Here's what we can do for you
Here's what we can do for you
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Acumen Invest: The new Promotion Editor
As we prepare to launch our new Promotion Editor in Q1 2022 we wanted to give you a preview of some of the key pieces of functionality, so you know what changes to expect.
Why are we replacing the existing Promotion Editor?
The current Promotion Editor screen was built in Microsoft Silverlight, and the new screen brings to a close part of a larger piece of work around migrating our application out of Silverlight.
The benefits of migrating out of Silverlight will include better performance, a modern User Interface, and the ability to use the app on browsers other than Internet Explorer. We’ve also taken the opportunity to address several feedback points, so you’ll notice additional usability and productivity improvements compared to the old screen.
What will I receive at launch?
All the core functionality of the current Promotion Editor will be replicated in the new version. At launch we’re prioritising all data entry functionality. So if the old screen allowed you to capture Price Reduction mechanics, or enter volume by SKU, you’ll be able to do this at launch on the new screen. This means your day-to-day promotion management tasks can be done without Silverlight from launch.
Following the release of the Promo Editor core functionality, the below features will be released iteratively over the following few sprints:
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Promotion Scenarios
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Options – In the meantime you can create multiple copies of your promotion and keep them at a draft status to trial out different options
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Promotion Search – In the meantime you can find other promotions using the Calendar and open them in a new tab to compare
Based on feedback we received around the charts that are currently displayed on the old Promo Editor screen not currently adding much value, we have taken the decision to not include these in the new promo editor. We welcome your feedback with regards to what charts would be of use to you to see next to the promotion.
What are the improvements on the current screen?
As mentioned previously, the new screen is built using Angular, which is a modern Javascript based technology with a lot of benefits over Silverlight. Some of these mean you should see an immediate improvement to load times, and fewer crashes, but on top of this we’ve also addressed several other pain points.
We’ll talk you through some of the key improvements below:
General layout changes
The layout of the new screen is fairly similar to the old one, with a few key improvements.
Firstly, we’ve moved the Promotion Editor form front and centre, so more space is dedicated to the details of your promotion rather than the Charts.
We’ve moved P&L reports into a side panel, so you don’t have to scroll back and forth to check numbers after a change. We’ve also moved things like the save button, and statuses to fixed sections of the screen, again to reduce the need to scroll back and forth.
Improved dropdown selection
One major improvement on the new screen means every dropdown will give you the ability to type to search for a value. This will make it easier to find the correct item in a long list of customer events, and stop you having to scroll through several SKUs, when you could have just typed the number.
Along with this you’ll see the product and customer selection has been enhanced so you can search through multiple hierarchy levels at once. This stops you having to filter through 5 different dropdowns to find your product selection.
Customer Scope Reset
On the current Promotion Editor, certain fields get reset when you update your customer scope. This happens because those fields often have a dependency on the customer. For example, you may not sell a certain product in the newly selected customer, so your selected Buy X Get Y Mechanic is now invalid. We know that this can cause frustration as you need to re-enter your data. And if you’re trying to copy the same promotion over several customers, the amount of data you’ll have to re-enter multiplies.
With the new screen we’ve taken a different approach. Instead of resetting fields like Product Scopes or Mechanics when your customer scope changes, we’ll check them to see if they’re still valid with the new customer. If they are your change will be made immediately. If not we’ll flag this with validation messages, so you have visibility of what needs to change.
Volume Section Changes
We’ve replaced the old volume locking layout with a more intuitive Volume input dropdown. This will make it clearer how your promotion volumes are getting saved and avoid problems where you thought you were saving a total, but you ended up saving an uplift and your promotion volumes shift as base rates change.
We’ve also replaced the bullet charts with a tabular view of your SKU volumes so you can more easily see the numbers at a glance.
When will the old screen be switched off?
There will be a generous release window where both the old and new screens will be available, in order to give you time to raise any feedback and bugs on the new screen, and still have the old screen to fall back on if that becomes necessary. This means we don’t have a fixed switch off date, but you’ll have at least a month to test it out and raise feedback.
Because of this we encourage all users to start using the new Promotion Editor as soon as it’s made available on launch. This means you’ll have more time to get used to it, and raise any feedback for us to address, before the old screen gets turned off.
What's coming next?
This is only the first step in our journey to make promotion management in Invest easier in 2022. Alongside reintroducing the supplementary features into the screen, we’ll be gathering additional feedback on the new screen after launch, and will continue making improvements to it.
We have also been speaking with many users in 2021 Q4 to understand the need and pains around Bulk Promotion Management, and are planning on rolling out functionality to save you time when you need to update several promotions at once. Keep your eyes peeled for more news on this in H1 2022.