Integrated Ordering With Notions Marketing

This article details the newest version of our integrated ordering with Notions Marketing. This newest integration is as easy as we can make it! Once you use the steps below to set up, every order you make with Notions Marketing, whether it's through their website or with one of their representative or over the phone, will automatically generate a Purchase Order for you in your Rain system! In addition, products that are new to your system will automatically be created in this process, and they'll be highlighted for you as 'review' items so you can make sure the new products have the details they need.

The integration also automates email notifications from Notions Marketing every time they ship you an order. When that email is sent, in the system, the integration will automatically create a Receiving Order for you with the contents of the shipment.

Please Note: Before you can use the integration, you will need to activate it by going to the Gear Button > Settings > Integrations > Vendors and toggling the switch to Yes. Then click Save at the bottom to save your settings.

Setting Up Notions Marketing Vendor Integration

1. Log into the Rain system.

2. Click on Inventory > Vendors.

4. Click +New Vendor to create a new vendor, or click on Notions Marketing if you've already saved them in the system.

5. On the Details tab, click on the drop-list arrow for Integration and select Notions Marketing. The Vendor name will automatically populate.

6. Add your vendor Account Number (if you do not know it, contact your vendor for help).

7. Click on the Locations Account Info tab.

8. Enter your Vendor Account ID, even if you only have a single Location in the system. If you have multiple Locations, there will be fields for each of them.
Note: If you have a single location, you will use your Notions Marketing Bill To Account ID for both your Account # and your Location Account field. If you have more than one location you will use your Bill To Account ID for your Account #, and the Ship To Account ID for each location. 

7. Click Save to finalize your setup.

Please Note: You no longer need to use the tabs for Integration or Instant Order. Neither of those functions are necessary for this new Integration. If you use older integration with different vendors, those tabs may be needed.

Using the Vendor Integration

When you are ready to make an order with the integration, you will simply order items through your normal channels (with your vendor representative, on their website (more on the website ordering below), or over the phone / by fax). Once the order has been placed, the vendor system will communicate with the Rain to create a Purchase Order for you automatically. For products that have never been in your system, they will be created for you via the catalog from the vendor.

The PO will display in your list of Purchase Orders and will have an asterisk in front of it to let you know it came through the automated integration, as shown below. It may take 24 hours for the PO to show up.

Check back after your MyNotions interface shows that the order has shipped and confirm that the PO status in Rain was updated and the actual shipped quantities were correct. When the order ships to your store, you'll be notified by email. A Receiving Order will be created for you with the actual items, quantities, and costs in the order, and it will have an asterisk by it in your list of RO's. 

Once you receive the shipment, you can click to complete the receipt of the inventory. The final steps will be reviewing the new products (adding them to categories, etc) and printing labels, if needed.

Viewing Your Low Inventory

This integration allows you to see items that are low in inventory (at or below the Reorder Point) that have Notions Marketing set as a Vendor. When you are preparing to make an order at the Notions Marketing site, go to this page at Notions Marketing (you must be logged in at their site for this page to load). Follow the on-screen instructions to pull in items with low inventory. Select and move the items you want to purchase to the shopping cart.

Please Note: After we launch this feature there will be a button in the store site that will take you directly to this page, but that is disabled during this testing period.

Please Note: if your integration has not yet finished initiation, you may see the notice below on the Notions Marketing site when trying to view your Low Inventory. It may take up to 24 hours for the integration to complete, so try back again latter.

Adding Products with Options from the Notions Marketing Catalog

The Notions Marketing Catalog is the first integrated with Rain to include product Options and Styles, such as colors, sizes, etc. Whenever you order through the integration for products that have options and styles, all of them will be automatically added for you. For full details on how this works, click here.