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Key Terms

Purchase Order (PO)​

PO is a commercial document and first official offer issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating the types and quantities of products or services that are being requested.

  • POs help suppliers track shipments and payments. They also help buyers monitor timely receipt of the products. POs are prepared by the buyer and include a unique PO number as a reference.

  • An Invoice is a document issued by a seller to a buyer indicating items sold, prices, date of shipment, delivery and payment terms.

Product Line​

A product line is a group of related products manufactured by a single brand and sold by the same company

  • Examples: Home and hard goods, Apparel, Footwear, etc.

Product Category​

A product category refers to products within a Product Line that offer the same general functionality.

  • Example: Apparel has T-shirt, Jeans, Jackets, etc.; Footwear has shoes, sneakers, boots, etc.

Style​

Within a product category, a company can create numerous products, each of these products belongs to a single style. Several factors distinguish styles: designs, materials, usage, measurements, segment, etc.

Item / SKU​

In the field of inventory management, a stock keeping unit (SKU) is the distinctive identifier of an item and all the attributes associated with it.

  • SKUs can also refer to a unique identifier or code often portrayed as a machine-readable bar code that helps identify said item
  • To have regulated and standardized IDs, Global trade Item Number (GTIN) or Universal Product Code (UPC), can be used.

Packing Type​

The packing type describes how items are packed into cartons. It is set per carton with the Packing_Type field.

Solid​

All the items in the carton have the same style, size, and color. In other words, every item in the carton has the same SKU. Use Case_Pack to specify the number of items per carton.

Solid cartonA carton holding six identical red size M shirts. Packing_Type SOLID, Item_ID ST-1001-RED-M, Case_Pack 6.MMMMMMSOLIDOne SKU per cartonEvery item has the same style, color, and size.Packing_TypeSOLIDItem_IDST-1001-RED-MStyle_IDST-1001Color / SizeRed / MCase_Pack6 items per carton

Assortment​

The carton contains a mix of items (SKUs). An assortment can combine:

  • Same or different styles, same size, different colors
  • Same or different styles, different sizes, same color
  • Same or different styles, different sizes, different colors
Assortment cartonA carton holding six shirts of three SKUs: two red S, two red M, two blue M. Packing_Type_ID ASTMT-001, Order_Carton_Quantity 25, Configuration 2 per SKU.SMMSMMASSORTMENTSeveral SKUs in one cartonItems differ in style, color, or size.Packing_Type_IDASTMT-001Order_Carton_Quantity25 cartonsItem_IDConfigurationST-1001-RED-S2 per cartonST-1001-RED-M2 per cartonST-1001-BLUE-M2 per carton

Each assortment carton is identified by its Packing_Type_ID, and Order_Carton_Quantity is the number of such cartons ordered. For each item in the assortment, Configuration is the number of units of that SKU in one carton. In the example above, each SKU has a configuration of 2 and 25 cartons are ordered, so the order quantity of each SKU is 2 × 25 = 50.

Solid vs. assortment at a glance​

SolidAssortment
SKUs per cartonOneSeveral
Carton identifier—Packing_Type_ID (required)
Units per cartonCase_PackConfiguration, per SKU
Cartons ordered—Order_Carton_Quantity (required)

For the complete list of carton fields, see Transfer Purchase Orders.

Point of Measurement​

A point of measurement (POM) is a specific location on a garment or product where it is measured, such as the chest width or the body length. Each POM is identified by a code, so inspectors know exactly where to measure.

Points of measurement on a T-shirtA T-shirt with three points of measurement: C01 chest, L01 body length, and S01 sleeve length, and the matching measurement chart with tolerances and a standard value per size.C01L01S01Measurement chartExample for style ST-1001 · unit: inchCodePoint of measurementTol. −/+SMLC01Chest (½)0.5 / 0.5192021L01Body length0.5 / 0.5272829S01Sleeve length0.25 / 0.257.7588.25The code on the garment matches the row in the chart.Each size (S, M, L) has its own standard value.All items (SKUs) of the style share this chart.

Each POM has three core fields, a caption, a tolerance, and a unit, and a standard value for each size. Together, the POMs of a style form its measurement chart. One product style consisting of many items (SKUs) always shares the same measurement chart. To learn how to send measurement charts, see Measurement Charts.

Other terms used in these guides​

TermMeaningLearn more
AssortmentA carton packed with different items (styles, sizes, or colors). The opposite of a Solid carton, where all items share the same SKU.Packing Type
BOM (Bill of Materials)The list of raw materials, components, parts, and quantities needed to manufacture a product.Bill of Materials
Data ProviderThe organization that owns a record, such as a PO. By default, it is the organization sending the data.Transfer Purchase Orders
Master (parent) / split (child) POA master PO issued to start production, and the smaller POs it is split into before shipment.Purchase Order Association
Measurement chart / SetThe set of points of measurement (POMs) for a style, across its sizes. A style can have more than one set.Measurement Charts
OPO NumberAn optional secondary PO number for your own purposes, such as the PO number from your client or another system.Transfer Purchase Orders
T&A (Time and Action)A timeline of milestones tracked for a PO, such as production milestones with their actual start and end dates and production status.Milestone Status
Taxonomy categoryA classification within a taxonomy level (such as style/item or material) that can have a parent, forming a hierarchy.Taxonomy Category
Test package / Test propertyA test property is a specific test method; a test package is a predefined group of test properties.Lab Test Packages and Properties