Overview
Products, packages and offers are essential components of all ordering methods available in Timestone Software. (The manual, “Point and Click” action of adding products to a queue is not considered an ordering method).
It is important the user understand what these terms mean and how they relate to each other.
Definitions
A product can be considered to be any item that is “produced” in the Timestone Software applications. These include but are certainly not limited to:
Subject portrait based prints such as an 8” x10” portrait, a memory mate, a sheet of wallets or trader cards
The digital image made available to download
A group photograph or a composite group photograph or a virtual group photo
Portrait based products often relate directly to a pack layout template. Other products relate to a genre, such as composites, groups and digital image.
One or more products are combined into a Package.
A package is composed of one or more products.
When customers place an order, when they buy something, they are ordering a package even if that package only contains a single product.
Packages are assigned a Code referred to as the Package Code. When orders are entered into the system it is this code that is entered via keyboard, barcode or text file.
Packages have several other attributes such as pricing.
One or more packages are combined into an Offer.
An offer is composed of one or more packages.
It is useful to think of an offer as an order sheet from which customers choose what they wish to order. "Here are the products I offer you".
An offer is assigned to a job when the job is created or uploaded.
How they work with each other
As mentioned, ordering is via the Package Code. The concept is slightly different with Paper Orders as compared to Online Orders.
Paper orders
The Package Code can be ordered by keyboard entry, by scanning a barcode encoded with the Package Code or by importing a text file containing the code.
In itself the Package Code is meaningless. It is only when the Package Code is resolved according to the Offer set for the job, that the software knows what Products to add to the print queue.
The process of resolving Package Codes into their constituent Products as defined by the current Offer, is referred to as Order Processing.
Online orders
With online ordering, the Order Processing occurs when the job is uploaded. At this point, the Package Codes are resolved into their products. This allows the online customer to not only see their packages but their constituent products thus allowing them to optionally customize each product in the package.
FAQ
What are the main components of ordering methods in Timestone Software?
The main components are products, packages, and offers.
What is a product in Timestone Software?
A product is any item produced in the Timestone Software applications, such as prints, digital images, and group photographs.
How is a package defined in Timestone Software?
A package is composed of one or more products and is assigned a Package Code for ordering.
What is an offer in the context of Timestone Software?
An offer is composed of one or more packages and serves as an order sheet for customers.