Comparing Purchase Targets vs. Purchase Groups
When managing your purchasing workflow in Recurrency, it's important to know when to use Purchase Groups and when to utilize Purchase Targets. Both features serve distinct purposes that can streamline your processes. Below, we outline the main differences and provide guidance on selecting the right option for your needs.
| Purchase Targets | Purchase Groups |
Focus | Provide more flexibility in purchasing by allowing you to choose specific suppliers and locations to focus on. | Consolidate purchasing needs across multiple locations, simplifying orders from a single supplier. |
Aggregation | No Purchasing aggregation. Purchase Targets enable you to monitor individual stock levels, giving detailed insights into your inventory. | Can manage multiple locations collectively and in a hub-and-spoke model, which streamlines order management. Supports aggregating data, or keeping lines separated by location. |
Understanding Purchase Group Aggregation
💡 Admins have control over how Purchase Groups are managed within a hub-and-spoke model through the Admin panel. There are two key options: displaying all locations within a purchase group as a single line or keeping them separated by location. Each method provides distinct benefits and impacts how inventory is managed across locations.
Single Line Display (Grouped Locations)
This setting aggregates overstock and understock across locations into one purchasing line. If you're not using transfer backorders, this ensures that inventory purchased into the hub prevents double purchasing.
Benefits
Reduces the chance of overbuying by consolidating inventory needs across locations.
Simplifies order management by showing one combined line per item, making it easier to spot overall demand.
Increases purchasing efficiency and negotiating power by consolidating orders into larger purchases.
Separate Location Display (Ungrouped Locations)
With this option, each location's stock levels and purchasing needs are displayed as individual lines. This allows for more granular control over purchasing at specific locations.
Benefits
Provides detailed tracking for each location’s inventory, useful for targeted purchasing strategies.
Facilitates location-specific stock replenishment and transfers.
Offers more transparency into the individual status of each location.
By customizing these settings, Admins can align the purchasing process with their company’s specific operational needs, whether they prioritize simplicity and efficiency (grouped) or detailed control (ungrouped).
Leveraging Purchase Targets vs. Purchase Groups
Now that you understand the differences, here’s how to determine which tab to start your purchase order from:
Select Purchase Targets if you want a more flexible purchasing approach. This option allows you to focus on specific suppliers and locations, ensuring you meet your unique inventory needs without being tied to a centralized model.
Select Purchase Groups if your goal is to create a consolidated purchase order that combines needs from various locations. This is ideal for optimizing purchasing strategies and leveraging bulk buying.