How To Add an Allocation

The Allocations builder allows you to manage limited production releases and other exclusive wines. Some of its features are:

• Allocations can be assigned to Contact Types, Clubs, and Individuals simultaneously.
• Customers can receive custom grants.
• One allocation can have multiple products.
• Customers can request additional grants. These additional grants can be given from the admin panel. They can also be turned into orders via one click from the admin panel.
• There are full stats on your allocation that include inventory, outstanding allocations, requests, purchases, etc.

As the value of exclusivity grows in the wine industry, more and more wineries want to use the feature of allocations. While allocations can accomplish this, it is important to think about whether it fits your specific winery based on your customer base, your website traffic, and your brand reach.

If you are a small winery still building a customer base then using allocations will actually hinder your sales because customers won't understand why they cannot purchase your wine when they first arrive at your website. As mentioned in the first section of this page, this should be used to manage limited production releases and other exclusive wines only - not simply for the feel of exclusivity (as there are other ways to accomplish this, such as wine clubs and promotions for specific members).

How To Add An Allocation: Learn how to add an allocation. Learn More >

General Information: Learn more about an allocation's general information. Learn More >

Products: Learn more about allocated products. Learn More >

Members: Learn more about assigning club members or contact types to allocations. Learn More >

Wish List: Learn more about adding a wish list request, and granting wishes. Learn More >

Stats: Learn more about viewing your allocations stats. Learn More >

How To Add An Allocation

1. In the Admin Panel, navigate to Store > Allocations.

2. Click [+] Add an Allocation.

3. Read through the following sections to learn more about adding an allocation.

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General Information

1. Enter the Name for your allocation

2. Enter an Internal Name for your allocation.

3. Enter a Start Date and End Date. The Ship Date field is optional and can be left blank. Please note the Ship Date does not mark a Future Ship Date on these orders, it is simply a front end view of when your customer can expect it to ship. If left blank no Ship Date will appear online.

4. Press Save. 

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Products

1. Click on Edit at the Products section.

2. To add products to your allocation, you need to select the SKUs from the drop down menu. Note only products that are marked as Is Allocated will appear in the drop down. To allocate a SKU please see the Allocating A Wine Documentation.

3. Next enter the Minimum Qty (Quantity) and Maximum Qty for the product. You can also enter a Default Qty. The Default is the amount of wine that appears to be already chosen for them when they look at their release options online. They can change this at the time of purchase.

Keep in mind that adding a Minimum Qty does not force the customer to purchase this SKU in the Allocation. It will restrict them from purchasing less than the Minimum Qty entered, but they can still choose to not purchase this SKU.

*Please note that if you have the New Checkout tool enabled, the Minimum Qty also makes this SKU as required.

4. Press Save.

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Members

Use the members section to select contact types or clubs for this allocation. Members can be added to Contact Types in several ways, the most common being the use of a Mailing List Signup form. Your Mailing List Signup form should include all of the elements needed for future contact with the customer, including creation of a username and password. In this way, once a member has been added you’ll be able to email him or her with the good news and an invitation to login and update any or all account information.

1. Press Edit in the Members section.

2. Check the boxes in the Contact Types section and Clubs section that you want the allocation to apply to.

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Wish List

The Wish List section will show a list of customers who’ve requested additional wine. Customers can be added to this list in two ways:

1. They can make requests on the front end after taking their any part of their allocation. Learn more about the public facing Wish List.

2. You can Add a Wish for them through the admin panel.

To Add a Wish List Request:

1. Click Add a Wish in the Wish List section of the Allocation Builder.

2. Use the popup window that appears to search for the member you would like to add a request for. You can search by First/Last Name, Company, Phone, Email, or Contact Type.

3. Once you’ve found the member you’re looking for, click the Add button.

4. Add the appropriate Wish Quantity and click Save.

Granting Wishes:

Go to the Wish List section under the Allocation Builder and select the appropriate customer from the list of people who’ve made requests. And you have two options:

1. Click Grant Wish and you will see a window showing the maximum quantity this member can now purchase. To grant the wish, update the customer's max quantity, and click Save.

2. Click Create Order and you will see the standard Add an Order window, which will default to the review tab. If all looks     fine with the order, click Process Order in the bottom right corner.

If you feel you want to make some changes or see some red error messages on the order, use the tabs to the left to modify the customer’s billing address, shipping address, items (including handling and sales tax), shipping charges, or payment information. Finally, go back to the Review tab and click Process Order.

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Stats

The stats section will show your allocation stats. This includes the following:

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