What are Linked lines?
In fashion retail, Linked Lines refer to a group of product references that represent the same item but have different identifiers. These different identifiers might exist due to reasons like changes in product codes over time, variations in suppliers, or updates to packaging or labeling.
For instance, a shirt that has been sold for several seasons might have a different identifier each year, even though it’s essentially the same product. In the system, these products are "linked" so that stock across all identifiers can be managed as a single product, ensuring that older stock can still be used to meet demand, even if the current reference is different.
In short, Linked Lines help retailers manage inventory efficiently by treating the same product under different identifiers as part of a single group, optimizing stock usage and reducing waste.
Requirements for products to be part of the same LL chain
- Customer Perspective Alignment: The products must be perceived as the same by the customer. This ensures that all historical data can be aggregated under a single reference, providing a unified view of product performance over time.
- Price Consistency: The prices of the products in the chain must be identical. Variations in price could lead to differences in sales patterns and product behavior, which would impact the accuracy and consistency of the aggregated data.
- Distinct Product References: Each product in the chain must have a unique product reference. If two products share the same reference, they will be treated as the same product, not part of a chain, thus disrupting the linkage.
When can Linked lines be created?
- One example could be continuity products ordered throughout different years that experience a change in the product code associated.
- Another case is when large orders are divided among different suppliers resulting in distinct product codes assigned to the same item.
- It also applies when a minor change is made to a product and therefore the provider updates its code. However, from a customer perspective, the product is still the same (same color, same price, same material, etc).
All these identifiers/codes that actually refer to the same product can be easily linked in Nextail platform, making daily operations for the merchandising team as optimal as possible.
Linked Lines are treated as one unique product by the system, which means all information gets aggregated under one single reference: warehouse stocks, sales, stock positions and historical data.
Under which reference will the data be aggregated?
When building a chain, the historical data of the old references is aggregated under the newest one, so Nextail will calculate the forecast as if we were managing one single product.
On top of that, Nextail will have visibility of the units that are available in the warehouse for each reference of the chain and propose units to replenish starting with the oldest one, till the stock is exhausted. This allows for the oldest stock to be cleared faster.
Both in the Replenishment File and in the waybills it will be given visibility of which is the reference the stock needs to be fulfilled from.
Where can Linked lines be seen in the platform?
In order to check if a product has been configured as part of a Linked Line, go to the tab Products within the Master Data Section:
Look now for the product you need to validate using the search bar:
When clicking on the product, the “Details Screen” will come up. You only need to go to the tab called “Switch history”. Here is where, as long as the product is part of a Linked line, you will find all the references belonging to a chain.
The column “ACTIVE” indicates which reference is the newest one added to the chain and therefore considered as the active one (through the word “yes”):
DISCLAIMER: The user will be able to see information regarding Linked lines in Nextail platform. However, in order to make any changes to a given chain (modifying the order of the references, eliminating a reference from the chain, adding a reference to the chain), it has to be managed through the customer’s IT team.
(Linked lines are usually ingested automatically on a daily basis - same as sales, stock, etc).
How are changes in parameters to a Linked line managed?
All the changes in parameters regarding any of the references in the chain, should be applied using the Active reference. As mentioned before, Nextail will consider the whole chain as a unique product, so in order to configure minimum displays, change its threshold, include it in a category or apply a block, it has to be done using the Active reference. This also applies when making adjustments through data uploads.
Why is this important? If instead of using the active reference any of the other references of the chain is used when, for example, applying a block, that product will keep being replenished.
Linked Lines in the RO file
As explained above, even if all the information is aggregated under the Active reference for distribution purposes, the system has visibility on the remaining stock of any of the references that are part of the chain.
By default, only the active reference will appear in the RO file. However, if Nextail proposes replenishment from any of the old references, both will appear in the file (the old one in the stores where it will be shipped, the active one in the rest).
It is important for the person who reviews the Replen Results to be aware of this nuance. Why? Because for one same product, the system could be proposing sizes XS and XL to be replenished using stock from the oldest reference (A), while sizes S,M,L might need to be taken from a different reference of the chain (B), if nothing was left under reference A.
As a consequence, if the user was to filter by reference A in the Replen Results, only sizes XS and XL would appear!
In these cases, in order to see the whole size set of a Linked line, it would be better to search by the Product name instead of the reference - as it tends to remain the same - this way all references in the chain and therefore, all sizes, will be shown.
