Essential Points
Introduction
There are features in LightSpeed that are specific to retail stores that sell clothing and shoes, where size-color combinations can be ordered and sold under a common style. In fact, there are sales workflows common to clothing stores that are unique, and will be outlined here.
The ability to bind together Products that vary only in size or color is essential for the purchasing and maintenance of apparel for boutiques.
The Size-Color Matrix is found in the Product card, and can be activated using the Size-Color Matrix checkbox in the Info tab of the Product card. Using this checkbox and creating Products on the matrix designates this Product as the Master Product.
The Master Product is not an actual Product, rather it represents what all the Child Products (the combinations) have in common. Child Products created from a Master Product all have their own separate Product card, but when created will have pre-populated the attributes the Master Product had when they were created, including Family, Class, Costs, and Selling Price. The Master Product is not to be deleted.
If you sell Products that differ only in size or color, you are able to use this feature to create a large number of multiple Products easily. When you check the Size-ColorMatrix checkbox, a grid will appear which allows you to enter various sizes and colors for the Product. The list of sizes can be created at Tools > Setup > Size, and the list of colors can be created at Tools > Setup > Color. Clicking Save will create checkboxes for each combination.
To access your sizes and colors in the matrix, you must first populate them in their respective setup panels, located in the Tools menu. Once you’ve added them to the lists, you can create sets that you can call up in the matrix to quickly populate the row and column headings.
To save a size or color set, go to Size Sets or Color Sets in the Setup option of the Tools menu, click New, and choose the sizes you want to save in a set. Name the set and click Save. This set will now be accessible using the Color Sets and Size Sets buttons at the bottom of the matrix. Choose the set you wish to use to populate the headings. Click Save.
Next, check the boxes for which you wish to create new Products, and click Create Products. New Products will now be added to the Product database, duplicating all the Product info from the original Product, and each will have a unique Product Code and description. Formatting for these modifications can be done using the pull-down menus below the matrix.
If the Master Product is added to a Purchase Order, the matrix will appear and you can enter the quantities you wish to order for each combination directly in the matrix.
Once you click Save and close the matrix window, the combination Products will be added to the PO, and the Master Product will not be there. When the Products arrive, they must be received individually.
Inventory adjustments for Child Products can be done on the matrix as well. To access it, click the Inventory tab of the Master Product, and click the Adjust button. In the resulting Adjust Inventory window, click the Adjust Inventory by Matrix button, and enter the values for each combination Product. Click Save. The inventory levels for each Child Product will now be changed.
However, the recommended method for adjusting any Product’s inventory levels is to add the Product to a Purchase Order and “receive” the size-color Child Products into inventory, using the method outlined above. Receiving Products to adjust their levels, rather than doing manual adjustments, is the preferred method owing to a more accurate balance of accounting exports.
When you save adjustments to the Matrix Master Product, you will be asked if you want these changes adjusted on the Child Products as well, with a checklist of items you want adjusted.
Master Matrix Products cannot be deleted.
A typical clothing store does not process backorders, often orders Products directly from suppliers before being able to create a Purchase Order in LightSpeed, and in many cases will only order an item once. Depending on how much information each business needs to track regarding profit and inventory control, the following considerations may be useful for clothing stores when deciding on their LightSpeed workflow:
Selling
If you are ordering Products through a catalog or on tradeshow floors, before you have a chance to enter the orders in LightSpeed, it is important that you transcribe these orders onto POs before, preferably, the orders arrive and you start putting the Products on your sales floor. Receiving the Products onto a Purchase Order as they arrive will make it much easier to keep track of your inventory and its value. In cases where you receive and sell a Product before you can enter it into LightSpeed, you can create a generic Product with an editable Selling Price and Description. This will allow you to create an Invoice for the Customer which you can later edit by replacing the generic Product with the correct Product you've since had time to create. This allows you to eventually produce sales and inventory reports that are more accurate than if you'd simply left the generic Product on the Invoice.
Receiving
It is recommended that you create an actual Product card for the Products you're receiving, with an accurate Cost, and that you use that Product on the Purchase Order when receiving stock into inventory. While you can modify the Costs of your generic Product on both Purchase Orders and Invoices, creating individual Product cards for the Products you receive and sell give you greater flexibility in terms of sales reports.
Importing
LightSpeed can import size-color combination Products that maintain their relationship to the Master Product. Please see the Importing article for more information.
