HOWTO: Setup Product Groups & Kits

This article will expain the specific settings required for product groups and how they interact.  For information on what a product group or kit is and how it is useful, please visit the KB ,"Understanding Product Groups".

Product Group Settings:

• Do Not Sell Parent:The parent item is not allowed to be added to the cart, only child items will be added.
  • It is simply a “logical group” and used as a source of information for the group as a whole
  • example: use the same description & image across the entire group of items
• Is Kit:Allows the group's child items to be purchased both as part of a group and as a standalone item.
  • If true, each instance of the kit is separate in the cart, if you come back to the page and add another kit, it will be a different line item set in the cart. 
  • Kit items show up in all searches, but if IsKit is false child items will be hidden from all searches.
  • The parent item will always be added to the cart if added from the parent’s page because it ties all of the elements together.
  • Children can be added to the cart separately from the kit from their individual pages (if true).
  • Children can be optional in a kit, like a computer with an optional 2nd hard drive.  It's still part of the kit, but an optional purchase.
  • example: A kit of a bed, 2 nightstands and a dresser, you can buy each individually if you want, but a kit could be put together with them as well.
• Is Required:The child item is automatically added to the cart when the parent item is added to cart
  • A parent item would be needed to use auto add ranges functions and logically a parent would be needed in order for a sub product to be required.
  • Is Required items are currently HIDDEN on the product detail page of the parent, there is not currently a seperate "HideChildOnParentProductDisplayPage" flag, please request this if needed.
  • Once in the cart, it can only be removed by removing the parent item that it is attached to.
  • A parent must not be marked as “DoNotSellParent” if you set IsRequired to true on the child, a parent is needed.
  • example: you have to buy at least 1 nightstand for this group to be purchased, or you have shipping containers being added to an order on certain items
• Auto Add Range:Can be used to specify when a child item is automatically added to the customer's cart when the parent is added to the cart
  • It can also be paired with the Is Required flag to force the product and quantity to always be in the cart
  • Enter a low and high quantity (which is the parent’s quantity to key off of) to have this feature work.
  • example: if Low=1 High=50 and Add Qty=7, then if the parent quantity added is between 1-50, 7 of the child item will be added.
• Add Qty:This specifies the number of child items to be inserted into the cart when using the Is Required or Auto Add Range features
  • If no quantity is entered then the default of 1 is used
  • If Is Required is true, they cannot remove the item or go below the quantity specified, however the customer can purchase more than the quantity you specify to be added.
• Bind Qty To Parent:When set to true the customer is simply presented with a check box to indicate that they do or do not want the item, rather than the usual quantity text box.
  • Once inserted into the cart the child's quantity will match the parent's quantity.
  • This feature can also be paired with the Is Required flag.
  • example: if you order 12 hats and you choose to add a logo to them, then it forces you to order 12 logos and that quantity cannot be changed.
• Sort Order: Specifies the order in which the child items are displayed.
   

Multiple Interactions:

• If Child is part of a Group AND is part of a Kit simultaneously
  • If you navigate to the child page individually, you will be redirected to the parent’s page for ordering the item
  • example: cat food that is a child item of a group of different sizes of cat food, but one of the sizes of cat food is also part of a starter package kit for cats
• If any IsKit item is added to the cart with children they will show below the parent with an indent and smaller picture size
  • If another kit item that is the same is added, that will be a new group of items (it will not increment the previously added group's quantities) that is a different instance of the kit
  • example: when building a computer, if you add a computer with a certain configuration to the cart, then go back and build another computer, they need to be seperate in the cart
• If a "logical group" item is added to the cart, then another copy is added, it should increment the items in the cart by that amount, not create a new row.

New Terminology:

• ProductGroupType
  • NoProductGrouping (default choice, standard product)
  • SellItemsInKitWithParent (IsKit) - all functions tied to parent are available
  • SellItemsIndividuallyParentIsInfoOnly (DoNotSellParent) - only basic group functions available
  • SellAllItemsIndividuallyDoNotGroup (Not Supported Yet, Use related items instead which is the same use case as SellAllItemsIndividually)
  • ChildItemInGroupAlready - no group functions will be available on a child.
• HideChildOnParentProductDisplayPage - makes it invisible for ordering, but will show in all carts and such.  (not currently there)
• IfChildHideOnProductListingPages - or just use the Hide flag on the child (hide flag will work currently, or if in SellItemsIndividuallyParentIsInfoOnly this is the default)
• IfChildAllowSellingSeperately - it will allow this item to be put in the cart seperately as well as in groups (not currently there, if SellItemsInKitWithParent then it will allow this)