Offer similar products to your customers

  • 10 minutes

Companies frequently offer similar products as substitutes for one another, for the following reasons:

  • A company can offer many different styles, brands, and prices of goods. Customers can select the items that best suit their needs and budgets.

  • Customers can purchase inventory items of comparable quality, function, and price, and companies can still meet customers' needs if stock shortages occur.

Companies can use the item substitution feature to link items with the same or similar properties to one another. The substitution can be either one-way, or two-way. If the substitution is two ways, the items are considered interchangeable. If one item is interchangeable with another, then Business Central automatically creates a reverse substitution entry for the other item during the setup of the substitution information.

You can configure item substitutions manually or you can use Copilot to suggest item substitutions.

After substitution information is set up for an item, every time that item is entered on a sales line, the number of available substitutes displays in the Substitutions field in the Sales Line Details FactBox. Additionally, when the quantity of the item that is requested on the sales line exceeds the quantity that is available from inventory, the Substitutes Exist field displays Yes in the stockout message.

If you select a substitute item, then Business Central updates the relevant fields on the sales line.

Set up item substitutions

To set up item substitutions, select the search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter "Items", select the related link and follow the steps below.

  1. Open the Item Card for the item where you want to add substitutions.

  2. Select Related in the command bar, then Item and then the Substitutions action.

    Screenshot showing Item Substitution Entry.

  3. In the Substitute Type field, you can select the following options:

    • Item: Use this option to select regular inventory items.

    • Catalog Item: Choose this option to select catalog items. These are items that you don't keep in stock.

  4. If you selected Item as a Substitute Type, choose an item in the Substitute No. as the substitute item.

  5. If this substitute is interchangeable, select the Interchangeable option. Selecting this option means that the item and the substitute are interchangeable, and they can be substituted for one another when it's necessary.

  6. You can describe the conditions that should be met to use the substitute item. To do this, choose the Condition action and add a comment for this condition. If a condition is entered, the Condition field on the Item Substitution Entry page will display Yes.

    Screenshot of the Item Substitution Condition.

Use Copilot to suggest item substitutions

You can use Copilot to suggest item substitutions. Based on item descriptions, Copilot suggests similar items, including a score and confidence so that you can easily decide whether to keep the suggestions and turn them into item substitutions.

To use Copilot to suggest item substitutions, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter Items and select the related link.

  2. Select the item for which you want to create item substitutions, and select Related > Item > Substitutions.

  3. In the Item Substitution Entry page, select the Copilot icon.

Copilot creates lines for items that could be a substitute. To display the score and confidence, select View > Lines and Confidence. The list is regenerated, now including the score, confidence and search terms.

You can delete lines with a low confidence for example, and then select Insert all to create item substitution entries.

Process orders with item substitutions

To process a Sales Order with item substitution, select the Search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter Sales Orders, and then select the related link.

  1. Click the New action to create new Sales Order.

  2. On the General FastTab, in the Customer Name field, select one of the customers.

  3. On the Lines FastTab, in the Type field, select the Item option.

  4. In the No. field, enter the item on which you previously added substitution.

  5. In the Quantity field, type more than you have on inventory and then press Tab. A stockout message appears.

  6. Click Show details on the notification and in the message box, the Substitutes Exist line shows that a substitute exists.

    Screenshot of the Substitutes Exist line noted as Yes.

  7. Click Close.

  8. The Substitutions field in the Sales Line Details FactBox indicates how many items are set up as a substitute for the item on the sales line.

    Screenshot of substitutions field with details on how many items are set up as a substitute.

  9. To view and select the substitute item, in the Sales Line Details FactBox, click the Substitutions link. The Item Substitution Entries page opens. Notice that the title for the page includes a description of the item on the sales line, and that the Shipment Date field reflects the shipment date for the sales line. Notice, also, that the one of fields in the list of substitutes is the Quantity Avail. on Shpt. Date. This indicates the quantity of each substitute that is available on the shipment date for the sales line.

    Screenshot of the available item substitution entries.

  10. Choose this line with available substitution and click OK. The substitution item replaces the original item on the sales line.