What Is “Mapping” in Retail Orbit?

When you're setting up or maintaining your data with Retail Orbit Shuttle, you may hear our Support Team refer to Mapping. In simple terms, mapping is how we tell Retail Orbit where to place your POS sales and inventory data, so it can be accurately reported and planned.

Mapping ensures that your POS data connects correctly to the Retail Orbit class structure—because the more accurate your mapping, the better your merchandise planning!

Types of Mapping in Retail Orbit

There are three types of mapping used in Retail Orbit Shuttle:

POS Department Mapping

Most POS systems group products by Department, Category, Product Type, or similar terms. Regardless of the name, these groupings need to be matched (or mapped) to Retail Orbit Class Codes.

How It Works:

• This is a Many-to-One relationship:
  You can map multiple POS departments to a single Retail Orbit class
  ➤ But you cannot split one POS department across multiple classes.

Example:
If your POS has "Women’s Tops" and "Women’s Tees" departments, both can be mapped to the Retail Orbit class “Women’s Knit Tops”.

If your POS structure is too broad, we may suggest refining your department setup for better granularity.

POS Item Mapping (Heartland Retail only)

Heartland Retail doesn't support department-level mapping through the Shuttle integration. Instead, mapping is done per item by assigning a Retail Orbit Class Code directly to each product.

💡 Pro Tip: Heartland allows for bulk editing via spreadsheet export/import. Contact Heartland support if you need help with this.

POS Location Mapping

Each POS location (store) is given a Location Code. During onboarding, we link those codes to the corresponding Retail Orbit location.

Even if you have only one store, this step is required.

Tip:
Retail Experts often try to make the POS and Retail Orbit Location Codes match—but this isn’t always possible due to formatting limitations.

How Mapping Is Applied: Local vs. Cloud

Retail Orbit Shuttle is either installed locally on your system or configured via cloud-based integration (Webflight). The mapping process depends on which version you use.

🖥️ Local Shuttle (Installed on Your Computer)

When using a Local Shuttle, you can manage your mapping directly in the Shuttle application.

Steps:

• Open the Shuttle app

• Click the ☰ (three-line menu)

• Select Map Locations or Map Classes

Location Mapping Screen:
Assign each POS Location Code to the correct Retail Orbit Location Code.
Make sure each entry is enabled.

Class Mapping Screen:
Enter the Retail Orbit Class Code for each POS Department
➤ Departments not tracked can be marked as IGNORE
➤ Always click Save after making changes

You can also:

• Export mapping to Excel

• Edit in Excel

• Re-import back into Shuttle

Cloud/Webflight Shuttle (No Install Required)

If your POS system is cloud-based (like Shopify or Lightspeed), we manage mapping via Excel.

Department Mapping:

1. You’ll receive a mapping file from Support

2. The file lists your POS Departments

3. You fill in the Retail Orbit Class Code for each row

4. Return the file to your Support Agent

Location Mapping: If needed, you’ll be asked to confirm which POS location codes should be mapped to each Retail Orbit location.

Example of Cloud Mapping File:

• Leave Class Code blank for untracked departments (like Gift Cards)

• Support uses Class Code, not Class Name, for mapping

Need Item-Level Mapping?

Only Heartland Retail uses item-level mapping.
Check out our Heartland Item Mapping Guide for full instructions.

Final Tips

• Consistency is key. Class Codes are case-sensitive and must be accurate.

• You’ll hear from Support when mapping is needed during onboarding or a ticket.

• Mapping updates can take effect after the next Shuttle sync.

Questions?

Need help with your mapping or unsure which Shuttle version you’re using?
📧 Contact us anytime: support@retailorbit.com

Additional Information:

In our knowledge base article we do have a 'FAQ and Best Practices' document for the major POS systems we integrate with. Please read and review the document for your POS. You can find the KB articles HERE.

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