.png?height=120&name=SimplyBread_Logo_BrightEmber%20(1).png){kind=logo}
The Product Options feature allows bakers to offer variations of a product with different pricing and inventory tracking. This is useful for selling multiple flavors, offering slicing options, or selling pack sizes with upcharges or discounts.
How to Set Up Product Options
You can find the "Add Product Options" button when creating or editing a product in your product library. This allows you to add variations such as flavors, pack sizes, or slicing options.
How Pricing Works for Product Options
Each option can have a different price.
- Same Price as the Base Product: If an option costs the same as the base product, leave the price field next to the option name as $0.
- Upcharges/Discounts: If an option is more expensive or cheaper than the base product, you can enter a positive amount (upcharge) or a negative amount (discount) in the price field next to that option’s name.
Example 1: Slicing Bread for an Upcharge
- Sliced: +$2.00
- Not Sliced: +$0.00
Example 2: Pack Size Discounts
- 3 Pack: +$0.00
- 6 Pack: +$3.00
- 9 Pack: +$6.00
Example 3: Loaf size
- Regular Loaf: +$0.00
- Mini Loaf: -$5.00
How Inventory Works for Product Options
When adding a product with options to your bake day, you will be asked how you would like to manage the inventory for the product options. There are two ways to manage inventory for products with options:
A. Shared Inventory (Grand Total Tracking)
If you want to track the total number of items sold without locking users into specific options, do not enable individual inventory tracking.
🔹 Example: You are selling 20 loaves of bread and would like to offer the option for your customers to have their loaf sliced. In this case, you customers can choose whichever option they want. The only thing you care about is that you do not sell more than 20 loaves total.
B. Individual Inventory (Option-Specific Tracking)
If you need to control exact quantities for each option, you can set individual inventory.
🔹 Example: You are selling scones and you have 3 different flavor options. Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. You will only be making 10 of each flavor. In this case, you will want to toggle on the "Set Individual Quatities" toggle and specify the exact quantity of each option you are selling.
Important Note on Pack Sizes and Inventory Tracking
When using Product Options to sell items in different pack sizes (e.g., 3-pack, 6-pack, 9-pack of cookies), the system does not recognize that a "3-pack" contains 3 cookies or that a "9-pack" contains 9 cookies. Instead, it only tracks the number of packs sold, not the total number of individual cookies.
This means that if you choose Shared Inventory, the system will simply count each order as "one unit sold" regardless of how many cookies are in each pack. Here’s an example of how this works:
🔹 Example Scenario: You set a total inventory of 10 cookie packs and offer three pack size options:
- 3-Pack
- 6-Pack
- 9-Pack
If all 10 customers choose the 6-pack, you will sell:
- 10 x 3 = 30 cookies
If all 10 customers choose the 9-pack, you will sell:
- 10 x 9 = 90 cookies
Since the system only tracks the number of packs sold (not the number of cookies inside), you could end up selling more cookies than expected if many customers choose larger pack sizes.
How to Manage This Effectively
If you want to control exactly how many cookies you sell, you should use Individual Inventory instead of Shared Inventory. This way, you can set specific limits, such as:
- 3-Pack: 5 available
- 6-Pack: 3 available
- 9-Pack: 2 available
This ensures that you do not oversell beyond your intended cookie count but also restricts customer flexibility in choosing pack sizes.
By understanding how the system tracks inventory, you can choose the best setup for your business based on how flexible you want your product offerings to be.