In this discussion, we will focus more on the modules within iDempiere that can help retail businesses in running their day-to-day operations. This discussion will cover the types of Sales Orders available in iDempiere.
Why are Sales Orders divided into several types? Sales Orders are categorized based on their Document Types so that they can be used according to the needs or transactions commonly carried out by retail businesses, such as direct/cash sales, credit sales, indent sales (pre-orders), and others. We will discuss the Document Types available in the Sales Order one by one and their respective uses.
Sales Order Document Types
In the Sales Order menu, there is a Document Type column that has been predefined with several Document Types. The Document Type itself is distinguished through the SO Sub Type column, which differentiates the types of Sales Orders. When the SO Sub Type is filled, the SO Return Sub Type, Document Type for Shipment, and Document Type for AR Invoice columns will be displayed so that users can determine the Document Types created for Return, Shipment, and Invoice documents when they are automatically generated from the Complete Sales Order process.
1. POS Order
This Document Type is used if the transaction is a direct/cash sale, such as a customer coming directly to the store and purchasing goods. A POS Order is suitable for this transaction because once the Sales Order is Completed, it will automatically generate a Shipment (to reduce inventory stock), an Invoice (a billing note for the sale), and a Payment directly against the Invoice.
2. Prepay Order
A Prepay Order can be used when a sales transaction is a pre-order (indent) or requires a down payment upfront. If the Sales Order is Completed, its status will become Waiting Payment, where the Sales Order will wait for the customer to settle the payment for the order. If a Payment is entered using this Order number, the Order will automatically create a Shipment and an Invoice that are directly allocated to this Payment. The Sales Order status will also immediately change to Completed. Furthermore, a Prepay Order will record the Reservation Quantity while in the Waiting Payment status, making it easy to see if the stock for this item has been reserved in advance. Checking this can be done directly in the Sales Order menu through Product Info. The Prepay Order in iDempiere for Retail Store has been customized to accommodate multiple payment methods and can be input directly in the Sales Order menu.
3. Standard Order
A Standard Order is used for credit sales transactions, where goods are typically ordered in advance and prepared later. This transaction is usually carried out for business-to-business (B2B) orders, which are generally paid on terms and where not all ordered goods are immediately available. When this Sales Order is Completed, it will not automatically generate any documents, meaning the Shipment, Invoice, and Payment will all be created manually, corresponding to the sequence of events in the field. When Completed, this Sales Order will also add to the Quantity Reservation to indicate that the stock for these goods has already been ordered.
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Using Lookup Record / Search in iDempiere
There are still several other Sales Order document types available in the default iDempiere, but those three Document Types are the ones I use most frequently and that we implement in iDempiere for Retail Store. iDempiere itself already supports Quick Entry, which enables faster data input for retail store transactions. Consult your retail store system needs with us today by contacting us.