Set Up Product Groups (1209 to 1213)

Created by Migration Bot, Modified on Fri, 23 Oct at 2:31 PM by Migration Bot

Originally written by John Hardwick, last updated Mar 26, 2026, on the Swan Retail knowledge base (FRS).

A product group is a collation of disparate products to allow uniform progression of like products through the stock life cycle, also allowing reporting by Genres. The Product Group is the core of successful operation within SwanFRS.

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Menu Location: System Admin > Products > Set Up Product Groups

The program offers four tabs from which to set and maintain data, each tab relating to a different aspect of the grouping.

Standard - General control data for the product group
Account Codes - Account codes used to send financial information to a linked accounting system.
Returns - Controls relating to how SwanFRS is to handle customer returns per product group.
Departments - Ability to link product groups to sales departments primarily for reporting purposes.

It is important to be able to differentiate between a product and a stock item.

A product is a potential item. It is not a physical thing, if you will, it's an item offered by a supplier.

A stock item is a physical entity which can be tracked. A stock item is linked to a product, and there may be several stock items for the specific product.

A product can be seen as a group code for multiple stock items.

A Product Group is a grouping of multiple products allowing the retailer to see trends, control how products within the group are processed.

Products can be re-grouped as necessary, providing the class is not changed.

Click the FIND button, having specified a search narrative in the text box preceding the button, to filter the list of product groups.

Searching is against the group code and description only.

To return to a full list, clear the search narrative and click FIND a second time.

Click the NEW button or New on the side panel to generate a new record.
Click the CLOSE button, or Back option on the side panel to leave the page (or select another option from the menu)
Click the icon to amend an existing record.

Allowance Product Groups

SwanFRS is installed with the ‘Allowance’ and ‘ALLOWANCENON’ product groups prebuilt.

Please ensure that this group is not renamed or made in-active.

These product groups are used to record allowances given via the sales system. Without this product group your system will crash when attempting to show a sales order which has been the subject of an allowance.

Sales Messages

Common to all tabs, but only visible when not amending / inserting a record is the sales message which is presented to the right of the data grid.

The sales message is a notification presented to the sales person when adding a SKU to the sales order and displays as a read only information window.

Add Sales Message is displayed when no message exists, Clicking allows the creation of a message.
Update Sales Message displays when a message has been previously created, click to view or amend.

To remove a sales message remove the text and click the ACCEPT button, which needs to used to save any changes.

Standard Tab

This tab is a generic tab, allows general details of the product group to be specified.

Click the icon to amend an existing product group
When in amend mode, the may be used to save changes, with the used to abort any changes.

Item	Description
Product Group PW Code	Specify the Code for this group. When using third-party product generators, the code must replicate that used in the third-party application. This field has a maximum of 10 characters and must be unique. Whilst it is possible to change this code, it is not recommended once products have been created and processed which are linked to it.
Description	Specify the description of the grouping. This description will be used throughout SwanFRS, including reporting. Whilst it is not necessary to repeat the code in the description, a number of clients have taken this approach to control the sequence in which pick lists are presented
Class	This field is only amendable when creating new product groups. The choices are Unique - Stock items linked to product groups with this class will have a one-to-one stock tracking ID - i.e., Each stock item has its own unique tracking number, allowing for specific costing / auditing. Accessory - Stock items linked to product groups with this class are processed as batches or lots. X number of stock items purchased together share the same tracking number (stock code) with the batch quantity reducing as items within the batch are sold. Measured - These items are sold by the running length with a specific width. Costing are per square unit of measure, and an item can be cut into smaller pieces, where allowed. Service - These items cannot be stocked and are effectively ways of adjusting the value of a sale or logging actions required.
VAT Code	Specify the ‘standard’ rate of tax applicable to this group. It is possible to set different rates of tax for products within the product group where necessary. See Set Up Vat Rates (1205 onwards) and Set Up Product Group Tax Rate (1205 onwards) for details.
Active	Tick to enable this product group to be used within SwanFRS.
Discountable	Tick if this item can be discounted at time of raising the sales order. Unticking forces the promotional selling price to be charged.
Can Assemble	Tick if options linked to the product remain ‘changeable’ up to the point of scheduling a delivery. Changing options after the original demand has been entered can result in new purchase orders, changing histories and allocation of new stock ID.
Show on Picking List	Tick to include products linked to this product group on warehouse picking notes. Unticking omits these items and is used primarily, but not exclusively, for ‘service' classed products.
Delivery Group	Ticking marks products within this group as deliverables. Certain reports within SwanFRS differentiate between general products and delivery products, making it easier to establish sales against delivery charges. When using the auto-delivery charge feature, only items linked to product groups within this control ticked will be selectable.
Exclude Demand	Tick to exclude products from this group within the Purchase Order Optimisation program.
Exclude Margin	Tick if products from this group are to be excluded from the margin calculation when establishing the profit of a sales order.
SET UP PRODUCT GROUP CHECKS	Clicking this button opens a new page whereby it is possible to link other product groups with the line being edited. When ‘Accepting’ the sales order, SwanFRS will check the order line and if the sales order does not contain one or more products linked to ‘product groups’ within the checklist, a warning will be produced. This feature is used when the retailer wishes to remind the sales person to speak to the client about associated products and services. This is not mandatory and not part of the product relationships feature. To create a cross-check, simply tick any product groups which should be sold as a result of selling a product from the selected product group.
Commission Group	If commissions are to be paid to sales staff as a result of selling products from this group, select a commission group from the pick list. It is possible to set product specific commission groups which supersede this group.
Third Party ID	Where applicable, set a third-party code. This field is not used within SwanFRS and forms a reference for third-party systems.

Accounts Tab

This tab holds data used when sending financial stock movements to third-party accounting systems.

Changing account codes / GL codes does not retrospectively change transactional data linked to the group, and therefore is it strongly recommended that these groups are set before any stock is created in SwanFRS.

Click the icon to amend an existing product group
When in amend mode, the may be used to save changes, with the used to abort any changes.

Item	Description
Product Group PW Code	Specify the Code for this group. When using third-party product generators, the code must replicate that used in the third-party application. This field has a maximum of 10 characters and must be unique. Whilst it is possible to change this code, it is not recommended once products have been created and processed which are linked to it.
Description	Specify the description of the grouping. This description will be used throughout SwanFRS, including reporting. Whilst it is not necessary to repeat the code in the description, a number of clients have taken this approach to control the sequence in which pick lists are presented
Sales Code	Specify the account code where the value of sales confirmed (finalized) is to be written to. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Cost Code	Specify the account code where the cost of sales is to be recorded See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Stock Code	Specify the account code where the cost of stock on hand (and paid for) is to be recorded. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Ancillary Cost of Sale	When used, specify the account code where miscellaneous costs associated with the product are to be recorded when the goods are confirmed as finalized / delivered to the customer. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Ancillary Cost On Hand	When used, specify the account code where miscellaneous costs associated with the product are to be recorded when goods are in stock. For example, which account is to hold the charges incurred as import duties. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Exclude Margin	Tick if products from this group are to be excluded from the margin calculation when establishing the profit of a sales order.
Freight Stock Code	When used, specify the account code where the cost of freight is to be recorded whilst the item is in stock. This feature has been superseded by Ancillary costs. Please discuss your requirements with Swan prior to configuring this aspect of SwanFRS. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)
Freight Cost Code	When used, specify the account code where the expected cost of freight. This feature has been superseded by Ancillary costs. Please discuss your requirements with Swan prior to configuring this aspect of SwanFRS. See Set Up Nominal Account Codes (1205 onwards)

SwanFRS will block the selection of the same account code for Stock and Stock Accounts, Cost and Ancillary Cost of on Hand, Sales and Ancillary Cost of Sales

Returns Tab

This tab details how SwanFRS is to handle a customer return, having previously been marked as ‘in customer possession’.

Click the icon to amend an existing product group
When in amend mode, the may be used to save changes, with the used to abort any changes.

Defaults

This tab offers the ability to set a general action plan for returns which will be applied to all product groups where a specific returns action has not been specified.

Clicking the in the default section allows the following

Item	Description
Default Return Category	Specify the category stock returned from customer ownership is to be assigned to.. See Set Up Categories (1205 onwards)
Imperfect	Tick is returned stock is to me automatically marked as ‘imperfect’ on confirmation of return. Unticking places the stock back into ‘perfects’ and therefore the salesperson would not know the item has once been issued to a customer.
Available to Sell	Tick if the item can be sold to a customer and therefore is placed back into general ‘saleable stock’ Unticking ‘ring fences’ the stock for further investigation, thus blocking the sales teams from being able to see / sell the item until its status has been changed.

In addition to the default return action plan it is possible to set controls at product group level. Per product group…

Click the icon to amend an existing product group
When in amend mode, the may be used to save changes, with the used to abort any changes.

Item	Description
Product Group PW Code	Specify the Code for this group. When using third-party product generators, the code must replicate that used in the third-party application. This field has a maximum of 10 characters and must be unique. Whilst it is possible to change this code, it is not recommended once products have been created and processed which are linked to it.
Description	Specify the description of the grouping. This description will be used throughout SwanFRS, including reporting. Whilst it is not necessary to repeat the code in the description, a number of clients have taken this approach to control the sequence in which pick lists are presented
Exclude Margin	Tick if products from this group are to be excluded from the margin calculation when establishing the profit of a sales order.
Default Return Category	Specify the category stock returned from customer ownership is to be assigned to.. See Set Up Categories (1205 onwards)
Imperfect	Tick is returned stock is to me automatically marked as ‘imperfect’ on confirmation of return. Unticking places the stock back into ‘perfects’ and therefore the salesperson would not know the item has once been issued to a customer.
Available to Sell	Tick if the item can be sold to a customer and therefore is placed back into general ‘saleable stock’ Unticking ‘ring fences’ the stock for further investigation, thus blocking the sales teams from being able to see / sell the item until its status has been changed.

Departments Tab

This tab offers the ability to link product groups to sales departments.

Click the icon to amend an existing product group
When in amend mode, the may be used to save changes, with the used to abort any changes.

Item	Description
Product Group PW Code	Specify the Code for this group. When using third-party product generators, the code must replicate that used in the third-party application. This field has a maximum of 10 characters and must be unique. Whilst it is possible to change this code, it is not recommended once products have been created and processed which are linked to it.
Description	Specify the description of the grouping. This description will be used throughout SwanFRS, including reporting. Whilst it is not necessary to repeat the code in the description, a number of clients have taken this approach to control the sequence in which pick lists are presented
It Till Prodcut	Tick if products from this group are to be sent to a linked Point Of Sale till system.
Third-Party Dept.	Where applicable, set a third-party department code. This code isn’t used within SwanFRS and is there for interface purposes.
Sales Dept. Level 1	Optionally, specify a sales department from the level 1 listing. See Set Up Sales Departments (1206 onwards)
Sales Dept. Level 2	Optionally, specify a sales department from the level 2 listing. It is not possible to set a level 2 code if a level 1 code has not been set. See Set Up Sales Departments (1206 onwards)
Sales Dept. Level 3	Optionally, specify a sales department from the level 3 listing. It is not possible to set a level 3 code if a level 2 code has not been set. See Set Up Sales Departments (1206 onwards)