Retail Express allows you to create a Purchase Order using a Microsoft Excel template and upload the completed spreadsheet into Back Office. This method is useful when entering multiple products and quantities or when product information is already available in a spreadsheet-compatible format.
This video explains how to select the Purchase Order structure, download and complete the template, enter products and order quantities, upload the file and review the newly created Purchase Order. Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet application is required.
Chapters
Timestamp | Chapter |
|---|
00:00 | Overview |
00:12 | Accessing Purchase Order Creation |
00:25 | Selecting the Purchase Order Structure |
00:53 | Selecting the Supplier and Outlet |
01:11 | Downloading the Excel Template |
01:40 | Enabling Editing in Excel |
01:58 | Understanding the Template |
02:19 | Creating and Ordering New Products |
03:29 | Reordering Existing Products |
04:02 | Entering Quantities and Buy Prices |
04:19 | Saving the Completed Template |
04:39 | Uploading the Excel File |
04:58 | Reviewing the Upload Result |
05:15 | Managing the Purchase Order |
05:27 | Resolving Upload Errors |
Transcript
In this video, we will create a Purchase Order in Retail Express using the Microsoft Excel template method.
Accessing Purchase Order Creation
In Back Office, navigate to: Inventory > PO Management > Create PO. Select the option to upload a Purchase Order using Microsoft Excel, then select New PO.
Selecting the Purchase Order Structure
Retail Express provides several options for structuring the Purchase Order.
You can create an order for:
- One supplier and one Outlet
- One supplier supplying multiple Outlets
- Multiple suppliers supplying one Outlet
- One supplier and one Outlet where the stock has already been received and multiple invoices need to be processed
Select the option that reflects how the products are being ordered and received.
Selecting the Supplier and Outlet
For an order involving one supplier and one Outlet, select the required Outlet and supplier.
When working with a version of Microsoft Excel earlier than Excel 2007, select the corresponding file-format option before downloading the template.
Downloading the Excel Template
Select Get Excel Template from the action bar.
When prompted, you can either save the template to your computer and complete it later or open it immediately.
Retail Express automatically gives the downloaded file a descriptive name that includes the template type and a date and time reference.
Open the file to begin entering the Purchase Order details.
Enabling Editing in Excel
Microsoft Excel may initially open the downloaded template in Protected View because the file was obtained from the internet.
Select Enable Editing at the top of the workbook to make changes to the template.
Understanding the Template
The workbook contains separate worksheets for different types of information.
The Product Master worksheet contains the master information associated with products.
The Outlet worksheet is used to enter the products and quantities being ordered for the selected Outlet.
Do not rename the worksheets or modify the structure of the template.
Creating and Ordering New Products
The Excel Purchase Order method can also be used to create new products and order them in the same process.
This differs from manually creating a Purchase Order in Back Office, where the products must already exist in Retail Express before they can be selected.
To create a new product through the template, enter the required product information in the Product Master worksheet. This may include:
- A unique Supplier SKU
- Short Description
- Supplier Buy or Buy Price Ex
- POS Price
- Product Type
- Supplier Code
After entering the product information, copy the Supplier SKUs to the Outlet worksheet and enter the quantities to be ordered.
The products will be created and included in the Purchase Order when the completed template is uploaded.
Reordering Existing Products
When reordering products that already exist in Retail Express, enter their product codes or Supplier SKUs directly in the Outlet worksheet.
You can type the codes manually or scan the product barcodes into the spreadsheet using a barcode scanner.
A barcode scanner enters the barcode value into the selected spreadsheet cell and typically moves to the next row after each scan.
Entering Quantities and Buy Prices
Enter the required order quantity beside each product.
You can also enter the supplier buy price where required.
Standard Excel functions, such as copying or filling values across multiple cells, can be used while completing the spreadsheet.
Do not delete columns or change the formatting of the template fields, as Retail Express relies on the existing workbook structure when processing the upload.
Saving the Completed Template
After entering the required products, quantities and prices, save the workbook to an accessible location on your computer.
Keep the existing file format and template structure intact.
Uploading the Excel File
Return to the Mass Upload Purchase Orders in Excel screen in Retail Express.
Open the Upload Excel tab, then browse to the location of the completed file.
Select the file and click Upload.
Retail Express reads the spreadsheet and validates the products and information contained in the template.
Reviewing the Upload Result
When the upload is successful, Retail Express displays an Upload Completed message.
The confirmation identifies the supplier and Outlet used for the order and displays the number assigned to the newly created Purchase Order.
Managing the Purchase Order
After the upload is complete, open Purchase Order Manager to continue working with the order.
From there, you can review or edit the Purchase Order, print it or email it to the supplier.
The uploaded spreadsheet creates the Purchase Order, but it does not prevent you from making further changes through Purchase Order Manager.
Resolving Upload Errors
When Retail Express encounters a problem with the spreadsheet, it displays information about the affected row and explains the error.
For example, when a value in row four cannot be processed, the upload result identifies row four and provides details about the issue.
Correct the identified information in the spreadsheet, save the file and upload it again.