CStoreOffice® Support & Learning

NACS Categories

The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) provides a standardized framework for categorizing products sold in convenience stores. This framework, regularly updated, groups products into logical hierarchies, from broad categories (such as Packaged Beverages, Candy) to more granular sub-categories (for example, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Chocolate Bars) and even segments (Regular CSDs, King Size Chocolate Bars). This standardization allows for consistent data collection, reporting, and analysis across the industry.

When a supplier generates an EDI invoice, they can include NACS category and sub-category codes for each line item alongside standard identifiers like UPCs. CStoreOffice® NACS Categories form provides the ability to proactively map these incoming NACS categories from the supplier's EDI invoice to your own internal price book categories. This mapping will automatically assign your internal price book categories to individual invoice items, eliminating the need for manual categorization during invoice acceptance and processing.

To map your category to the NACS category / sub-category:

  1. Click NACS Categories from the Price Book menu.
  2. Click the NACS category or sub-category to select it.
  3. Click the Edit button in the top-right corner.
  4. Start typing your internal category's name in the Matched Category field. Select the best match from the dropdown.
  5. Click the Save button in the top-right corner.

Next time you accept an EDI invoice with "Gum" NACS category, all line items under that category will be automatically mapped to "Packaged Sweet Snacks" CStoreOffice® category.