Free articles Manual
Give away quantities rather than a discount: the “12 + 1” of distribution, configured by categories and by period, in two separate scopes — mobile sellers and POS registers.
Overview
A free article rule gives away quantities rather than a percentage discount. It is the “12 + 1” mechanic of distribution: the customer pays for twelve units and receives thirteen. Unlike a promotion, a free-article rule does not change the price — it adds goods.
Purpose
- Give away quantities without breaking the price
- Clear stock close to its expiry date
- Reward a purchase volume
- Animate a round or a point of sale
Audience
- Mobile sales manager — round campaigns
- POS manager — in-store campaigns
- Catalog manager — configuration
A free-article rule preserves the catalog price: it is therefore preferable to a discount when you do not want the customer to get used to a lower price.
Two separate scopes
The same screen exists in two versions, independent from each other. A rule created in one never appears in the other.
Available from the Mobile sellers menu. They apply to sales made on rounds.
Available from the POS registers menu. They apply to point-of-sale collections.
The separation is deliberate: a round campaign and an in-store campaign share neither audience nor duration. If you want both, create the rule twice.
The Client Group field only exists on the mobile-seller side: at the register the customer is not always identified.
Access and navigation
Two entry points, depending on the intended scope.
The free-article list
The list shows the label, the period and the targeted group.
| Label⇅ | Client Group⇅ | Beginning Date⇅ | Ending date⇅ | Description⇅ | Detail⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 + 1 oils | Southern network | 01/08/2026 | 31/08/2026 | Summer campaign | |
| Short-expiry clearance | --- | 10/09/2026 | 20/09/2026 | Clearing short batches | |
| Organic range launch | Retailers | 01/10/2026 | 31/10/2026 | New product introduction |
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Label | Campaign name, entered at creation. |
| Client Group | Targeted group (mobile-seller side). “---” = all customers. |
| Beginning / Ending date | Validity period of the rule. |
| Description | Free context text. |
| Detail | Opens the rule in view / edit mode. |
On the POS side, the “Client Group” column does not appear: the list is limited to the label, the dates and the description.
Creating a free-article rule
Creation happens in two steps: first the header (who, when, what), then the table of free quantities.
| Field | Entry rule |
|---|---|
| Domain | Mandatory in a multi-domain company. |
| Label | Mandatory. It identifies the campaign in the list and in the field. |
| Client Group | Optional (mobile seller only). Left empty, the rule applies to all customers. |
| Beginning / Ending date | Mandatory. The end date cannot precede the start date. |
| Categories | Mandatory. Multiple check-box selection, with a search filter. |
| Quantity | Mandatory. Number of free units, numeric entry only. |
| Description | Optional. |
Entering the quantity automatically feeds the table below: fill it in before adding the lines.
The free-quantity table
Below the form, a second panel summarises what is actually given away, line by line. Each line can be added or removed individually.
| Category | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| Food › Grocery | 1 | |
| Drugstore | 2 |
| Element | Role |
|---|---|
| New | Adds a line to the table (a category and its free quantity). |
| Category | Category concerned, shown with its parent chain. |
| Quantity | Number of free units for that category. |
| Removes the line from the campaign. |
The table allows different quantities per category within a single campaign: 1 free unit on grocery, 2 on drugstore.
Do not forget to save the header after building the table: both panels belong to the same form.
Editing and deleting
| Operation | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Edit | Header and table remain editable. The effect is immediate on new sales. |
| Remove a line | Removes a category from the campaign without deleting the rule itself. |
| Delete the rule | Logical deletion after confirmation, from the list. |
Sales already made are not recomputed. A free quantity already granted on a round stays with the customer.
As with promotions, prefer moving the end date rather than deleting, if you want to keep a trace of the campaign.
Business rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Quantity, not discount | The rule adds units; it changes neither the unit price nor the line's discount percentage. |
| Separate scopes | A mobile-seller rule never applies at a POS register, and vice versa. |
| Period | The rule is only active between its start and end dates, bounds included. |
| Group | On the mobile-seller side, an empty group means all customers. |
| Stock impact | Free units leave stock like any other delivered goods. |
| Field reach | The rule flows down into Swifto Seller and Swifto POS after synchronisation. |
The stock impact is the most frequently forgotten point: a “12 + 1” campaign on 500 units sold releases about 42 extra units. Anticipate the restock — see Stocks.
To arbitrate between a free-article rule and a discount, compare their effect on margin in the Sales Dashboard.
FAQ & Tips
The free quantity does not show on the round?
Check the scope (created on the mobile-seller side, not POS), the period, the customer's group, then the terminal's synchronisation.
I cannot find the “Client Group” field at the register?
It does not exist on the POS side: at the register the customer is not always identified, so the rule applies to every ticket.
Stock ran out faster than expected?
That is the normal effect: free units are indeed deducted from stock. Recompute your coverage before the next campaign.
Can I combine a free-article rule and a promotion on the same items?
Yes: they act on different levers — price for the promotion, quantity for the free rule. Just check the combined effect on your margin.
Tip. The free-article rule is the ideal tool to clear short-expiry batches: you empty the stock without degrading the product's reference price.
Swifto ERP · Items & Catalog · User Manual v1.0
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