Test Promotional Pricing Permissions and Use Cases
The Test Promotional Pricing tool is restricted to management-level users because promotional pricing decisions directly affect revenue. This article explains who has access, why access is limited, and practical scenarios where the tool saves time and prevents costly pricing mistakes.
Permission Requirement
Access to the Test Promotional Pricing tool requires the TOOL_TEST_PRICING permission. This permission is assigned to users at hierarchy level 3 and above (Manager, Location Admin, and Super Admin). Employees and Accountants do not have access by default.
If a user without this permission navigates to Tools > Test Promotional Pricing, the menu item will not be visible. There is no error message — the option simply does not appear for unauthorized roles.
Who Has Access
| Role | Has Access |
|---|---|
| Super Admin | Yes |
| Location Admin | Yes |
| Manager | Yes |
| Employee | No |
| Accountant | No |
Administrators can grant the TOOL_TEST_PRICING permission to additional roles or individual users through the role permission management screen if your business requires broader access.
Why Access Is Restricted
Promotional pricing rules directly affect revenue. A poorly configured promotion can result in items being sold below cost, eroding profit margins on high-volume products. Restricting the test tool to managers and above ensures that only authorized personnel validate pricing strategies before they go live.
While the test tool itself does not change any data — it is a read-only simulation — the insights it provides inform pricing decisions that affect profitability. Limiting access to decision-makers keeps pricing strategy discussions at the appropriate management level.
When to Use the Test Tool
Before Creating a New Promotion
Before you configure a new promotional pricing rule in the Inventory module, open the test tool and enter the planned parameters. Verify that the discount type (percentage, fixed amount, or special price) and the discount value produce the expected customer price at your target quantities.
This catches configuration errors before they affect real transactions. For example, entering a 25% discount when you meant $2.50 off produces very different results at higher price points — the test tool makes this obvious immediately.
Before Activating a Bundle Deal
Bundle pricing has more moving parts than standard discounts: the bundle quantity, the Allow Multiple Times setting, and remainder item handling all interact. Test the bundle with the exact parameters you plan to use, and try several different purchase quantities to verify the behavior.
Pay special attention to what happens with remainder items. If your bundle is "Buy 3 for $24" and a customer buys 5 items, make sure you are comfortable with how the 2 remaining items are priced.
During Promotional Planning
When planning a seasonal sale or special event, use the test tool to compare different discount strategies side by side. Enter the same item price and quantity, then switch between discount types to see which approach delivers the best balance of customer savings and profit margin.
For example, compare these three approaches for a $20 item:
- Special price of $15.00 (25% off equivalent)
- Discount amount of $5.00 (same 25% off)
- Discount percentage of 25%
All three produce the same result for a single item, but they diverge when combined with quantity ranges or bundle settings. The test tool lets you explore these differences quickly.
To Answer What-If Questions
Managers frequently need to answer questions like "What would a customer pay for 12 units at our planned sale price?" or "How much do we save the customer with a buy-5-get-10%-off deal?" Instead of reaching for a calculator or spreadsheet, open the test tool and enter the numbers directly. The results are immediate and include the detailed breakdown.
For Staff Training
The test tool is an excellent training aid for new managers. Before they create real promotions in the Inventory module, have them practice with the simulator. They can experiment freely with different discount types, quantities, and bundle settings without any risk of affecting actual inventory prices.
Walk new managers through these training exercises:
- Set up a simple percentage discount and verify the math
- Compare a fixed-amount discount to a percentage discount at the same effective rate
- Enable bundle mode and test with quantities above, at, and below the bundle threshold
- Toggle Allow Multiple Times on and off to see the financial impact
- Test edge cases: quantity of 1, very large quantities, very small discount values
What This Tool Does NOT Do
The test tool is purely a simulator. It is important to understand its boundaries:
- It does not create pricing rules. To create an actual promotion, use the Inventory module's promotional pricing configuration.
- It does not modify inventory prices. No item prices are changed by running calculations in the test tool.
- It does not activate or deactivate promotions. The tool has no connection to active pricing rules.
- It does not connect to the POS system. The test tool operates independently — POS transactions are not affected.
- It does not save calculation history. Each session starts fresh. If you need to keep a record of your calculations, note the results manually or take a screenshot.
Any pricing changes must be made through the Inventory module's promotional pricing configuration screens.
Practical Tips
- Keep the test tool open in a side window while configuring promotions in the Inventory module. This lets you cross-reference the simulation results with the actual rule configuration in real time.
- Test edge cases. Check what happens at quantity 1 (below most minimums), at the exact minimum quantity, at the exact maximum quantity, and above the maximum. Each boundary can reveal unexpected behavior.
- Verify bundle remainders carefully. The most common bundle pricing mistake is not accounting for how leftover items are charged. A customer buying 7 items in a "buy 3" bundle deal has 1 item at full price — make sure that total still feels like a good deal to the customer.
- Compare discount types at scale. A 10% discount and a $1.00 discount produce the same result on a $10.00 item, but at $50.00 the percentage discount saves $5.00 while the fixed amount still saves $1.00. Test at multiple price points if your promotion covers items at different price levels.
- Use round numbers for initial testing. Start with simple values like $10.00 and quantities of 5 or 10 to verify the basic math. Once you understand the pattern, test with your actual item prices and expected purchase quantities.
- Document your findings. Before configuring a promotion, note the parameters you tested and the results you verified. This creates a record of due diligence that shows the pricing strategy was validated before going live.