by the Document line items.

Calculation principle​

When the system needs to analyze the most optimal Block(s) that can be applied to a given Document, it will:

  • Group the different Document lines by RangeCode, and for each one of them:
    • Calculate the amounts (in points) of the different Merchandise groups present in the Document, by adding the number of points of all the elements that compose them.
    • Determine the Price group: this is the Price group with the highest number of furniture items/lines.
    • Then for each avalaible Block:
      • Go and compare the number of points for each Merchandise group to the budget defined in the Block for that Merchandise group and for its recorded Price Group: when the number of points for the Merchandise group exceeds the one defined in the Block, we recover the number of points of excess.
      • The amount of the kitchen when applying the Block thus corresponds to the amount of the Block itself + the amounts of excess for each Merchandise group + the amounts of the "outside block" elements (i.e. whose Merchandise group is not mentioned in the Block definition).
    • Provide a list of Blocks with, for each, the selling and buying prices calculated for the seller's Project, using eventual Coefficients.
    • The eventual Additional packs are computed in a similar way, but on a distinct Merchandise group. They can also support an eventual amount of excess.

The selected Block and Additional pack amounts are added to the Document prices in order to get its final prices:

  • A new Document line will be added to the Document for each selected Block, with their related prices.
    • Eventual add-ons, corresponding to the Discount applied for each Merchandise group, and divided in as many VAT rates as referred, will also be added to each Block document line.
  • Other Document lines will be created for each selected Additional pack, with an eventual add-on corresponding to the Discount applied on the related Merchandise group.