Auto Generate Product References question

[david.e.kay]

Hello everyone, just wondered if anyone is aware of setting up Catalog so that when you set it to generate product references automatically, you can have it the reference start with the same thing all the time?

In other words, I want to have it so that every reference begins with SKU, then a random number. Is this possible?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[chris ashdown]

I would suggest you do not use the automatic numbers if at all possible, unless you only sell goods you make yourself or buy from one supplier

When your site grows you will probably want to use many suppliers, if you use say a leading letter or two to identify to you the suppliers name, and then use say their ref number you may find it easier to identify individual items where as SKU963 may be hard to relate to.

[Jan]

I don't think that this is possible. Sorry.

Regards,

[jont]

Agree with Chris - assigning random numbers could prove a nightmare after a few months or years. Most suppliers ref numbers are not that random with the first few digits being a department code or a specific product line - that way you can keep like products together.

I personally would not use SKU as a prefix - this can be associated with cheaper e-commerce packages where it is always built into the equation plus it eats valuable space in the limited product ref field.

[oldhasbeen]

Definitely don't use random numbers unless you know for a fact that you'll never need to change them! I think it's a serious issue that actinic automatically defaults to this - it shouldn't - and if you want to use it, it should warn you of the repercussions down the line, especially if you want to use Link.

As mentioned, unless you're manufacturing your own products or will only ever use one supplier, don't use random numbers.

Speaking from mind numbingly painful first hand experience!

[david.e.kay]

Thanks guys, after a bit of thought I reckon you're probably right. On my site I'm selling individual back issue comics, I only ever have one of each title on the site at a time so random numbers seemed to make sense. I hadn't though of refering to the supplier in the product number, that is a much better idea.

Thanks again!

[completerookie]

only my two penneth (is that how you spell it ?)
random numbers does have a small part to play,
if you assign 1,2,3,4 . . . 100,101,102 etc to your numbers, you frequently have common (looking) things with similar(ish) numbers,
so if you sell gloves, you could end up with small = 101, medium = 102, large = 103
when you put them on the shelves in the stores, you could very easily mis-pick the number and send out the wrong goods.

if however you had small = 101, medium = 78, large = 142, you have to be very blind to accidently mistake one item for another, the numbers are so far apart.

take a look at the seemingly random numers allocated to the products at the very efficient e-tailer called ScrewFix, you never get a range of bolts (that all look the same to the picker) with consequitive numbers. - sometimes a its a picking accident just waiting to happen.

[completerookie]

I also forgot to mention, using the manufacturer's product code may aso be a slightly bad idea,
I know one company that uses the manufacturers codes for their product range, its oh-so easy to take a look at his catalog, guess where he's buying them from, and then cross-reference them to the price your'e paying for them, and immediately work out his markup.
just because you (screwfix) sell m10x35mm bolts under product code BOL123, should you then change your reference number to BOL-123nu6789 just because you get a new cheaper supplier for your bolt

I'm not saying anyone's methods are fool proof, just think of other good/bad reasons why you should (or not) follow some advice

[jont]

if however you had small = 101, medium = 78, large = 142, you have to be very blind to accidently mistake one item for another, the numbers are so far apart.

They are not random numbers in the usual sense - Actinic assigns products in a consequetive order as you add in new products - to get random numbers like that you would have to to add the products into Actinic in a ad-hoc fashion. The best way to get "random" numbers for similar items is still to disable auto generated product numbers.

Agree about using suppliers numbers - whilst it can make it easier in the back office it does open the door to people finding alternative suppliers. It may make sense to label products such as TV's, camera's and other electricals where the product name is a well known item eg: canon350d for the current TV adverts.

I had a part time job when at school and the catalogue they used to show customers for non-stocked items contained a long product reference - the last digits of the code were the cost price to the store - this made it very easy for the shop keeper to see what it will cost him and the customer see's the RSP so a deal can be done without refering back to a trade catalogue! A mad system as once the secret is out everyone know's what is involved - I caught a car salesman lying (I know) about how much mark-up he was making on a car I bought several years back - a different system but an easy one to figure out.

[completerookie]

totally agree with your thoughts.

I ended up creating the first two letters to be the TYPE of product example would be (FA=Fastenings, CL=Clothing) and then having a random three numbers appended to the two characters.
if I used a number that was already used, the system would then give me an alert.

the apparant random number was created by simply looking on the shelf, seeing what product numbers were near by and then using a totally different number. There has never been a problem with consecutive numbers in the "clothing range" as long as the consecutive numbers were NOT next to each other on the shelf - this avoids any picking errors.

all of this number allocation allows me to swap suppliers at a moments notice, to mix and match suppliers in the same bin, and just as important, reduces the risk of picking errors.

kev