Overview
When using Shop Manager's AI Parts Matrix, you may want to exclude certain parts from using the matrix. This is doable by creating group exception rates, allowing you to control and apply your own GP%, independent of what the AI Parts Matrix might suggest.
The purpose of this article is to review how Exceptions work with the AI Parts Matrix, how to set them up, and how to apply group exception rates to parts within your Inventory.
Table of Contents:
- Creating and Editing Group Exceptions
- Edit Individual Parts to Add Them to Groups
- Bulk Enroll Multiple Parts into a Group
Creating and Editing Group Exceptions
The AI Parts Matrix enables you to efficiently define 'Groups' of parts GP exceptions. These groups help you categorize similar parts that require a distinct or consistent markup rate for special cases while ensuring the AI Parts Matrix runs as usual for all other parts.
By setting up groups, you can:
Assign custom, consistent GP margins to specific sets of parts.
Manage and adjust the margins for all parts within a group at once.
To create a new exception group, go to the Parts tab in the left-hand toolbar and select AI Parts Matrix. Scroll down to the AI Parts Matrix Exceptions section, located just below the matrix table. Click +Add an Exception, and a blank line will appear in the Exceptions area, allowing you to enter the group's name and gross profit percentage. Changes are automatically saved and can be edited anytime by clicking the text fields and adjusting the values.
Once you have your groups created, you may return to the Inventory page to assign them to parts. You can assign the group exception rate to parts individually, or in batches. Each of these processes are outlined in the next sections.
Edit Individual Parts to Add Them to Groups
To edit an individual part to apply a group exception rate, first search the needed part within your Parts > Inventory page, then click directly on the part line item to open up it's information and settings. Under the first tab for Info & Pricing, there is an option to toggle the AI Parts Matrix ON or OFF.
When you toggle the AI Parts Matrix OFF, then a dropdown field will appear allowing you to assign a group exception rate. You may also choose no group, which means the part will sell at list price. As you adjust the AI Parts Matrix option for the part, you will see a description of how the part will be sold update under the Group dropdown. See how this works below:
For the changes to take affect, please ensure you are choosing to 'Save and Close' after the appropriate updates are made. When you save and submit the changes, then within Inventory, the GP% column will update accordingly.
Bulk Enroll Multiple Parts into a Group
If you have more than one part that needs to be enrolled in an exception group, then you can use a bulk edit action within Inventory to update all the chosen part's group at once. Using the search feature (by key terms, vendors, etc.), you can find and select multiple parts you wish to belong to a group. As you select the individual parts, they will be put in a temporary "batch". You can see the number of parts in the batch under the search box, as you go.
In the example below, I've searched for batteries within my Inventory and selected the appropriate ones to assign a group exception rate to. To bulk enroll the batch into a group, select the Actions button → Edit Pricing. A modal will appear that allows you to choose to have the AI Parts Matrix ON or OFF for these selected parts.
If you turn the AI Parts Matrix OFF for the batch, the option to assign a group will appear, with a drop down menu with all the groups you have already set up:
Once you select the group (in this case "Battery"), all of the parts in the batch will be set to sell no lower than the corresponding GP% (in this case 26%). You can see the impact of the pricing changes to the batch of parts in the table underneath the group dropdown.
When you click “Continue,” you will see a confirmation window:
Once you confirm that you want this batch of parts to be assigned to the group, hit the “Update Parts” button and they will be processed and you will see this popup in the right corner of the page to confirm the parts price change.
To undo the group assignment at once, you can select the same batch of parts, go to Actions button → Edit Pricing, and select no group. You can also revert the AI Parts Matrix back to ON at any time.