Return Draw Analysis

The Return Draw Analysis report can be run for single copy routes that have returns. It lists returns by route and suggests draw changes based on the number of returns and the optimal return percentage you specify.

You can divide routes into three return categories: sellouts, excessives, and normal routes:

• Sellouts are routes that had zero returns on at least one day in the date range.

• Excessives are routes that had a number or percentage of returns above the excessive quantity or percentage (defined at runtime) on at least one day in the date range. Routes that have both “sellout” and “excessive” days will be listed with the sellouts.

• All other routes are considered normal routes.

The report also creates a suspended draw change batch. If you want to make the suggested draw changes, run Batch Draw Change, enter the batch name, and accept it. Each time you run the Return Draw Analysis report, the previous batch of draw changes is overwritten. If you never accept the batch, no new draw changes are created.

Note:

If previous suggested draw changes exist when you run this report, the following message will be displayed: “This report calculates suggested draw changes for single copy routes. Overwrite the suggested draw changes previously created by this report?” If you answer “yes”, suggested draw changes are recalculated. If you answer “no”, the report is not run and existing suggested draw changes are not changed.

To produce this report:

• Select Return Draw Analysis from the Single Copy menu to display the Return Draw Analysis window.

  
• Click Add and complete the following fields.

  Field	Type	What to enter
  PRODUCT	setup	Enter the product for which to perform return analysis (enter “*” to multi-select products).
  START DATE END DATE	date	Specify the analysis period.
  ADJUST DATES/WEIGHTS	calendar	By default, all dates within the specified analysis period (i.e., date range) are selected. This calendar utility allows you to deselect individual dates or days of the week (e.g., every Monday within the date range). It also allows you to assign a “weight” value to each week in the analysis period, so that some weeks can be weighted higher or lower in the average draw calculation. See Adjust Dates/Weights below for details on using this utility.
  SORT BY EDITION	yes/no	Indicate whether different editions should be sorted separately in the report.
  CATEGORY	predefined	Indicate whether the report should list sellouts, excessives, all categories (sellouts, excessives, and regular routes in different sections of the report), or all routes without categorizing them (none). If CATEGORY is set to “all”, three separate draw change batches will be created by the report using the batch name entered plus a sequence number. For example, if the batch name is “dti”, the three separate batches would be named “dti1”, “dti2”, and “dti3”.
  # SELLOUTS, # EXCESSIVES	integer (4)	If the category is “all” or “sellouts”, you can limit the report to routes that have sellouts on a certain number of days. For example, if “5 to 7” is entered in # SELLOUTS, only routes that had sellouts on five, six or seven days within the date range would be listed as sellouts. Routes that were sellouts on only four days, then, would not be included on the report. The # Excessives field works along the same lines.
  DRAW RANGE	integer (4)	Optionally, enter a draw range for the report. Only routes whose draw falls within this range will be included.
  WEEKDAY	predefined	In the Weekday field, specify the day of the week that should be used when determining whether a route meets the draw range. For example if “20 TO 100” is as the draw range, and Wednesday is entered as the weekday, a route must have a draw of between 20 and 100 on Wednesday to appear in the report.
  REPORT TYPE	predefined	Indicate whether this should be a detail or summary report. The detail version will break out gross versus net draw, while the summary version will print only net draw.
  DRAW CLASS	setup	Indicate which draw class to include in the report.
  SELECTION TYPE	predefined	You can sort the report and select routes to include by area, region, zone, or district. Indicate the sort level here.
  SELECTION	setup	Based on what you entered in Selection Type, enter the area, region, zone, or district that should be included in the report. Enter “*” to multi-select entities.
  ALL ROUTES	yes/no	Indicate whether all routes within the selection criteria above should be included in the report.
  SELECT BY	predefined	If All Routes is not selected, indicate whether routes should be selected based on route class, route type, or the account’s bill source.
  SELECTION	setup	If All Routes is not selected, enter the route class, route type, or bill source (depending on what was entered in Select By) that should be included in the report. Enter “*” to multi-select.
  DEMOGRAPHIC, ANSWER	setup setup	You can include single copy routes based on single copy demographic answers. To do this, enter the demographic and answer to include. Only routes that have this demographic answer will appear on the report.
  CREATE DRAW CHANGE BATCH	yes/no	Indicate whether a suspended batch of draw changes should be created by the report, based on the optimal return percentage and the actual number of returns.
  OVERRIDE SETUP	yes/no	Select this checkbox if single copy routes that are set up not to allow draw changes (i.e., Draw Changes = “no” in Route Setup) should be included anyway. Note: The availability of this checkbox is controlled by the “AllowDrwChgOvrd” Transaction Security item.
  BATCH, DESCRIPTION EFFECTIVE DATE	open (10) open (30) date	If a draw change batch will be created, enter a name and description for the batch, as well as an effective date for the draw changes.
  OPTIMAL RETURN PERCENT	integer (4) x 7	This and the remaining fields will appear in the Selection Detail window, which opens after the other fields have been entered. For each day of the week, enter a number (for example, “2” for 2%) that specifies the optimum return percentage of the draw. Leave a field blank to use the value recorded for a route in route setup (see Single Copy Route in the Setup Manual). Note: the suggested changes are calculated using this formula: Total Draw x Optimal Return Percent = Suggested Change + Current Returns.
  MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE CHANGE	decimal (4) x 7	Optionally, enter the maximum percentage by which a route’s draw can be changed. If the suggested draw change is greater than the existing draw times the maximum percent, the existing draw times the maximum percent will become the suggested draw change instead.
  MAXIMUM QUANTITY CHANGE	integer (5) x 7	Optionally, enter the maximum quantity by which a route’s draw can be changed. If the suggested draw change is greater than the maximum quantity, the maximum quantity will be used instead. If both quantities and percentages are given, the lower maximum will be used.
  EXCESS RETURN PERCENTAGE	decimal (4) x 7	Optionally, enter the returns/draw percentage that should be considered excessive. Excessive return days will be labeled as such on the report.
  EXCESS RETURN QUANTITY	integer (5) x 7	Optionally, enter the quantity of returns that should be considered excessive. If both quantities or percentages are given, a route will be considered excessive if it meets either the excessive quantity or excessive percentage.
  OUTLIER PERCENTAGE	decimal (4) x 7	These optional fields are used to exclude days on which the net sales (draw - returns) varies from the average net sales for that weekday by a specified percentage. Draw that falls outside the outlier range, either above or below, is not included in the calculations. For example, if Monday’s average net sales is 40, and +/- 50% is the outlier range, then any Monday on which net sales is below 20 or above 60 will be excluded.

• Click OK and then Continue to produce the report and create a suspended batch of draw changes. After studying the report, if you want to make the suggested draw changes, use Batch Draw Change and accept the batch.

Example—Return Draw Analysis Report

Adjust Dates/Weights

The Adjust Dates/Weights button in the Return Draw Analysis window opens a calendar utility that allows you to deselect days from the analysis period and assign “weight” values to each week for draw-calculation purposes. When you click this button, a Date Selection window appears, as shown below. By default, all days within the specified analysis period (i.e., date range) are selected.

To deselect a specific date, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the date to deselect it (if you do not hold down the Ctrl key, all of the dates will be deselected except for the date you clicked on). An unselected date can be selected by doing the same thing—holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the date.

To deselect a day of the week (e.g., every Friday in the date range), right-click on the day’s name (e.g., “Fri”) and select Disable. The following example shows a date range with every Friday deselected. To re-select a weekday, right-click on the day’s name and select Enable.

The “weight” percentage applied to each week is shown to the left of each week. By default, each week is assigned a weight of 100%. This percentage can be adjusted, for example, to give more weight to recent weeks in the weighted average draw calculation, and less weight to less-recent weeks. An example of how weighting is used to calculate the average draw is shown in the following table.

To modify the weighted percentage for a week, right-click on the weight value to the left of the week. A pop-up will appear as shown below. Move the slider by clicking on it and dragging it to the new value. You can also click to the left or right of the slider to move it up or down 10% at a time. Click OK when you have finished.

The following example shows how weights would be entered to match the example given in the table above. The most current week retains full weight, while previous weeks are weighted progressively less.

Notes:

• When weights are used with outlier percentages, the weighted average (and not the real average) is used to determine whether or not a sale is an outlier. Outlier days are removed from the draw calculations.

• The report and calendar layout are determined by the first day of the week as defined in Business Rules.