Match Invoice Lines to Promotions with the Auto-matcher

Summary

When you're reconciling a deduction in Vividly's Deductions Reconciliation Module (DRM), the Auto-matcher does the heavy lifting of finding which promotion in Vividly most likely explains each charge. Instead of scanning through every open promotion yourself, you select the invoice lines you want to work on, click "Auto Match to Promo", pick a fund type, and the matcher returns its best suggestions — ranked and ready for your review. It works by checking each invoice line against your open promotions across five criteria: Customer Name, Product, Fund Type, Date, and Spend Rate. Every suggestion is a draft — nothing gets confirmed until you say so.

When to Use It

You're working through open deductions and need to match invoice lines to planned promotions
The matcher returned no results, too many results, or a suggestion that doesn't look right — and you want to understand why
You want to know how to set up your data so the matcher performs better

Prerequisites

Access: Anyone with access to the Deductions Reconciliation Module (DRM) can use the Auto-matcher — no extra permissions needed
Invoice lines: The invoice lines you want to match need to exist before you run the matcher. Create them by scanning the backup document or adding them manually.
Open promotions: The relevant promotions need to be created and open in Vividly — the matcher can only suggest promotions it can find
Good data helps: Invoice lines with accurate customer, product (or product group), and date information will get better suggestions

Steps

Step 1: Open the invoice
1. Navigate to the transaction profile for the deduction you're working on, then click the invoice you want to reconcile.
Step 2: Select your invoice lines
1. Check the box next to the invoice line(s) you want to match. You can select one line or several at once.
2. Heads up: If your invoice lines haven't been created yet, you'll need to do that first — either by scanning the backup document or adding lines manually. Come back to this step once they're in place.
Step 3: Click "Auto Match to Promo"
1. With your lines selected, click the "Auto Match to Promo" button.
Step 4: Select a fund type
1. You'll be prompted to choose a fund type (or multiple fund types). Pick the one(s) that apply to this invoice — for example, Scan Back, MCB, or EDLP.
2. Why this matters: Fund type is one of the five criteria the matcher uses to find the right promotion. Selecting the right fund type(s) keeps your results focused and relevant. At least one fund type is required to proceed.
3. Note: The fund type you choose applies across all the lines you selected — it's not set line by line.
Step 5: Review the suggestions
1. The matcher evaluates each selected invoice line against your open promotions using the five criteria listed in the table below: Customer Name, Product, Fund Type, Date, and Spend Rate.
Step 6: Confirm or adjust
1. Review the suggestion against the invoice and what you know about the deal. If it looks right, confirm it. If a different promotion is the correct match, swap it in.
2. If you're seeing the same kinds of problems across multiple invoices, that's usually a sign that some underlying data needs attention — customer mappings, product assignments, promotion dates, spend rates, or fund type setup.
3. Heads up: Suggestions are drafts — nothing gets finalized until you confirm it. The matcher won't make decisions for you.

#	Criterion	What the matcher checks	Example
1	Customer Name	Does the deduction source match the promotion's customer?	Deduction from UNFI → looks for promotions with UNFI as the customer
2	Product	Does the product on the invoice line match the products on the promotion? If the line is tied to a product group, the matcher checks every SKU in that group.	Deduction for "Chocolate Bar 1.6oz" → looks for promotions that include that product
3	Fund Type	Does the deduction type match the promotion's fund type? Scoped by the fund type(s) you selected in Step 4.	Scan-back deduction → looks for Scan Back promotions
4	Date (Promotion Timing)	Does the invoice line's date fall within the promotion's date range? For duration-based promotions (multi-month), the matcher checks whether the invoice date falls anywhere inside the promotion's start and end dates. If nothing matches, it also tries the previous month as a fallback.	Invoice dated April 2025 → matches a promotion running Jan 1–Dec 31, 2025
5	Spend Rate	Does the deducted amount per unit match the planned rate? Dollar ($) rates are checked before percentage (%) rates. A rate mismatch lowers confidence but won't prevent a match if everything else lines up.	$2.00/case deduction → looks for promotions with $2.00/case rate. $1.80/case shows as low confidence.

Here's how to read what comes back:

What you see	What it means
No suggestion	The matcher couldn't find any open promotion that passed all five checks. Most common reasons: missing or incorrect customer, product, or date — or the promotion isn't in Vividly yet.
One suggestion	A single promotion matched on all five criteria. Review it and confirm if it looks right.
Several suggestions	More than one promotion could fit. Often happens when promotions overlap in date, a product group has many matching SKUs, or there are multiple valid promotions for the same customer. Pick the one that best matches the actual deal.
Suggestion looks off	Usually a data issue — a customer alias that isn't mapped, a product on the wrong promotion, an incorrect date, or a fund type mismatch.

A few things worth knowing about product matching:

If the invoice line has a direct product, the matcher looks for that exact product on a promotion — that takes priority.
If the line is tied to a product group, the matcher checks every SKU in the group. When several SKUs each match a different promotion, you'll see all of those as candidates on that one line.
If there's no product and no product group, the matcher runs on customer, fund type, and timing only. Results will be broader and less precise — add the product or product group if you can.

Expected Result

After running the matcher, each invoice line you selected will show one or more suggested promotions. Suggestions where the spend rate matches are flagged as high confidence; those where the rate is off show up as low confidence — a heads-up to take a closer look before confirming. The more accurate your underlying data, the more useful the matcher's first-pass suggestions will be over time.

Troubleshooting

Problem: No suggestion came back for a line. Likely cause: The matcher went through all five criteria and couldn't find a passing promotion — wrong or missing customer, product, or date; fund type doesn't match; or the promotion doesn't exist in Vividly. Fix: (1) Check customer, product/group, and date on the invoice line. (2) Confirm the fund type matches the type of charge. (3) Verify the promotion exists, is open, and has the right date range and spend rate. (4) Work with your admin to reopen a closed promotion if needed.
Problem: Too many suggestions — hard to know which is right. Likely cause: Multiple promotions fit the same criteria — overlapping dates or a wide product group. Fix: (1) Compare candidates against invoice amount, product, and timing. (2) High-confidence suggestions are a good starting point. (3) Pick the one that best reflects the deal. (4) Tighten product group membership or date ranges if this keeps happening.
Problem: The suggestion doesn't look right. Likely cause: Data mismatch — unmapped customer alias, product on the wrong promotion, incorrect date, or fund type mismatch. Fix: (1) Check the customer name on the invoice vs. how it's set up on the promotion. (2) Verify product/product group on both the line and the promotion. (3) Review mappings in "Settings" > "Deductions & Revenue".
Problem: Got a match but it shows as "low confidence." Likely cause: Everything lined up except the spend rate — the deducted amount per unit differs from what was planned. Fix: (1) Compare the rates. (2) If the discrepancy is real, confirm the match and flag for your finance team. (3) If the planned rate in Vividly is wrong, update the promotion and re-run.
Problem: The "Auto Match to Promo" button isn't working. Likely cause: No invoice lines selected, or no fund type chosen when prompted. Fix: (1) Select at least one invoice line first. (2) Choose at least one fund type when prompted.
Problem: Results are consistently off despite clean-looking data. Likely cause: Incorrect product group membership, inaccurate date ranges or spend rates, or outdated customer mappings. Fix: (1) Review product group membership. (2) Check promotion date ranges and spend rates. (3) Review customer/backup source mappings in "Settings" > "Deductions & Revenue". (4) Contact Vividly Support if it persists.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I match multiple invoice lines at the same time?

A: Yes — just select all the lines you want to work on before clicking "Auto Match to Promo". Each line gets evaluated independently.

Q: Do I have to select a fund type every time?

A: Yes. The matcher won't run until you've selected at least one. It uses your fund type selection to narrow down which promotions to consider — so picking the right one makes a real difference to your results.

Q: Does the fund type apply to each line separately, or across all selected lines?

A: Across all the lines you selected for that run. It's one filter for the whole batch, not something you set per line.

Q: Does the matcher work for promotions that run for more than one month?

A: Yes. For duration-based promotions, the matcher checks whether the invoice date falls anywhere within the promotion's start and end dates. If nothing matches on the invoice date, it also checks the previous month as a fallback.

Q: A suggestion came back but the spend rate is different from the invoice — should I still confirm it?

A: A rate difference doesn't automatically mean it's the wrong match. The matcher flags it as low confidence, but it's your call. If the promotion is right and the rate difference is real, confirm it and flag it for your finance team.

Q: What if my invoice line doesn't have a product or product group assigned?

A: The matcher still runs, but it can only match on customer, fund type, and timing — which tends to produce broader, less precise results. Add the correct product or product group to the line if you can.

Q: Will the matcher ever confirm a match without me approving it?

A: No. Every suggestion is a draft. You're always the one who makes the final call.