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Step pricing lets you charge a different per-unit rate depending on volume. Instead of one fixed Price, you define a set of tiers — for example 1–10, 11–20 and 21+ — each with its own price, and Clarus works out which rate applies when the charge is raised. Step pricing is available for Pick Prices and Rental Prices on a charge card, with a unit of measure of Storage Unit or Item.

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Choosing a calculation method

Every step price uses one of two calculation methods. Both use the same tiers; they differ in how the total quantity is priced. The examples below use these tiers:
Clarus looks at the final total quantity, finds the one tier it falls into, and charges the whole quantity at that tier’s price.For a total of 25, the quantity falls into tier 3:25 × £0.50 = £12.50This produces a single charge line.

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Setting up step pricing

1

Open the charge card

From the left-hand menu, go to Charges then Charge Card, and select the relevant charge card.
2

Add a charge price

In the Pick Prices or Rental Prices panel, click Add Line and fill in the Code, Name and any conditions as you would for any other charge price.
3

Set the price type to Step

In the Price Type column, select Step. The Quantity and Price fields become unavailable, because the prices now come from the tiers.Then choose the Unit of Measure — Storage Unit or Item.
Choose the price type before the unit of measure. Changing the Price Type clears the unit of measure, quantity and price on that row.
4

Open the step pricing configuration

Click Manage Steps on the row. This opens the Step Pricing Configuration window.
5

Choose the calculation method

Under Calculation Method, select Flat Tier or Cumulative (see Choosing a calculation method).
6

Add your tiers

Under Tiers and Prices, click Add Line for each tier and enter:Click Save on each tier row.
7

Apply the configuration

Click Apply Configuration. Clarus sorts the tiers into order and saves them with the charge price.
To change a step price later, click Manage Steps again, edit, add or delete tiers, and click Apply Configuration.

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Tier rules

Clarus checks the tiers when you save them and highlights anything it cannot accept:
  • Tiers cannot overlap. Both From and To are inclusive, so the next tier must start above the previous tier’s To. After a tier of 1–10, start the next tier at 11 (or 10.01 if you work in decimals) — not at 10.
  • To must be greater than From.
  • At least one tier is required before you can apply the configuration.
  • A calculation method is required.
  • Save every tier row before you click Apply Configuration.
Any quantity that falls outside your tiers is not charged. If your lowest tier starts at 10 and a customer only reaches 9, no step charge is raised. Likewise, quantities that fall in a gap between two tiers, or above a final tier that has a To value, are not charged. Leave the final tier’s To blank if every quantity above it should be charged.

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Changing back to standard pricing

Once a charge price has been saved as Step, its Price Type cannot be changed. To go back to a fixed price, delete the row and add a new one with the Price Type set to Standard.

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How step pick charges are raised

Step pick charges are calculated per pick list:
  • While the pick list is being picked, no step charge line exists yet. Clarus records each pick.
  • Once every pick task on the pick list is completed or cancelled, Clarus totals the quantity picked on that pick list and creates the charge lines using the calculation method.
  • With a unit of measure of Item, the total is the number of items picked. With Storage Unit, it is the number of unique storage units picked.
  • If a pick is later unpicked, the step charge lines for that pick list are removed. They are created again, from the up-to-date picked quantity, once the pick list is fully picked again.
  • A pick list that is started in one charge window and finished in the next is charged as a whole, in the window it finishes.
You can review the result in the Charge Lines panel of the pick list. The Calculation Method column shows Flat Tier or Cumulative for each line.
Step pricing does not apply to cross docks.

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How step rental charges are raised

No rental charge lines are created during the charge window. When the charge window closes, Clarus creates one charge line for the step price, priced at the single tier matching the total for the window:
  • Item — the total quantity of items rented during the window.
  • Storage Unit — the number of unique storage units rented during the window.
Stock counts towards the total if it was in stock at the start of the window or was received during it — including stock that was dispatched again before the window closed.

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Reviewing step charge lines

Step charge lines appear alongside your other charges and flow onto invoices in the normal way. Each line shows the billed quantity, unit of measure and price, and its description carries the tier and method used, for example:
The tier shows the tier’s Description if you entered one, otherwise its range.
Clarus uses the configuration that is in place at the moment each charge line is created. Charge lines that have already been created are not recalculated. For flat-tier pick charges, for example, the tiers in place when the last pick task on the pick list is completed are the ones used.
Yes. A step price supports the same conditions as a standard charge price for its charge type. Only the Quantity and Price are replaced by the tiers.
Check that the total quantity falls within one of your tiers (see the warning under Tier rules). For pick charges, also check that every pick task on the pick list has been completed or cancelled. For flat-tier rental charges, the line is created only when the charge window closes. For other causes, see No charge applied.