Retail Express offers a service to assist customers in getting their data into Retail Express in an easy, stress-free and efficient way.
The process we undertake depends on your current situation, for example whether you have an existing system or if you're just getting your data together for the first time. While we take care of your data you're able to focus on training and getting ready to launch!
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Features of Data Concierge
During the standard Data Concierge process we take your data and convert it into a format ready for Retail Express.
| Feature | Details |
| Project Management | Your Retail Express Implementation Manager will discuss your requirements and existing data, or guide you through the process of uploading the data into Retail Express yourself (optional - see below for more information) |
| Included data |
- Customers
- Products
- Suppliers
|
| File formats |
|
| Data limit | Maximum of 5 tabs or worksheets |
| Multiple uploads | Additional Service |
| Data Cleanse | We review your data and make suggestions where appropriate e.g. 4 different variations of the colour "Black" to be combined - Blk, Black, Bl, Blak |
| Changing data once uploaded | Additional Service (please contact us for more information). |
| Extracting attributes from within product descriptions | If the attributes are consistently at the start/finish of the description this can be achieved easily; for attributes that are inconsistent or in the middle of the description this will require additional time. |
| Reset to an empty database |
Once data has been uploaded it cannot be deleted through the standard use of Retail Express. As an additional service we can reset the database back to an empty database however please note this resets all data.
|
| Combining inconsistent data | Additional service (please contact us for more information). |
| Products in a table grid/matrix format | Not available |
| Services not included |
- Any file format other than those specified above e.g. PDF, SQL exports, invoices, emails, faxes, word documents, images
- Historical sales data
- Any feature not explicitly included above
|
| Additional Services Cost |
Data Concierge is a free service, however for additional services beyond the standard inclusions please contact us for more information.
Examples of additional services:
- Multiple uploads
- Changing data once uploaded
- Inconsistent data
|
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Using the Data Concierge service
The standard Data Concierge process is as follows:
| Step | Name | Details |
| 1 | Initial Project Management Call | During an initial call with your Retail Express Implementation Manager you will be able to discuss your data requirements e.g. if you use an existing system and can export the data or not. |
| 2 | Current data review | If you have existing data, we'll ask you to export a sample for us to review. Your Implementation Manager will determine if this is a format compatible with Data Concierge, or if any additional manipulation is required. |
| 3 | Template Discussion | If you don't use an existing POS system, have incompatible data, or prefer to upload the content yourself, your Implementation Manager will introduce you to a template you can use. |
| 4 | Data Concierge begins |
We will begin the Data Concierge process, which consists of:
- Mapping your data to the required templates
- Cleansing your data
- Sending it to you for review
- You make any changes required/let us know what changes to be made or data to be removed/excluded
- You approve the data
- We upload the content
|
| 5 | Process complete |
Once the upload has been completed you can go live at any time.
Note: Additional uploads can be performed as an additional service - please contact us for more information.
|
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Preparing your Data
To make the process as efficient as possible you should prepare your data prior to sending it through to our Implementation team.
Important: File formats: Due to the complexity of the Data Concierge process we can only accept the following file formats: .csv, .xls, .xlsx or .txt. Please be aware that PDF format is not accepted.
Data Best Practice
By making sure your data matches the following best practices we can upload your data quicker:
| Combine similar data onto a single worksheet (tab) | This makes it easier for your project managers to identify the information they're looking at
 |
| Consistent data format | If you have included the size/colour in the name of the product try and use the same format for all of the products e.g. Name - Size - Colour; Women's skirt - 14 - Radioactive. |
| Provide all mandatory information |
If required information is missing we won't be able to upload your data e.g. products missing a Name, or a Cost Price.
The mandatory fields for Customers, Products and Suppliers can be found in the next section.
|
| Be clear on the purpose of the data |
This makes it faster to process your data i.e. if you have 4 different prices for the product make sure it's obvious which one is the sell price and which one is the cost price.
|
| Send all the data at the same time (if possible) |
We can prepare the data and get it back to you for review quickly. Sending the data in pieces runs the risk of missing data or extending the time required.
|
| Send a compatible file type |
We accept the following file formats - all others are not compatible:
- .CSV
- .XLS or .XLSX (Microsoft Excel formats)
- .TXT
|
Note:There are file formats that aren't compatible with Data Concierge which we can't accept e.g. PDF. In these cases you will need to ask your suppliers to send your data in a compatible format (listed above)
Data Requirements
During the Data Concierge process there's only 3 pieces of data we work with:
- Products
- Suppliers
- Customers (optional)
Click on the headings below to review the minimum data requirements for each area.
Sending us your Customer data is optional, however if you choose to do so, there's specific data requirements on what we need in order to upload the data for you.
Note:you can send additional information if available, and we'll do our best to fit this into the system where appropriate.
Customers
There is only one mandatory field for a customer, however as a minimum we recommend you provide the following:
| Field | Details |
| First Name* | The first name of the customer |
| Last Name | The last name of the customer |
| Custom Reference | Used if the customer is part of a loyalty group or have a unique reference e.g. X783SL778-2 |
| Email | Required if using an eCommerce integration, the email address is typically used as the customer's login |
| ReceiveEmail | If the customer has subscribed to any newsletter mailing lists or any other communication channels |
* Mandatory field
Products
As a minimum we need the following information about products to be able to import these into Retail Express:
| Field | Details |
| Product Name | Used for the "Short Description" in Retail Express, this will appear in most places around the system and within POS |
| Supplier SKU | Commonly referred to as SKU or Barcode. This is the unique code for each individual product. |
| Product Type | The category of the product e.g. Clothing, Clothing - Mens |
| Supplier | The supplier of the product, can be either a full name or unique code |
| Buy Price (ex. tax) | Commonly referred to as the Cost Price; how much you purchase the product for from your supplier |
| POS Price (inc. tax) | The price you sell your product to your customers |
Any other additional information is welcome for import, however without any of the above fields we'll be unable to load your products.
Suppliers
There is only one mandatory field for a Supplier, however as a minimum we recommend you provide the following:
| Field | Details |
| Supplier* | The name of the Supplier |
| Supplier Code | A code used to identify the supplier easily (typically used in Filters within the system) |
| Contact Phone | The phone number for the supplier |
| Contact Email | The email address used to contact the supplier |
* Mandatory field
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Data Import Examples
Below are some examples of how data can be corrected into a more suitable format.
Similar data in multiple tabs instead of a single tab
Sometimes it may be tempting to keep data sent from separate suppliers on individual tabs instead of one single one.
In these cases the data has to be combined onto a single spreadsheet before it can be imported.
It becomes complicated if the data doesn't match, and we don't know what data is the correct data to be used e.g. if products have SKU, Barcodes and UID we won't know which is the best code to use. This is where you come in - the person who knows your product data the best is you!
Recommendations:
- Combine all data onto a single "Products" spreadsheet
- Add an additional column for Supplier and list the supplier name there
- Ensure the correct information appears in each column e.g. the code to be used for the Supplier SKU/Barcode
Mismatched/inconsistent data format
The size and colour fields are used to distinguish similar products from one another e.g. two shirts of the same style - one black, and one white. A common situation is to have the colour and/or as part of the product name.
Tip: Retail Express has four default attributes (Size, Colour, Season and Brand). You can also create custom attributes for any additional information - refer to the
Product Attributes article for more information.
Correct import
Product example: "Stealth Shirt - Black - 10"
In the example the format of the product name is Name - Colour - Size. This makes it easy to extract the information and separate it into three different fields for import, since each attribute is separated by a dash.
Click to view full size
Incorrect import
Product example: "Stealth Shirt - 10 - Black" and "Stealth Shirt - Red - 10"
If the product names aren't consistent it can potentially result in the data being imported incorrectly (noting the different order of the size and colour attributes in the name of the products in the example):
Click to view full size
📋 Note:Our Implementation team reviews the data prior to import and will do their best to identify any issues, however we cannot guarantee the accuracy.
Recommendations:
- Review your data before sending it to your Retail Express Implementation Manager
- Update the data to be consistent
- Ideally separate the data into Size/Colour columns prior to sending it to your Implementation Manager
Import file missing mandatory information
If the import file is missing mandatory data we won't be able to upload it into your system until you have corrected the information. This will cost valuable time and delay your implementation.
Note: Mandatory fields are typically highlighted in Retail Express with an asterisk and a solid red line e.g. on the Create a Product screen.
You can read more about the required Mandatory Fields for Products, Suppliers and Customers in the Preparing your Data section above.
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Send us your data
Use the form below to send us your data; you can send a maximum of 5 files at one time.
Reminder:PDF files will not be accepted.