Configuring the product lead time bundle is essential when a product experiences zero stock or is backordered. The ‘Display in Webstore’ Button on the item record remains checked, enabling customers to see the expected wait time for items that aren't currently available.
Advanced Inventory Management (AIM)
The Advanced Inventory Management feature is crucial for displaying the Product Lead Time in your online store. While there’s much to discuss regarding this functionality, here are the fundamental aspects of this NetSuite feature:
What: AIM permits NetSuite to utilize item records for calculating lead times, safety stock, and seasonal demands on inventory levels. This leads to improved product forecasting, assisting a company in filling its orders more efficiently.
When this feature is advantageous: This feature estimates when inventory will be replenished or when current stock levels will drop based on ongoing demand. Companies with multiple locations or distribution centers aiming to enhance their supply chain forecasting, or those who wish to use NetSuite's calculated insights, will find this feature beneficial.
Where it’s not advisable: This feature might not be suitable if the customer employs a demand planning team and prefers not to rely on historical data in NetSuite for their forecasts.
Why is this essential for the Product Lead Time Bundle? This bundle leverages the built-in features of AIM to present this data on the webstore. Without AIM activated, the bundle cannot determine the Product Lead Time and consequently will encounter errors.
Activate NetSuite Features for the Product Lead Time Bundle
Step 1: Begin by following this path to activate the “Advanced Inventory Management” feature in NetSuite: Setup > Company > Enable Features > Items & Inventory.
Ensure the “Advanced Inventory Management” Checkbox is checked in Enable Features.
Step 2: Install and Activate the SC Product Lead Time Extension via the SuiteBundler.
Navigate to the Customization Tab > SuiteBundler > Search and Install Bundles.
In the search box, type “SC Product Lead Time” and hit search.
Locate the appropriate bundle and click the blue “Install” button to proceed.
For further information on the installation and activation of extensions, refer to the article on Linking Commerce Applications to a Domain in NetSuite.
Note: This bundle requires provisioning by NetSuite. If an error message appears stating, “You do not have access to this bundle,” please ask the customer to reach out to their NetSuite account representative for provisioning.
Step 3: A critical feature that must be enabled for this bundle to function correctly is the checkbox “Include Out of Stock Items in Website”, which needs to be selected in the Website Set Up Record.
To access this setting, utilize the following path:
Commerce > Websites > Website List - Shopping Subtab; Ensure the “Include Out of Stock Items in Website” is checked.
Note: This setting is often overlooked and is not mentioned in NetSuite documentation - if your product lead time bundle fails to display in the webstore, check this setting first for verification.
Include 'Show Message Lead Time' in Field Sets
It is necessary to add the 'Show Message Lead Time' to the Field Sets in the Website Set Up Record. To do this, follow these steps based on the initial NetSuite article mentioned earlier:
Step 1: Go to Commerce > Websites > Website List.
Step 2: Click Edit next to the website where you want to add Product Lead Time.
Step 3: Select the Field Sets subtab.
Step 4: Add the Show Lead Time Message (Custom) field to both the details and matrixchilditems fieldsets. For each fieldset, follow these steps:
Find the Fields Included in the Field Set column and click the Set button.
Choose Show Lead Time Message (Custom) from the Field Name list and click Add.
In the Field Set window, click Submit.
In the Field Set row, click OK.
Step 5: After including the field in both field sets, click Save.
Field Sets in the Website Set Up Record
Configuring the Product Lead Time Extension
To configure the Product Lead Time bundle, navigate to the Configuration Record in NetSuite by following this path: Commerce > Websites > Configuration - Extensions tab and Product Lead Time Subtab.
Extension Level Configuration in the Configuration Level
Set the following:
Message Text - This is an HTML-compatible field that specifies the message to display on the PDP in your webstore.
Show Lead Time As - This field dictates how the wait time appears on the webstore. You can choose between two native options: Day Countdown (“Back in stock in 24 days”) or Date (“Back in Stock on 8/15”).
Date Format - Choose the display format for the date if the Show Lead Time As field is set to Date.
Maximum Number of Days - Defines the maximum number of days to show.
You can establish the Maximum Number of Days at both the extension and item levels. This setting can be customized for specific items via the Maximum Number of Days field on the Item record (SuiteCommerce Extensions tab > Product Lead Time subtab).
Note on NetSuite's Calculation of Product Lead Time: NetSuite calculates an item's lead time by subtracting the receipt date of the purchase order from the dates of the three most recent purchase orders.
Enable Product Lead Time for an Item
To configure this extension for your items, you must enable the product lead time for individual items.
You may choose to apply this extension to selected items.
To enable the product lead time for an item, follow the process below.
If you prefer not to display the product lead time extension for an item, simply leave the “Show Lead Time Message” unchecked on the item record, as indicated in Step One below.
Step 1: Access your Item records by navigating to Lists > Accounting > Items; scroll down to the SuiteCommerce Extensions subtab. The Screenshot is similar to the previous section.
Step 2: In this tab, you will find the Show Lead Time Message and Maximum Number of Days fields, where you can adjust:
Show Lead Time Message: This option allows the product lead time to display if the item is out of stock.
Maximum Number of Days: This sets how many days will be shown for this specific item, as mentioned previously.
Step 3: Once you’ve adjusted these settings, click Save on the Configuration Record. Then, perform a Cache Invalidation Request and hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R) on your site to see the updates take effect.
