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  2. Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator)

41 Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator)

Purpose: Use the Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator) window to review an item’s availability in external locations and the details about the external location.

How to display:

Note:

  • The Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator) window is available only if the Use Merchandise Locator (I38) system control value is selected.
  • For set items, the Check Item Availability option is available for the set component item and not the main set item.
  • In Order Summary and Customer Items List pages, the Check Item Availability option is available only for order lines whose status is Open, Held, Soldout, Suspended, or Express Bill. It is not available for orders in Error status.

Locations first display on this window in closest proximity sequence.

Note:

  • There may be a slight delay while the window loads the item availability search results.
  • The message No data to display may display if there are no locations that meet the search criteria or if communication with Order Orchestration is not available.

See Inventory Information for information on checking inventory information for items that are not eligible for the merchandise locator.

For more information:

Merchandise Locator API

Purpose: The merchandise locator integration requests current availability information about an item/SKU in retail stores within a geographic search area or in external warehouses.

The merchandise locator search finds locations where the item is available for pickup, as well as indicating whether the item is available for shipment from a location. Your search specifies the requested quantity, and Order Administration uses the ProductAvailability request and response to communicate with Order Orchestration.

Searching for Pickup Locations and Shipment Availability

A typical process of inquiring on locations where an item is available for pickup, as well as whether the item is available for shipment from a location, is described below.

  1. A customer wants to know if an item/SKU is available for pickup at a nearby store or available for shipment from a store location. You select the Item Availability option for the item on the Order Summary page.
  2. The system uses the customer’s geographic location, a default item quantity, and a default radius to search within to search for locations.

  3. In the background, the MERCH_LOC process:

    • Generates the ProductAvailability request message and sends it to Order Orchestration. Order Orchestration checks the availability of the item in stores that stock the item/SKU within the search area, as well as whether the item is available for shipment at any store locations within the same search area.

    • Receives the ProductAvailability response returned by Order Orchestration. This message lists:

      • The item/SKU’s current or estimated availability in each searched location that stocks the item for pickup.

      • An indicator of whether the requested quantity of the item/SKU is available for shipment within the search area.

  4. You advance to the Inventory Information window, displaying the item/SKU’s availability for pickup in each of the locations, including information on any open purchase orders. The window also indicates whether the requested quantity of the item/SKU is available for delivery from a store within the same search area.

Important: The Order Broker supports merchandise locator searches only within the U.S. and Canada.

How does Order Orchestration Select the Locations to Include?

Locations Eligible to Fulfill Pickup Orders

  • Only store locations flagged as Pickup available can be included in the search results displayed at the Item Availability window.
  • Order Orchestration uses any probability rules you have set up to determine whether to include locations in the results, and the available quantity to indicate. For example, you might set up a probability rule for certain locations indicating to exclude them if the available quantity falls below 5 units, or to reduce the available quantity returned in the response message by 10%.

Results Displayed: For each location included in the search results as eligible for a pickup order, the Item Availability window indicates:

  • The available quantity, next purchase order date, and next purchase order quantity.
  • Whether the store location will ship the item for pickup in another store location.
  • The name, address, and phone number of the location.

  • The distance from the search address:

    • Locations are sorted in ascending order by distance (closest location listed first).

    • Locations that are not flagged to Use Proximity Locator are listed without a distance.

Note:

  • If a location that stocks the item and is within the search radius is flagged in Order Orchestration as Backorder Available, it is returned in the search results even if it does not have the item available. In this case, the available quantity listed can be blank, or can be a negative quantity.
  • If there are locations that stock the item and are within the search radius, but none have the full requested quantity available (and are not flagged as Backorder Available), the Item Availability window displays the locations, but does not indicate the distance, available quantity, open purchase order quantity, or next purchase order date. This situation could occur if, for example, the customer requests 5 units, and none of the locations have more than 4 units available. To display the full information for the displayed locations, search again with a lower search quantity.

Locations Eligible to Fulfill Delivery Orders

Only store locations flagged as Shipping available are eligible to fulfill a delivery order. Also, Order Orchestration:

  • Uses any probability rules you have set up to determine whether to include locations in the results, and the available quantity. For example, you might set up a probability rule for certain locations indicating to exclude them if the available quantity falls below 5 units, or to reduce the available quantity indicated in the response message by 10%.
  • Does not exclude locations flagged as Backorder available, even if the available quantity in the location is less than the requested quantity.
  • Restricts eligible locations to a fulfillment zone based on the search address, if configured in Order Orchestration.
  • Excludes locations associated with the Order Administration’s system in Order Orchestration, if the Disallow shopping within same system option is selected for the Order Administration system in Order Orchestration.
  • Excludes locations that have already been assigned the Maximum Daily Orders, if Use Maximum Order Limits preference is selected in Order Orchestration.

Results Displayed: If the results indicate that one or more locations could deliver the requested quantity, the Item Availability window indicates Delivery From Store Is Available; otherwise, the window indicates Delivery From Store Is Not Available.

Note:

The delivery evaluation uses the same search radius as the pickup evaluation. To determine whether the item can be shipped without restricting the results to locations within driving distance of the customer, retry the search with a higher search radius.

Merchandise Locator for Different Types of Items

Merchandise locator searches are not useful for the following types of items:

  • membership item
  • subscription item
  • component of a set (although you can include the main set item)

Also, an item must have its OROB eligible flag selected in order to be eligible for a merchandise locator search. Typically, you would use this flag to exclude inappropriate items, such as gift cards or any other items that are not available in external store locations.

Note:

The restriction against set components applies only if the item is added to the order as a component of a set. If you enter the item as a separate order line, merchandise locator searching is still available.

Merchandise Locator Troubleshooting

Problem: A location that stocks the requested item is not listed at the Inventory Information window.

Possible Explanation or Solution: The location might:

  • Not have the Pickup available flag selected in Order Orchestration.
  • Be excluded because of probability rules.
  • Be outside of the search radius.

Problem: Availability information is not available.

Possible Explanation or Solution: Could occur because:

  • Communication to Order Orchestration is not active.
  • Order Orchestration could not identify the search location based on the information sent in the search request (for example, it has no record of the provided zip code).
  • None of the locations within the search area have the item/SKU in stock. You can select the Edit Search Criteria option to change the search location or distance to search within.
  • None of the locations within the search area stock the item/SKU. You can select the Edit Search Criteria option to change the search location or distance to search within.
  • The customer address information provided in the merchandise locator request was invalid or incomplete. This could occur if, for example, you entered a Canadian address, but the database used to identify customer locations in Order Orchestration includes only U.S. addresses.

Problem: The item is invalid.

Possible Explanation or Solution: The selected item is OROB eligible, but has not yet been created in Order Orchestration.

Problem: The Item Availability window does not indicate the distance, available quantity, purchase order quantity, or next purchase order date.

Possible Explanation or Solution: This situation can occur if there are locations that stock the item and are within the search radius, but none have the full requested quantity available (and are not flagged as Backorder Available): for example, the customer requests 5 units, and none of the locations have more than 4 units available. To display the full information for the displayed locations, search again with a lower search quantity.

Problem: The Item Availability window lists a location with no quantity, or with a negative quantity.

Possible Explanation or Solution: This situation can occur if a location that stocks the item and is within the search radius is flagged in Order Orchestration as Backorder Available.

Product Availability Request Message

When you perform a merchandise locator availability search, the system sends a Product Availability Request message to Order Orchestration.

The system also uses this message when you search for a pickup or ship-for-pickup location in Contact Center order entry; see Search for and Select a Pickup Location for background.

The information in the Product Availability Request message includes:

  • version: from CW_LOCATE_MESSAGE_VERSION in the Work with Customer Properties (PROP) menu option.
  • destination: from the OROB Account (K49) system control value.
  • requesting location code: from the OROB Default Location (K51) system control value.
  • requesting system code: from the OROB System (K50) system control value.
  • type: the request includes a fulfillment_type with a type of SHIPFORPICKUP, indicating the Product Availability Response should return a list of locations where the customer could pick up the item for the requested quantity.

Note:

When you Search for and Select a Pickup Location in Contact Center order entry, a type of PICKUP is passed if the Store Pickup Order Type (L33) system control value is populated. A type of SHIPFORPICKUP is also passed if at least one Store Cross Reference record, set up through the Work with Store Cross Reference (WSCR) menu option, is flagged as Ship for Pickup.
  • range_distance: the setting in the Default Search Within Radius (I40) system control value, unless you changed the radius using the Edit Item Availability Search Criteria window or at the Select Shipping Option and Enter Other Order Information step in Contact Center order entry.
  • range_unit: from the Merchandise Locator Distance Measurement (I39) system control value.
  • item ID: always indicates the Order Administration item and SKU code, regardless of the setting of the OROB Product Code ID (K66) system control value.
  • qty: The requested quantity of the item. For a merchandise locator search, defaults to 1 unless you changed the quantity using the Edit Item Availability Search Criteria window. When you Search for and Select a Pickup Location in Contact Center order entry, this is the order line quantity.
  • address information: the sold-to customers address information, unless you changed the address using the Edit Item Availability Search Criteria window for a merchandise locator search, or when you Search for and Select a Pickup Location in Contact Center order entry.

Product Availability Response Message

The information in the Product Availability Response message includes:

  • version: the version specified in the request message.
  • response_cd: set to 0 if the requested quantity of the item is available for pickup within the search radius; otherwise, set to 1011.
  • response_description: set to Success if the requested quantity of the item is available for pickup within the search radius; otherwise, set to Product not available within search criteria
  • item ID: the item and SKU specified in the request message.
  • location_cd: the code identifying the location, as set up in Order Orchestration.
  • system_cd: the code identifying the location’s system, as set up in Order Orchestration.
  • distance: the total miles or kilometers (depending on the setting of the Merchandise Locator Distance Measurement (I39) system control value) between the search address and the address of the location.
  • distance_unit: set to M if the distance unit specified was miles; otherwise, set to K.
  • location: for each location included in the response, the name and address is included.

Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator) Options

Purpose: You can perform the following actions on the Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator) window.

For more information:

Sort Inventory Information Records

You can sort on any column in the Inventory Information table by clicking on the column name. An arrow pointing up displays next to the field when the values for the field display in ascending sequence; an arrow pointing down displays next to the field when the values for the field display in descending sequence.

Item availability records first display on this window in descending available quantity sequence.

Edit Search Criteria

Select the Edit Search Criteria option to advance to the Inventory Information (Edit Search Criteria) window.

Fields on Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator)

Purpose: The following information displays on the Inventory Information (Merchandise Locator) window.

  • Item Description (unlabeled field below the window title)
  • Item ID (unlabeled field to the right of the Item Description field)
  • SKU Description (unlabeled field below the Item ID and Item Description)
  • Total Available: The total quantity available within the search criteria. This screen does not include Order Administartion warehouse locations, only store locations within the proximity specified.  
  • Delivery Availability (unlabeled field below the SKU Description): If the results indicate that one or more locations could deliver the requested quantity, the Inventory Information window indicates Delivery From Store Is Available; otherwise, the window indicates Delivery From Store Is Not Available.
  • Search Address: The address information used to search for item availability in external locations. The sold-to customer’s address defaults, unless you changed the address information using the Inventory Information (Edit Search Criteria) window.
  • Search Radius: The setting of the Merchandise Locator Distance Measurement (I39) (miles or kilometers) is to the right. The search radius defaults from the Default Search Within Radius (I40) system control value, unless you changed the radius using the Inventory Information (Edit Search Criteria) window.
  • Item Quantity: The requested quantity of the item. Defaults to 1 unless you changed the quantity using the Inventory Information (Edit Search Criteria) window.

Inventory Information Table

The Inventory Information table displays inventory information for each location in the search results where the customer could pick up the item.

Locations are sorted initially by distance (nearest to farthest away).

Note:

The message No data to display may display if there are no locations that meet the search criteria or if communication with Order Orchestration is not available.

For each location, the table displays the following fields:

  • Location

  • Ship-for-Pickup: Indicates whether the store location is available for selection as a destination for a ship-for-pickup order. This is from the Ship for Pickup setting for the store location in the Work with Store Cross Reference (WSCR) menu option.

    • Ship-for-Pickup Is Available displays if the store location is available for selection as a destination for a ship-for-pickup order (the Ship for Pickup setting is selected for the location in the Work with Store Cross Reference (WSCR) menu option).

    • Ship-for-Pickup Is Not Available displays if the store location is not available for selection as a destination for a ship-for-pickup order (the Ship for Pickup setting is unselected for the location in the Work with Store Cross Reference (WSCR) menu option.

For more information: