A distributor adds 60 units to a B2B ordering portal. The screen displays a unit price, six promotional items and an estimated rebate. When the order is submitted, it requires approval because the distributor has insufficient available credit. For an international brand managing a distributor network in China, acceptance testing must establish how each result was calculated and which system owns it. An estimated rebate on screen is not yet an available account balance.
The useful questions concern the price list applied, the quantity tier selected, the rounding rule for free goods and the amount eligible for a rebate. If the order changes to 49 units, the platform must explain what changes and pass consistent quantities and values to downstream systems.
This guide sets out acceptance tests, rather than a promise that every scenario is standard functionality. For each test, the brand and supplier should identify whether delivery requires a standard feature, configuration, integration or custom development, or whether the requirement is unsupported.
B2B ordering rules need an agreed business definition
A commercial policy such as “higher-volume distributors receive better prices, promotional items and a quarterly rebate” leaves too much open to interpretation. Before implementation, sales, finance and delivery teams need an executable definition.
| Rule dimension | Definition required | Common gap |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible distributor | Legal entity, tier, region, contract and ordering account | Whether multiple logins share the same policy and credit limit |
| Eligible products | SKU, range, category, saleable goods, free goods and promotional materials | Whether SKUs can be combined to reach a threshold and whether free goods count towards it |
| Calculation trigger | Quantity, value, effective dates, shipments and payment status | Whether ordered, approved, shipped or received quantities determine eligibility |
| Result | Transaction price, free-goods quantity, rebate, approval or block | When the result takes effect and who can override it |
| Changes | Amendments, shortages, cancellations, returns and policy expiry | Whether to retain the original result, recalculate it or reverse a difference |
Policies also need version control. An order placed during a promotion may be approved or shipped after it expires. The order should record whether it uses the policy effective at submission, approval or shipment. Changing a price tier later must not silently change the price shown for a previously confirmed order.
One worked example for all eight tests
The following figures are illustrative, expressed in Chinese yuan (CNY). Replace them with anonymized policies from the actual business before supplier acceptance testing.
| Item | Agreed test rule |
|---|---|
| Distributor A | East China, tier A, assigned to price list A. Credit limit CNY 100,000; credit already used CNY 96,000; available credit CNY 4,000; payment terms 30 days. |
| Product S | Reference ordering price CNY 100; price-list base price CNY 92. |
| Quantity tiers | 1–49 units: CNY 92 each; 50–99: CNY 88; 100 or more: CNY 84. Only eligible units of SKU S count. |
| Free item G | One G for every ten S purchased, rounded down. Record G as a separate order line. |
| Rebate | Accrue 3% of the net value of confirmed shipments of S. Exclude free goods, freight, cancellations and returns. The rebate becomes available after finance confirmation. |
| Tier determination | Use the quantity at order approval. Apply this timing consistently throughout the tests. |
| Free-goods shortage | Block submission. Do not automatically substitute goods, create a free-goods backorder or route to manual approval. |
| Insufficient credit | Route to over-limit approval. Direct payment or split orders must not bypass that approval. |
| Return treatment | A return of ten S at CNY 88 requires recovery of one G and reversal of CNY 26.40 in rebate. If the rebate has already been spent and the balance is insufficient, record the outstanding reversal for finance approval. |
| Combining incentives | Tiered pricing, free goods and rebates may apply together. A rebate accrual does not reduce the amount payable on this order. |
For 60 units, the expected merchandise value is 60 × 88 = CNY 5,280, with six free items and an estimated rebate of 5,280 × 3% = CNY 158.40. The amount payable remains CNY 5,280. It exceeds available credit of CNY 4,000.
Write these expected results into the script before the demonstration. Changing the policy during the test to match the software’s output defeats the purpose of acceptance testing. A project that determines tiers at submission or confirmed shipment needs its own consistently applied script.
Eight acceptance tests for B2B ordering rules
1. Apply the same basket to two distributor accounts
Log in as Distributor A and add 60 units of S. Repeat with Distributor B, whose region, tier or contract differs. Check that each account receives the correct product visibility, base price, tier schedule, free-goods policy and rebate rules. Establish whether the matching key is the distributor entity, delivery organization or login account.
The order must retain the distributor, price list and policy version used. Authorized special prices should follow the agreed override or approval process; changing an account or adding an order note must not bypass policy controls. Showing several price lists in the back office is insufficient evidence unless the two accounts actually produce the expected results.
2. Test the quantity boundaries at 49, 50, 99 and 100 units
Distributor A should receive unit prices of CNY 92, 88, 88 and 84 respectively. Inspect the calculation details as well as the total. This example uses an all-units price: reaching a tier changes the unit price for the whole eligible quantity. It does not use graduated pricing, where different portions of the order receive different prices.
Add another SKU from the same product range. Because this policy counts SKU S alone, the additional SKU must not move 49 units of S into the 50-unit tier. A policy based on a range, category or entire order requires different test data and an explicit rule for returns.
Pass criteria include reproducible prices, totals and eligibility decisions, with matching values in the portal, order record and ERP. Cases, inner packs and individual units must be converted consistently before evaluating quantity tiers.
3. Round free goods correctly and enforce the shortage rule
Sixty units of S generate six G. Reducing the quantity to 59 produces five G; restoring 60 produces six. Each free-goods line needs its SKU, quantity, source policy and inventory status. An order note alone is inadequate.
Set available G stock to four. The agreed outcome is a submission block with a visible reason and no reservation of six G. Backordering, substitution and manual approval are different business policies and do not count as passing this test. Check reservation, cancellation release and recovery or adjustment after a return.
If promotional materials or free goods are also controlled through an allocation or funding account, inspect its reservations, releases and finance approval records. A correct free-goods quantity is insufficient when the inventory or account records do not reflect it.
4. Separate estimated, pending and available rebates
After approval, the 60-unit order may show an estimated rebate of CNY 158.40. That figure is not yet available to withdraw or use against payment. In this example, accrual follows confirmed net shipments and finance confirmation makes the balance available.
Test a partial shipment of 50 units while the remaining ten stay on backorder. The eligible base is 50 × 88 = CNY 4,400, producing CNY 132 in rebate. Subsequent confirmed shipments create the remaining accrual. This single-order test does not validate quarterly or annual target-based rebate arrangements.
Where rebates depend on cumulative orders, collections or period targets, add scripts covering the reporting period, eligible orders, unpaid-order exclusions, target progress, settlement batches and returns across periods. Every accrual should trace back to order lines. Estimated, pending, available, used and reversed balances must remain distinct. Manual adjustments require a reason, operator and finance approval rather than an unexplained change to an aggregate balance.
5. Explain how tiered prices, free goods and rebates combine
Under the agreed rules, 60 units produce CNY 5,280 in merchandise value, six G and a 3% rebate accrued on confirmed shipment value. The rebate is recorded separately and does not reduce the current order payable.
Add a temporary discount that cannot be combined with the rebate. In this test the rebate has priority, so the temporary discount must not apply. The distributor should see why it was excluded. The administration view should also distinguish other exclusion reasons, such as an ineligible account or expired promotion.
The pass criterion is faithful execution of the published priority and compatibility rules. Automatically selecting the lowest price is appropriate only when the brand has explicitly chosen that policy.
6. Validate credit and payment terms after pricing
The CNY 5,280 payable exceeds the available CNY 4,000 by CNY 1,280. The agreed response is over-limit approval, with the excess shown to an authorized approver. Blocking submission, requesting prepayment or splitting payment are not equivalent passing outcomes for this script. The estimated CNY 158.40 rebate cannot be used to reduce the payable.
Inspect the approved limit, used credit and available credit together. Before testing, agree when submission, approval, payment, shipment, cancellation and return create or release reservations. Distinguish any pending approval reservation from a committed credit exposure: rejection should release applicable reservations, and approval should move the exposure into the agreed receivables process. Finance must also define whether the 30-day payment term starts at approval, shipment, delivery confirmation or invoicing.
Pricing and incentives should enter the credit check once. The ordering platform and ERP or finance system need an agreed authoritative credit record. Failed integrations and retries must not reserve or release the same exposure twice.
7. Distinguish an order amendment from a temporary warehouse shortage
Before approval, reduce the order from 60 to 49 units. Because approval determines the tier, the unit price returns to CNY 92. Merchandise value becomes 49 × 92 = CNY 4,508, free goods fall to four, and the estimated rebate becomes CNY 135.24. Retain the before-and-after calculations and rerun the credit check.
A temporary shortage after approval has a different result. In this example, the approved 60-unit quantity preserves the CNY 88 price, and unshipped units remain on backorder. Rebate accrual still follows confirmed net shipments. A brand that reprices against final shipped quantity must explicitly adopt that policy and test it separately.
The amendment reason, original quantity, confirmed quantity, backorder and policy differences must be visible. ERP and warehouse management systems must receive the same order version. Replaying an identical change event must not reserve more credit, add free goods or accrue a second rebate.
8. Test cancellations and returns separately
Cancel an entire order before shipment. Release applicable credit and free-goods reservations, remove the estimated rebate and retain the original order and cancellation reason. Replaying the cancellation must release each reservation only once.
Next, return ten units against an order that has shipped and whose rebate has been confirmed. Use the original CNY 88 transaction price, recover one G and reverse 10 × 88 × 3% = CNY 26.40 in rebate. The remaining 50 units retain their confirmed original price.
Run another case in which the rebate was already used. If the available balance cannot cover CNY 26.40, record the outstanding reversal, preserve the original usage transaction and route the difference for finance approval. Do not silently erase the difference or create a negative balance contrary to the agreed policy.
Cancellation, return, refund and account reversal need separate statuses. Failed steps should enter exception handling without overwriting completed business events. Finance must be able to trace rebate transactions to the original order, return and adjustment reason; distributor statements should agree with final settlement.
The evidence needed beyond an order total
Retain the inputs, matched policies, calculation details, event history, downstream results and delivery classification for each scenario. A screen showing CNY 5,280 proves only that a number was displayed. Sales needs the price-list and tier decision, finance needs account transactions, and the implementation team needs the quantities and values accepted by ERP.
| Evidence | What it must establish |
|---|---|
| Policy snapshot | Version, eligible accounts, dates and product scope |
| Calculation breakdown | Base and transaction prices, tier, free goods and rebate base |
| Event history | Who submitted, approved, reserved, shipped, cancelled, returned or reversed an item, and when |
| Account ledger | Changes to credit, prepayment, rebate or promotional-material allocations |
| Integration results | Version accepted by ERP, WMS or finance; retry and reconciliation outcomes |
Use real test accounts and anonymized business rules, recording expected and actual results alongside whether each capability is standard, configured, integrated, customized or unsupported. The same evidence-led approach applies to broader retail-system proof-of-concept testing.
Responsibilities across the ordering platform, ERP and finance
The PEKON B2B Ordering Platform supports ordering collaboration between brands and distributors. Its published product scope includes ordering plans by region and distributor tier, price lists, tiered prices and discounts, spending-threshold promotions, free goods, rebates, promotion compatibility rules, and funding, promotional-material allocation and rebate accounts.
These capabilities address what distributors can order, how commercial policies are applied, how orders are approved and how related accounts are recorded. Product master data, warehouse availability, physical stock movements, receivables and accounting entries may remain in ERP, WMS or finance systems.
The project blueprint should assign an authoritative source for price, credit, rebates and inventory, together with reconciliation and recovery procedures when integrations fail. Confirm the delivery classification of every acceptance scenario rather than treating a product feature list as proof of the complete workflow. Distributor orders also need to remain distinct from downstream consumer sales: sell-in volume alone does not establish sell-through.
Three checks before launch
Obtain policy-owner sign-off. Record tier scope, rebate bases, free-goods shortages, stacking priorities, payment-term start dates and return reversals in a versioned policy document. Meeting notes and individual experience are insufficient as the sole reference.
Replay historical orders. Include ordinary orders, tier boundaries, over-limit orders, shortages, amendments and returns. Compare the new calculations with confirmed transaction and settlement records. Explain differences order by order; matching aggregate totals can conceal offsetting errors.
Assign exception ownership. Sales owns commercial-policy exceptions; finance owns credit, rebates and payment terms; customer service or channel operations handles distributor communication; IT and the supplier own integration failures and retries. Automated calculation reduces repetitive decisions while retaining exception approval and reconciliation.
For a practical supplier session, prepare an actual price list, quantity tiers, free-goods and rebate rules, plus a historical amended or returned order. Record policy versions, calculations, account entries and interface evidence in an acceptance checklist. These materials provide a concrete basis for discussing the testing scope with PEKON.
FAQ
Which takes priority: distributor-specific pricing or quantity tiers?
Read the price list and tier rules assigned to the distributor, then apply their published priority. The current product-page example prioritizes tiered pricing, but the project must follow its own agreed configuration. Acceptance testing should expose the matched price list, tier, policy version and reasons for excluding competing rules.
Why is a rebate different from an order discount?
A discount usually reduces the amount payable when the transaction is priced. A rebate may depend on shipment, payment collection, a quarterly target or an annual agreement and therefore move through accrual and confirmation first. If available rebates can pay for later orders, record the rebate ledger entry before using that balance as settlement funding.
Should the system automatically substitute unavailable free goods?
This example blocks submission. A project may instead permit a free-goods backorder, an approved substitute or manual approval, but the choice must be recorded before testing. The platform should execute that decision without silently replacing items or reducing quantities.
Should a partial shipment change the quantity-tier price?
It depends on the agreed determination point. Pricing based on approved order quantity can retain the original price during a temporary shortage and track a backorder. Pricing based on final confirmed shipments may require recalculation. Contracts, order displays and financial settlement need the same rule.
Can a B2B ordering platform replace ERP and finance systems?
Usually not. It primarily handles distributor product visibility, commercial policies, order submission, approval and account collaboration. ERP, WMS and finance systems may continue to own master data, fulfilment, receivables and accounting. Define authoritative records and write-back rules to prevent duplicate postings.