- Overview
- Types of Product Groups:
- Sell Items Individually Parent is Info Only:
- Sell Items in Kit with Parent:
- Sell Parent Track Inventory Transparently
- Child Product Settings
- How Product Groups and Kits Interact with each Other
- Internal Fields
Overview
AmeriCommerce Product Groups are a powerful feature that makes it possible to logically group like products onto a single product page and/or create kits of items to be purchased together. There's three types of product groups, and each is designed with a specific use-case in mind. This article contains a detailed explanation of each group type, its use cases, and settings.
Creating Product Groups
In order to create a product group, login to your store's dashboard, and
- Navigate to Catalog > Products > Edit Product > Grouping
- Select a group type from the Product Group Type drop-down
- Save
- Use the Search for a product to add as part of this group drop-down to being adding products to the group.
If you're not sure which type of group you should use, continue reading about types of Product Groups below.
Types of Product Groups
As mentioned aboved, there's three types of product groups available:
- Sell Items Individualy Parent is Info Only - A logic grouping of like items that share a description and product image displayed on a parent item page this is informational only.
- Sell Items In Kit With Parent - Allows the group's child items to be purchased both as part of a group and as a standalone item.
- Sell Parent Track Item Inventory Transparently - The child item is automatically added to the cart when the parent item is added to cart. If you sell shaving razor supplies and also want to create a "gift-box" product that includes several existing items, this is a good choice.
Sell Items Individually Parent is Info Only
Details
- Child items visible on parent page? Yes
- Child items visible in searches and on category pages? No
- Child items can be required? No
- Parent can be added to cart? No
- Child item pages redirect to parent? Yes
- Child items can be purchased separately? Yes, but from the parent page
Use-case Example:
- You're selling a product called "Awesome Shirts". You want each size to be a separate product
- You want customers to add them to cart from a single page.
- If a customers search for "Awesome Shirts", they will only see the parent in the results (not all the child sizes).
- Customer can add multiple quantities of each size with one click of the add to cart button
Sell Items Items in Kit With Parent
Details
- Child items visible on parent page? Yes (if not required)
- Child items visible in searches and category pages? Yes
- Parent can be added to cart? Yes
- Child items can be optional? Yes
- Child items can be required? Yes
- Child items have their own product page? Yes
- Child items can be purchased individually? Yes
- Parent always added to cart on parent page? Yes
- Adding same Kit is separate line items on cart? Yes
Use-case Examples:
- You want to sell a bed, two nightstands and a dresser as a kit
- You need the ability to charge a a price that is different than the sum of the child items purchased separately
- You still want to offer the items individually, but also offer customers the option of buying the kit
- You need the ability to offer optional items as well, like a lamp.
Creating with API
- Set IsKit's value to true on the parent product.
- Set DoNotSellParent to false on parent product
Sell Parent Track Item Inventory Transparently
Details
- Child items visible on parent page? No
- Child items visible on search and category pages? Yes
- Parent can be added to cart? Yes
- Child items can be purchased individually? Yes
- Child items are visible when kit added to cart? No
- Is Required items are currently HIDDEN on the product detail page of the parent, there is not currently a seperate "HideChildOnParentProductDisplayPage" flag, please request this if needed.
- Once in the cart, it can only be removed by removing the parent item that it is attached to.
Use-case Examples
- You sell shaving razor supplies and would like to offer customers a razor "Holiday Gift Box" that includes a selection of popular items.
- You want to track inventory on the supplies
- You want to be able to control how many of each supply are added to the cart for the gift box.
- You want the customer to see only the Gift Box product in the cart when checking out.
Child Product Settings
Once you select a Product Group Type and add a product to the group, you'll be able to configure the group settings for each child product that you add. Different settings will be available depending on the type of group selected. Below are descriptions of the settings for each type.
Sell items Individually Parent is Info Only
Exclude Price - Excludes the price of the child from the price of the items added to cart.
Sort Order - Sets the order of the child item in relation to the other child items in the kit, ascending.
Sell Items in Kit With Parent & Sell Parent Track Inventory Transparently
Is required - The child item is automatically added to the cart when the parent item is added to cart
- A parent item would be needed to use auto add ranges functions and logically a parent would be needed in order for a sub product to be required.
- Is Required items are currently HIDDEN on the product detail page of the parent, there is not currently a seperate "HideChildOnParentProductDisplayPage" flag, please request this if needed.
- Once in the cart, it can only be removed by removing the parent item that it is attached to.
- A parent must not be marked as “DoNotSellParent” if you set IsRequired to true on the child, a parent is needed.
- Example: you have to buy at least 1 nightstand for this group to be purchased, or you have shipping containers being added to an order on certain items
Bind Quantity to Parent - When set to true, the customer is simply presented with a check box to indicate that they do or do not want the item, rather than the usual quantity text box.
- Once added to cart, the child's quantity will match the parent's quantity.
- This feature can also be paired with the Is Required flag.
- Example: if you order 12 hats and you choose to add a logo to them, then it forces you to order 12 logos and that quantity cannot be changed.
Auto Add Range - Can be used to specify when a child item is automatically added to the customer's cart when the parent is added to the cart
- It can also be paired with the Is Required flag to force the product and quantity to always be in the cart
- Enter a Lower and Upper Bound (which is the parent’s quantity to key off of) to have this feature work.
- Example: if Low=1 High=50 and Add Qty=7, then if the parent quantity added is between 1-50, 7 of the child item will be added.
Required Quantity - This specifies the number of child items to be inserted into the cart when using the Is Required or Auto Add Range features
- If no quantity is entered then the default of 1 is used
- If Is Required is true, they cannot remove the item or go below the quantity specified, however the customer can purchase more than the quantity you specify to be added.
Surcharge: This allows you to add an upcharge or discount to the prices for each child item.
- Total: Charges a specific dollar amount for this child item, overriding other pricing schemes
- - Dollars: subtracts a certain dollar value from the calculated price
- + Dollars: adds a certain dollar value on top of the calculated price
- - Percent: subtracts a certain percent from the calculated price
- + Percent: adds a certain percent on top of the calculated price
Exclude Price - Exclude the price of the child item from the price of the kit.
Sort Order - Sets the order of the child item in relation to the other child items in the kit, ascending.
How Groups and Kits Interact with Each Other
- If Child is part of a Group AND is part of a Kit simultaneously
- If you navigate to the child page individually, you will be redirected to the parent’s page for ordering the item
- example: cat food that is a child item of a group of different sizes of cat food, but one of the sizes of cat food is also part of a starter package kit for cats
- If any IsKit item is added to the cart with children they will show below the parent with an indent and smaller picture size
- If another kit item that is the same is added, that will be a new group of items (it will not increment the previously added group's quantities) that is a different instance of the kit
- example: when building a computer, if you add a computer with a certain configuration to the cart, then go back and build another computer, they need to be seperate in the cart
- If a "logical group" item is added to the cart, then another copy is added, it should increment the items in the cart by that amount, not create a new row.
Internal Fields
Below are internal field names for use by developers
- NoProductGrouping (default choice, standard product)
- SellItemsInKitWithParent (IsKit) - all functions tied to parent are available
- SellItemsIndividuallyParentIsInfoOnly (Hide Product Group Headers) - only basic group functions available
- SellAllItemsIndividuallyDoNotGroup (Not Supported Yet, Use related items instead which is the same use case as SellAllItemsIndividually)
- ChildItemInGroupAlready - no group functions will be available on a child.
- IfChildHideOnProductListingPages - or just use the Hide flag on the child (hide flag will work currently, or if in SellItemsIndividuallyParentIsInfoOnly this is the default)
- IfChildAllowSellingSeperately - it will allow this item to be put in the cart seperately as well as in groups (not currently there, if SellItemsInKitWithParent then it will allow this)
- A parent must not be marked as “DoNotSellParent” if you set IsRequired to true on the child, a parent is needed.
Comments
2 comments
It's a lie :-) ! "please visit the KB "Understanding Product Groups", it is linked at the bottom of this article." there is not link.
Thanks Simon. I've fixed the link. http://support.americommerce.com/entries/21951522-Understanding-Product-Groups-Kits-
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