Markdown (seasonal)

Markdown (seasonal) is not just a discount — it is an inventory lifecycle strategy. Markdown answers: 👉 How do we sell aging inventory before it becomes dead stock? This is extremely important in apparel and a huge differentiator if FlowPOS handles it well. Here’s what to add for Pricing & Promotions → Markdown (seasonal). What “Markdown” means (business meaning) Markdown = planned price reduction applied over time to move inventory. Typical apparel lifecycle: Full price Early markdown (-10% / -20%) Mid markdown (-30% / -40%) Clearance (-50%+) Liquidation Markdown is inventory-driven, not marketing-driven. That is the key difference from promotions. Core concept (very important) Markdown is: 👉 tied to product lifecycle 👉 persistent (not temporary rule like promo) 👉 affects base selling price 👉 often scheduled in waves So markdown should update price source, not just create a temporary discount. What you must track For each markdown: scope (variant / product / collection / category) markdown percent or target price reason (season end, slow mover, clearance) lifecycle stage (phase/wave) start date optional end date who approved previous price snapshot And critically: 👉 original price must always be preserved Database additions (recommended)

1. Markdown table (core) markdown id business_id name (e.g., “Summer 2025 Wave 1”) stage (early|mid|clearance|custom) start_at end_at (optional) status created_by This groups markdown waves.
2. Markdown lines (what is affected) markdown_line markdown_id product_id / variant_id / category_id / collection_id (one of) method (percent | target_price) value previous_price_snapshot new_price_snapshot This allows bulk markdown.
3. Price source tracking (important) Your pricing system should know price origin. Add in sale_line and pricing snapshot: price_source: price_list markdown promotion manual_override This prevents confusion later.
4. Cost vs markdown analytics support No new table, but ensure: cost snapshot exists margin after markdown can be computed This is extremely valuable. Backend functionality you need Markdown creation workflow create markdown wave select scope (collection/category/etc.) preview affected variants preview margin impact (huge) commit → updates selling price source Price behavior rule (important) Markdown should: override price list still allow promotions on top be reversible Meaning markdown updates “base effective price”, not a discount event. Frontend screens (PWA) Admin markdown screen (very important UX) Create markdown wave Choose scope Set % or target price Preview: new price margin stock value impact Apply This is a flagship feature for apparel POS. Product screen Show: original price markdown price markdown stage days since markdown This helps buyers decide next wave. Reports (Metabase — extremely valuable) Markdown analytics are strategic: Sell-through after markdown Inventory aging before/after markdown Margin impact by markdown wave Clearance effectiveness Slow movers list Price elasticity insight Markdown ROI This is enterprise-level value. MVP vs Phase 2 ✅ MVP markdown markdown wave table markdown_line percent markdown apply to variants price source tracking preview new price markdown reporting basics 🚀 Phase 2 (big differentiation) automated markdown suggestions aging-based markdown triggers size curve markdown logic location-specific markdown staged markdown schedule AI markdown optimization clearance workflow supplier return decision support Biggest edge cases (important) Markdown + promotion stacking Returns must preserve markdown price snapshot Exchange after markdown wave changes Multi-location different markdown timing Reversing markdown Rounding rules Markdown applied after reservation/layaway creation These must be defined. Architecture insight for FlowPOS (important) Markdown sits between: price lists promotions inventory aging replenishment strategy If you implement markdown as a first-class concept (not just discount), you unlock: lifecycle pricing automated clearance strategy advanced inventory analytics Most POS don’t model this properly → opportunity. If you want, next I can give you: Minimal Kysely schema for markdown ⭐ recommended Inventory aging model (required for markdown intelligence) Automated markdown suggestion logic (very valuable) Price precedence model (price list vs markdown vs promo vs manual) ⭐ important Collection lifecycle design (apparel gold feature) Clearance workflow design