SAP provides several ways of capturing an order within the system. We will discuss one of the less common, yet relevant business case called Cash Sales in this article. This supports the business case where a customer picks a product from the store/outlet and pays in cash at the register or Point of Sale (POS). This is especially true for companies operating in eCommerce and retail verticals.
What is different about this transaction is that in this case, the order till cash cycle happens in a single shot at the instance when the goods were sold at the counter. Thus, for cash sales orders, customer orders, pick the purchased goods and immediately pay for the goods received. The cash order creates subsequent documents in the same transaction. Read this article to understand the basics of subsequent document flow.
How SAP ERP Handles Cash Sales
Standard SAP provides order type BV for this scenario. Whenever an order of type BV is created the outbound delivery will be created automatically along with the post goods issue. In this case, the billing document will be created with the reference of sales order and not the delivery number. In this article, we will see how to create a cash sales order in SAP. This can be done by using transaction code VA01 and sales order type as BV (CS).
Below are the steps to create a Cash sales order in SAP.
Step 1: Creation of Cash sales order
- In SD Master Data Screen, enter the transaction code VA01.
- Enter sales order type as BV (CS) and also provide sales organization, distribution channel and division. Click on Enter.
- In our case, sales organization is 1000, distribution channel is 10 and division is 00.
- Enter customer details and material and quantity and click on save.
- In our example, we are creating a cash sales order for customer 1000 and material R-1140 with the quantity 2.
- Now the cash sales order and delivery will be automatically created.
- It also displays the following message with the sales order and delivery number.
- In order to check whether the delivery has been created or not, go to transaction code VA03 and click on document flow icon.
- In the below screen, please observe that transfer order has been created even we did not perform picking and transfer order. Thus the delivery will be automatically created.
- Order status is being processed because we did not create a billing document (invoice) yet.
Step 2: Post Good Issues
- Now the next step is to perform post goods issue.
- This would be done automatically. However, you can also go to transaction code VL02N. Provide delivery document number and click on Post Goods Issue.
- The following message will be displayed.
- In order to check the document flow, go to VA03 and click on document flow icon.
- The following screen displays information regarding post good issues.
- The order status is still being processed until we complete billing document creation.
Step 3: Creation of Billing Document
- Billing document will be generated automatically for Cash Sales. However, you can also go to transaction code VA02. Click on Billing under Sales Document.
- Click on Save in the below billing document to create billing.
- The following message will be displayed informing that billing document has been created.
- In the below screen, the billing document is created with the reference of cash sales order number.
- In order to check the document flow, go to VA03 and click on document flow icon.
- Now, the order status has been changed to Completed and all the accounting information is cleared.
Dealing with Problems and Complaints
Even the best-run stores can encounter hiccups at the point of sale. Here’s how to handle the most common cash-sales issues in SAP ERP:
- Wrong Quantity or Product Delivered
- Identify the error by reviewing the document flow in VA03. Note the sales order (BV), delivery, and billing numbers.
- Reverse the delivery: In VL02N, enter the delivery number, click Reverse Post Goods Issue, and save.
- Adjust stock: SAP will automatically restock the goods once PGI is reversed.
- Create a corrected order or adjust the original sales order (VA02), then repeat the cash-sales flow.
- Payment Discrepancy (Over- or Under-Payment)
- Check the billing document (VF03) against the actual cash received.
- Post a manual incoming payment in F-28 to match the exact amount.
- Create a subsequent credit memo (VF01, document type G2) for any overpayment, or post a customer debit memo (F-32) for under-payment.
- Clear open items in F-32 to reconcile the customer account.
- Customer Returns or Complaints After Sale
- Trigger a return order using transaction VA01 with order type RE (returns). Reference the original cash-sales order.
- Process return delivery in VL01N, then perform PGI reversal in VL02N.
- Issue credit or replacement: Generate a credit memo (VF01, type G2) or create a new sales order for replacement goods.
- Communicate resolution: Use SAP’s sales activity (VA02 → Sales Activity) to log the customer interaction and confirm outcome.
- System-Generated Errors (e.g., Pricing, Tax Calculation)
- Review pricing procedure in VK13 (condition tables) to ensure correct rates.
- Check tax determination in OVK1/OVK2 for country-specific VAT or GST settings.
- Re-bill if needed: Reverse the billing document in VF11, correct the conditions, then re-create the billing (VF01).
- Monitoring and Escalation
- Set up workflow alerts in transaction SWDD to notify managers of reversal postings or credit memos beyond a threshold.
- Use SAP standard reports (e.g., VFX3 for billing list, VL06O for outbound deliveries) to spot anomalies.
- Escalate unresolved complaints via your CRM integration—create a service ticket automatically when a return order is flagged.
Difference between Cash Sales and Rush order
It is easy to mistake cash sales with rush orders. However, they are completely different concepts. Having understood cash sales, let’s look at rush orders first. In the case of rush orders, we need to deliver the orders as soon as possible to the customer. For example, the customer could pick up the product the same day on which the order placed date. Thus, in case of rush orders, the delivery is created immediately when the order is saved. However, the billing document is not generated at the same time. Moreover, customer payment may not be done at the time the customer picks the goods. This is the key difference between rush order and cash sales.
| Aspect | Cash Sales (BV) | Rush Orders (SO Rush) |
| Payment Timing | Paid immediately at POS → billing posts on order creation | Payment later → billing generated separately |
| Document Flow | Order → delivery → goods issue → billing all in one transaction | Order → delivery automatically; billing in a follow-up step |
| Use Case | Brick-and-mortar or on-site sales where instant payment is required | Urgent customer orders needing same-day delivery, payment on terms |
| ERP Transaction Code | VA01 with order type BV | VA01 with order type CR or Rush |
| Customer Experience | One-step checkout with immediate invoice on screen | Quick shipment; invoice arrives later via email or post |
| Accounting Impact | Revenue and cash recorded simultaneously | Revenue recognized at billing; cash posted when payment received |
Summary and Conclusion
Hope we were able to walk you through the relevant aspects of cash sales. We also hope that by following the above tutorial, you can now create cash sales within SAP. Any comments and feedback are most welcome.
Now, you can easily connect your SAP ECC with the Ecommerce store or CRM to automate the business process!
You may also like:
Comparing SAP C4C with Salesforce
Understanding Price Scaling within SAP ERP and Magento
8 Mind-Blowing Reasons to Upgrade to SAP ERP
