There are often more fixtures having the same category in a store. If there are no set category variants, all fixtures having the same category belonging to one group according to the size and number of shelves will share the same template where you can insert the products.

In this manual you will learn:

1. What are the category variants for?
2. What is the best method to set category variants?
3. How to set up category variants?
4. How are category variants shown in the Project Editor and how do they affect planograms?
5. How to set own category variant?

What are the category variants for?

Category variants help to distinguish the fixture with the same category within one store and create a different planogram for each of them. At the same time, it may happen that you have fixture in another store whose planograms should be the same as those in the first store. Then you will set the same category variant for this fixture such as the ones within the first store and it is not necessary to re-create the planograms.

Category Variants

If you do not set the category variants, all fixtures in one group will share the same template.

What is the best method to set the category variants?

The preferred procedure is to use a marking such as 1/X, 2/X ..., where X stands for the number of fixture with a given category in the store. You will see how to use this marking and why it is beneficial in the following examples.

This example describes 2 different stores. There is a different number of fixtures of the same category on each of them, so our goal will be to differentiate planograms for all these fixtures.

• We have two stores in one project: Kutná Hora and Kolín.
• In the Kutná Hora store there are 3 fixtures from the Dairy Products category of the same size.
• In the Kolín store there are 2 fixtures from the Dairy Products category.

What is our target result?

• Our target result is to have a different planogram for each fixture in the Kutná Hora store.
• No planograms in the Kolín store match any planograms in the Kutná Hora store.

Procedure:

Step 1: Setting the category variants for the fixture within the Kutná Hora store:

Setting the category variants for Kutná Hora store

In the Kolín store there are only 2 fixtures from the Dairy Products category. As we do not wish the planograms in this store to match the planograms in the Kutná Hora store, we can use the marking 1/2 and 2/2 — it does not match the variants 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3, i.e. the planograms will be different.

Step 2: Setting of the category variants for fixtures at the Kolín store:

Setting the category variants for Kolín store

Conclusion:

Every planogram is different because each of them has a different category variant set.

There are the same number of fixtures of different categories at two different stores. These fixtures will share the same planogram template.

• At the Prague store there are 2 fixtures with the Dairy products category.
• At the Kolín store there are 2 fixtures with the Dairy products category.

What is our target result?

We would like to share these two pieces of fixtures the same planogram template like the fixtures in the Kolín store which also has two fixtures from the Dairy Products category.

Setting the category variants for Prague store

Conclusion: The planograms are the same as in the Kolín store because the variants of the categories are the same.

How to set up category variants?

There are two ways you can set category variants:

1) In the Fixture Properties tab→ Basic section

2) Using the Category Variant tool in the toolbar on the left.

We recommend using this tool to set category variants in most cases. The advantage is that it allows you to set category variants in bulk for all fixtures of one category.

1. Click on the Category Variant tool or press the J key.
2. Draw a line in the floor plan that will intersect the fixtures for which you want to set category variants. The line determines the order of the fixtures, so that the first fixture crossed is considered the first fixture in the series and, conversely, the last fixture crossed is considered as the last one. 
3. Confirm the line with Enter. The predefined variants will appear on the fixtures.
4. You can set additional properties in the properties panel on the right if you don't like the default naming of the variants. Here you can set, for example, a prefix or suffix.
5. To actually set the variants, you have to confirm with Enter again.

Category variants set up 

How are category variants shown in the Project Editor and how do they affect planograms?

All category variants of fixtures are listed in the tab: Hierarchy → Project Editor.

Hierarchy in the project based on category variants 

The same template is always shared by all fixtures that is included in the same group in the hierarchy. Quant will always include fixtures with the same category, the same category variant and the same number of shelves in the same group.

Shared template 

For example, if we change some fixture in Prague by adding two shelves, the fixture will no longer have the same planogram compared to the same variant in the Kolín store because it will belong to a different group:

Different number of shelves 

You can find more information about hierarchy in the Hierarchy in the Project Editor manual.

Own Category Variant Setting

In the case that you set own category for a shelf in fixture, you have to fill in Own Category Variant.

How to set Own Category Variant?

1. Select the shelf which has own category set in the tab: Fixture Components → Shelves.
2. Fill in “Own Category Variant” in the tab on the right: Shelf Properties → section Categorization.

Own category variant

Every category within one fixture can have only one category variant.

Examples of Custom Category Variants and Category Variants settings:

Own category variant A 

Category variant 1/1

Own category variant B