Linking a Product to Distributor(s)
How It Works
Linking every product to a distributor connects an item to where it comes from and what it costs to buy. Once a product is linked, you can quickly find it when building a purchase order for that distributor. The link, along with a distributor ID, also lets Scotch automatically match the item when you receive it on an invoice from that distributor — no manual lookup required.
If you buy the same item from several suppliers, link it to all of them. Then, when you write a purchase order, you can order from whichever distributor you're buying from that week.
Key things to know:
A product can be linked to any number of distributors, but each distributor can only be linked once per product.
Distributor links live at the product family level, so every size and pack of a product shares the same distributor list.
Purchase orders are written to a single distributor, and the product picker defaults to showing only products linked to that PO's distributor. Linking a product to every distributor that carries it keeps it available no matter which supplier you're ordering from.
Each linked distributor can have its own item number on the product, and the Product list can be filtered by distributor.
Where to Access Each Feature
To… | Go to |
Create or manage distributors (prerequisite) | Stock management → Distributors |
Edit one product's distributors | Products → Product list → click the item → Edit → Ordering details → Distributors → Edit |
Add or replace distributors on many products at once | Products → Product list → select items → Edit product families → Edit distributor |
Set the item number for each distributor | Item drawer → Edit → Ordering details → Distributor ID → Edit |
Set the division for each distributor | Item drawer → Edit → Ordering details → Divisions → Edit |
Note: Saving distributor changes requires product-list edit access. A user may see the "Edit" button through another permission (prices, inventory, or promotions) but still be blocked from saving distributor changes without product-list edit access specifically.
Creating a Distributor (Prerequisite)
A distributor has to exist and be Active before you can link it to any product.
Step 1
Go to Stock management → Distributors.
Step 2
Click "+ Add distributor" and fill in the distributor's details.
Step 3
Click "Save." Only active distributors appear in the distributor pickers — if one is missing later, use the bulk Activate / Deactivate actions on this page to reactivate it.
Adding or Removing Distributor(s) on a Single Product
Step 4
Go to Products → Product list and click the item to open its side drawer.
Step 5
Click "Edit" at the top of the drawer.
Step 6
On the Details tab, find the Ordering details section. Next to "Distributors," click "Edit."
Step 7
In the Edit distributor modal, use the Distributors multi-select to add distributors. To remove one, click the × on its tag.
If the product has other related items, the modal lists them under "This update will affect the following other related items" — the change applies to all of them.
Step 8
Click "Save."
Important: The list you save is exact. Any distributor you remove from the selection is unlinked from the product, and its distributor item numbers (Distributor ID values) on the product's items are deleted at the same time. Re-linking the distributor later does not restore those numbers — you'll need to re-enter them.
Bulk Adding or Replacing Distributors on Many Products
This is the fastest way to update several products at once. (The same bulk edit is also available under Products → Product families.)
Step 9
Go to Products → Product list and tick the checkboxes for the items you want to change.
Step 10
In the "Edit product families" dropdown above the grid, choose "Edit distributor."
Step 11
Under "What do you want to do?", pick one option:
Option | What it does |
Add distributor (default) | Adds to any existing distributors. Existing links are kept. |
Replace distributors | Removes existing distributors and sets the list to exactly the ones you select. Removed distributors lose their Distributor ID values on those items. |
Step 12
Choose one or more distributors in the Distributors multi-select, then click "Update N items." A progress bar shows while the update runs in batches.
If you submit with nothing selected, the modal shows "Select at least one distributor."
Setting the Item Number for Each Distributor
Each distributor usually has its own catalog number for the same item. The product must already have distributors linked before you can do this.
Step 13
Open the item drawer and click "Edit."
Step 14
In the Ordering details section, next to "Distributor ID," click "Edit."
Step 15
The Edit distributor ID modal shows one text field per linked distributor. Enter each distributor's item number and click "Save."
If no distributor is linked yet, the modal instead prompts you to link a distributor to the product first.
Setting the Division for Each Distributor
Some distributors organize their products into divisions. If a distributor has divisions, you can record which one a product belongs to. The product must already have distributors linked before you can do this.
Divisions belong to the distributor. To add them, go to Stock management → Distributors, open the distributor, and use the Divisions panel.
Step 16
Open the item drawer and click "Edit."
Step 17
In the Ordering details section, next to "Divisions," click "Edit."
Step 18
The Edit divisions modal shows one dropdown per linked distributor, listing that distributor's divisions. Pick a division for each distributor you want to set, then click "Save." Leave a dropdown blank to record no division for that distributor.
If no distributor is linked yet, the modal instead says to link a distributor to this product before setting divisions.
Divisions can only be set one product at a time — the bulk "Edit distributor" flow has no division option.
Adding a Distributor While Creating a Product
The new-product flow only accepts a single distributor from the "Select a distributor" dropdown. To link more than one, create the product first, then add the rest using the single-product or bulk flows above.
Beside it is a Division dropdown. It stays unavailable and reads "Choose a distributor first" until you pick a distributor, then lists that distributor's divisions. Whatever you choose is carried through and saved on the new product.
Where Linked Distributors Show Up
Item drawer. The Ordering details section lists all linked distributors, comma-separated in alphabetical order (or "-" if none). A Divisions row below it lists the divisions set for those distributors (or "-" if none are set).
Product list. There's a distributor filter ("All distributors"), and each item's distributors appear in the grid.
Purchase orders. When adding products to a PO, the search defaults to products linked to that PO's distributor. Turn on the "Search all distributors" toggle in the picker to broaden it to everything.
Troubleshooting
A distributor is missing from the picker. Only active distributors are listed. Check Stock management → Distributors and reactivate it. Deactivating a distributor hides it from pickers but doesn't remove its existing product links.
A product doesn't show up when adding items to a purchase order. The product isn't linked to that PO's distributor. Either turn on "Search all distributors" in the picker, or link the product to the distributor (single or bulk flow above) and search again.
Distributor ID values disappeared. Removing a distributor from a product — including through the bulk "Replace distributors" option — deletes that distributor's item numbers on all the product's items. Re-linking the distributor doesn't restore them; they have to be re-entered.
You changed distributors on one size and every size changed. This is expected. Distributors are linked at the product level, so all sizes and packs of a product share one distributor list.
A bulk update was rejected with "Select at least one distributor." The modal was submitted with an empty selection — pick at least one distributor. ("Choose add or replace" appears if the add/replace choice didn't come through.)
There's no "Edit" button in the item drawer. The user's role can't edit product list, prices, inventory, or promotions. Note that a user may see the Edit button through another edit permission but still be blocked from saving distributor changes, which specifically require product-list edit access.
Adding a distributor that's already linked does nothing. Each distributor can only be linked to a product once, so duplicates are silently skipped.