There are a number of electronic invoice formats that can be imported through Retailer, one of which are CSV files. These files can be sent by your supplier to your e-mail account.

1. Saving the CSV File

  1. Log into your e-mail account.
  2. Open the message where the electronic invoice is attached.
  3. Save the .csv file in a location that is easy to access such as Desktop or the C: drive.
Do NOT open the file under any circumstance. This can corrupt any barcode and/or supplier stock code information.
You can use third party programs to convert a PDF file into a CSV file. Here is a video showing how we did it with an online application called DocParser:
Click here for a video demonstration.

2. Importing the CSV Invoice

  1. From the main screen of Retailer, click on Stock -> Invoice Arrivals.
  2. Click on Open Invoice.
  3. Navigate to the file's location and double-click on the file.
  4. The Import Supplier Invoice File screen will appear. Select the supplier from the drop-down box and press [Tab]:
    1. If this is your first time importing an invoice from this supplier, the Invoice File Template Setup screen will appear. Click on Cancel to access the Invoice File Settings screen.
    2. If you have arrived electronic invoices from this supplier before and need to change the File Settings, click on the drop-down arrow next to Tools and click on Change Template File Settings. If the File Settings haven't changed, skip to the Importing and Arriving the Invoice section below

3. Configuring the Invoice File Template

The settings will need to be configured from the bottom-up. The settings on this screen will direct Retailer to use the appropriate information from the file. 

  1. In the Invoice File Layout section, click on the yellow file icon.
  2. Navigate to the file's location and double-click on the file.
  3. This will provide a preview of the file's contents at the bottom.
  4. In the Validation Settings section:
    • Set the Date Format to match the date on the file.
    • Select the Lines in File Header - The number of lines to skip before the stock information starts.
  5. At the top of the screen, tick This File is Comma Delimited.
  6. Enter the appropriate Column and/or Row values according to the file preview screen below. If you click on any field in the preview, it will show you it's position in the Cell Value box.
  7. Click Save and Close.

4. Importing and Arriving the Invoice

  1. Back in the Import Supplier Invoice File screen, click on Import.
  2. The screen will flash and you can then click on Close.
  3. The Select Invoices to Import screen will appear.
  4. Click on the invoice to import and:
    • Click on View to see a preview of the invoice to check the information. 
    • Click on Delete to remove the invoice.
    • Click on OK to begin arriving the invoice.

If an error appears during the import, saying 'Invalid Supplier Invoice or Date', this usually means there is an issue with the file. Make sure that the invoice date in the file is in a proper format and the import settings above were set to match.
It may also show this message if the Supplier Name in Retailer was entered with a space at the end. Contact Tower Support if the error persists after fixing these.

When adding stock items by Supplier Stock Code (SSC), if you have more than one item with the same SSC, it will bring up a screen asking which item to arrive. Select the right item and click OK. If you click Cancel, it will bring up the Stock search for you to find the item.
For newsagencies, make sure you select the right item for magazines and newspapers. The right item (parent item) should have a PLU against it, and a shorter barcode than the regular issues of the title.