Overview
LineNow organizes your purchasing around business units. Each unit has its own suppliers, items, and operating workflow. You can run different kinds of business units in the same buyer account.
Choose the right business unit
| Unit type | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Food Service | You buy ingredients and make menu items from recipes. |
| Retail Store | You buy products and sell them as purchased, often buying cases and selling individual units. |
| Dropship | A supplier ships directly to your customers. Create a separate unit for each dropshipping supplier. |
| Manufacturer | You buy components for make-to-order production and use assemblies in LineNow. |
| Stockroom | You buy, count, issue, and return supplies without POS sales, recipes, or demand forecasting. |
| Procure to Produce | Your ERP owns inventory, receiving, and costs, while LineNow handles purchasing. Connect your ERP first. |
Getting started sequence
- Open Home. Connect the systems you use, or skip connections that do not apply to your business. A connection is not the same as an item or location mapping.
- Open Business Units and choose Add business unit. Select the unit type, enter its details and currency, and review access. For Procure to Produce, select the ERP location.
- Select that business unit, then open Suppliers. Add or import the suppliers you buy from and choose how orders will reach each one.
- Open Items. Add or import your purchasing catalog. Check supplier assignments, pack sizes, and unit costs before ordering.
- For Food Service or Manufacturer units, add the recipes or assemblies that use those purchasing items. Link sold products where relevant.
- Build a supplier cart, review it in Purchase Orders, and create your first PO. Receive actual deliveries in LineNow for LineNow-managed inventory, or in your ERP for Procure to Produce.
If setup looks incomplete
The Setup Guide looks for an accessible business unit, an active supplier, and at least one active item for that supplier. Check the selected business unit and your permissions if a step appears missing. A guided walkthrough can help you practice the order-and-receive sequence.
Related: Business Units, Choose how to order from a supplier, and Team permissions.