When a customer places an order for a smartwatch, running shoes, or socks in your online fitness store, a series of processes begins. After they make the purchase and receive a confirmation email, the work is complete and the order lifecycle with your company begins. Each item is processed, picked, packed, and shipped. Each specific point during this process is called the order’s current fulfillment status.
What is the product fulfillment status?
The fulfillment status is the current stage of your order. Order Processing Lifecycle. Providing businesses with real-time information on their customer’s order status. Fulfillment status allows businesses to efficiently track and manage orders, ensuring a smooth and transparent experience throughout the entire process.
Fulfillment Status Types
Order fulfillment statuses are clear, concise labels that represent specific points in the order processing timeline. Here are some common statuses and what they mean:
- Not Achieved. The order has been placed, but no steps have been taken to process or ship the item.
- Everything is as planned. The order is scheduled to be processed and shipped on a specific date. This is often used in the following cases: pre order or back order.
- On hold. Your order has been temporarily held while we are waiting for payment or because we need to resolve an inventory issue before we can continue.
- waiting for shipping. All orders have been processed and packaged but have not yet been shipped.
- It was partially filled. Some items in your order have been processed and shipped, but others are still waiting to be processed.
- We achieved it. All items ordered have been shipped.
- Has completed. The order may be successfully delivered to the customer and finished.
What is the difference between Fulfillment Status and Order Status?
Although closely related, fulfillment status and order status represent different aspects of the order management process: order status provides an overview of an order’s progress from a customer’s perspective, while fulfillment status provides more detailed information about an order’s progress. Warehouse.
Order statuses cover the entire journey of an order, from placing it to delivery. They are customer-facing and designed to keep customers informed about their purchase. Common order statuses include:
- On hold. The order has been completed but not yet confirmed.
- process. Your order is being prepared for shipment.
- shipped. The order has left the warehouse and is on its way to the customer.
- It has been delivered. The order has arrived at the customer’s shipping address.
- cancel. The order was cancelled by the customer or business.
- Came back. A customer has initiated a return for their order.
Steps in the order fulfillment process
Understanding your order fulfillment process can help you optimize your business workflow, realize significant cost savings, and streamline your operations. Business OperationsThe fulfillment process will vary from business to business, but in general it will play out as follows and translate into fulfillment statuses:
1. Confirmation of order
When a customer order comes in, your business jumps into action to ensure a smooth and efficient fulfillment process. This crucial first step involves capturing all the information you need, such as the customer’s shipping address, payment details, and product specifications. Order Management System (OMS) You need to be able to quickly validate the order, check inventory availability, and initiate the next step in the fulfillment process. At this stage, the fulfillment status is “Pending.”
2. Order Processing
Order fulfillment includes the steps a business takes to prepare a customer order for shipment. It checks the payment status with the customer’s credit card company or bank to ensure the transaction is legitimate and funds are available. Once payment is confirmed, the next step is to update inventory levels and generate necessary documentation, such as packing slips and shipping labels.
In this stage, you determine and communicate expected fulfillment dates to the buyer, setting clear expectations and Customer Trust For your business, the fulfillment status at this stage is “In Process” for both you and the customer.
3. Picking and packing orders
Order picking and packing is the process of taking ordered items from inventory and preparing them for timely shipment. Fulfillment Center or a logistics warehouse. Once the items are picked and packed, the order is marked as “waiting to be shipped” to await shipment to the customer.
4. Delivery
Shipping is the stage in the order fulfillment process where you send the packaged order to your customer via ground, air, express, or other delivery method. Carrier The method or method is Customer ExperienceSpeed, cost and reliability of delivery Customer SatisfactionWe offer a variety of delivery options to meet different customer needs, including same-day delivery, next-day delivery and standard delivery, while keeping our delivery prices competitive.
On your side, the fulfillment status will become “Fulfilled” and your customer will see “Shipped” as the new status of their order.
5. Returns and Exchanges
Not every order will completely satisfy a customer, so your business needs to be prepared to accommodate that. Returns and ExchangesReturns and exchanges Reverse Logistics It is the process of managing the flow of products from customers to your business.
If a customer wishes to cancel an order, request a return, or exchange an item, our friendly customer service team will assist them in returning the item for a full refund or exchanging it for a different item. The return process may end with a partial refund of the order or a credit towards a future purchase. In either case, the status will change from “Completed” to “Returned”. Once the return process is complete, the order status will return to “Completed”.
Outsourcing Order Processing
You can outsource the entire order fulfillment process Third Party Logistics (3PL) Providers Or another business partner.
For example, Mike Alfaro, founder of a card game company, Millennial LotteryMike decided early on to license the game to publishers, decentralizing the burden of managing order fulfillment. Instead, he focuses on the creative aspects of the business, like coming up with new versions of the game, creating viral campaigns on TikTok, and doing market research. “I don’t have to worry about when a shipment is going to arrive from Colombia to the U.S.,” Mike says. In the episode Shopify Master Podcasts“The publisher will take care of that.”
Fulfillment Status FAQs
What does the fulfillment status “Not fulfilled” mean?
The fulfillment status “Not fulfilled” indicates that an order has been placed, but no action has yet been taken to process or ship the item.
What are the benefits of providing fulfillment status?
Providing fulfillment and order status increases transparency, keeps customers in the loop regarding their orders, and gives businesses control over order processing and delivery operations.
How do you outsource order fulfillment?
To outsource your order fulfillment, you can partner with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that specializes in the following areas: Warehouse storageorder processing, and delivery services, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
