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Order Status Management

Understanding and properly managing order statuses is crucial for smooth order fulfillment and customer satisfaction.

Order Status Workflow​

Orders progress through a defined set of statuses from creation to completion:

Pending → Confirmed → Processing → [Ready for Pickup | Shipped] → Delivered
                                           ↓
                                      Cancelled

Status Definitions​

1. Pending​

  • When: Order first created by customer
  • Meaning: Awaiting payment confirmation
  • Duration: Usually seconds to minutes
  • Your Action: None (automatic)
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You won't typically see Pending orders, as they quickly move to Confirmed once payment is processed.

2. Confirmed​

  • When: Payment successfully processed
  • Meaning: Order ready for you to fulfill
  • Duration: Until you begin processing
  • Your Action: Review and accept order

This is the first status you actively work with.

3. Processing​

  • When: You're actively preparing the order
  • Meaning: Gathering books, packaging, or awaiting Ingram shipment
  • Duration: 1-3 days typically
  • Your Action: Prepare books for fulfillment

Update to this status when you begin working on the order.

4a. Ready for Pickup (Pickup Orders Only)​

  • When: Books are prepared and waiting for customer
  • Meaning: Customer can come pick up their order
  • Duration: Until customer arrives (typically 1-14 days)
  • Your Action: Hold books securely, await customer arrival

4b. Shipped (Shipping Orders Only)​

  • When: Package handed to carrier
  • Meaning: Order is in transit to customer
  • Duration: Until delivery (1-7 days typically)
  • Your Action: Tracking is automatically shared with customer

5. Delivered​

  • When:
    • Pickup: Customer collected books
    • Shipping: Carrier confirmed delivery
  • Meaning: Order complete
  • Duration: Final status
  • Your Action: None (order closed)

6. Cancelled​

  • When: Order cancelled by customer or store
  • Meaning: Order not fulfilled
  • Duration: Final status
  • Your Action: Release inventory, refund processed automatically

Changing Order Status​

How to Update Status​

  1. Open the Orders section
  2. Select the order you want to update
  3. Tap the Update Status button
  4. Choose the new status from available options
  5. Confirm the change

Available Transitions​

From Confirmed, you can move to:

  • Processing: When you begin preparing the order
  • Cancelled: If you cannot fulfill the order

From Processing, you can move to:

  • Ready for Pickup: For pickup orders when books are ready
  • Shipped: For shipping orders when package is sent
  • Cancelled: If order needs to be cancelled

From Ready for Pickup, you can move to:

  • Delivered: When customer picks up books
  • Cancelled: If order is not picked up
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Once an order reaches Delivered or Cancelled, it cannot be changed. Make sure the status is correct before updating.

Automatic Notifications​

Customers receive automatic notifications when order status changes:

Status Change Notifications​

Status ChangeCustomer Notification
ConfirmedOrder confirmation with details
ProcessingNo automatic notification
Ready for Pickup"Your order is ready" with store address and hours
ShippedShipping confirmation with tracking number
DeliveredDelivery confirmation (pickup or shipping)
CancelledCancellation notice with refund information

What Customers See​

Each notification includes:

  • Order number
  • Status description
  • Next steps (what they need to do)
  • Store contact information
  • Tracking information (if shipped)
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You can manually message customers within the app if you need to communicate beyond the automatic notifications.

Handling Delays​

Sometimes orders take longer than expected to fulfill. Here's how to handle delays professionally:

Common Delay Scenarios​

  1. Book Temporarily Out of Stock
  2. Ingram Order Delayed
  3. Unexpected Store Closure
  4. Shipping Issues

Communicating Delays​

When you know there will be a delay:

  1. Act Quickly: Notify customer as soon as you know
  2. Be Specific: Give realistic timeline, not vague estimates
  3. Offer Options: Let customer cancel if delay is too long
  4. Stay Updated: Keep status current and communicate changes

Example message:

"Hi [Customer], we've received your order for [Book]. We're experiencing a brief delay with our supplier. The book should arrive at our store by [Date]. We'll have it ready for pickup the same day. Let us know if you'd prefer to cancel and get a full refund. Thanks for your patience!"

Managing Status During Delays​

  • Keep order in Processing status during delays
  • Update to next status only when actually ready
  • Don't mark as Ready/Shipped prematurely
  • Cancel only if delay becomes unreasonable
Delay Timeframes

If you can't fulfill within these timeframes, consider cancelling:

  • Regular inventory orders: 3-5 business days
  • Ingram special orders: 10 business days
  • Pickup orders: Ready within 2 business days of receipt

Status Best Practices​

Do's​

✓ Update status promptly when order state changes ✓ Mark Ready for Pickup as soon as books are prepared ✓ Mark Shipped immediately after dropping package at carrier ✓ Communicate with customer if there's any delay ✓ Keep books secure while in Ready for Pickup status ✓ Verify everything is correct before marking Delivered

Don'ts​

✗ Don't mark Ready for Pickup until books are actually prepared ✗ Don't mark Shipped before package is with carrier ✗ Don't leave orders in Processing for extended periods without communication ✗ Don't skip status updates (they trigger important notifications) ✗ Don't change status back to earlier states ✗ Don't mark Delivered until confirmed complete

Monitoring Order Status​

Your Orders Dashboard​

Your store dashboard shows orders by status:

  • Active Orders: Confirmed, Processing, Ready for Pickup, Shipped
  • Completed: Delivered
  • Cancelled: Cancelled orders

Key Metrics to Watch​

  • Average time in Processing: Should be 1-2 days
  • Pickup hold time: How long orders wait for customer pickup
  • Shipping time: Days from Confirmed to Shipped
  • Completion rate: Percentage of orders successfully delivered

Order Status and Inventory​

Status changes affect your inventory:

Inventory Reservations​

  • Confirmed: Inventory reserved (not available for other orders)
  • Processing: Inventory still reserved
  • Shipped/Ready for Pickup: Inventory still reserved
  • Delivered: Inventory decremented, reservation removed
  • Cancelled: Reservation released, inventory available again
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This prevents selling the same book to multiple customers while an order is being fulfilled.

Troubleshooting Status Issues​

Order Stuck in Processing​

Cause: Order not progressed to next status Solution: Update to Ready for Pickup or Shipped when appropriate

Customer Says Order Not Ready​

Cause: Status updated prematurely Solution: Only update status when order is actually ready

Cannot Change Status​

Cause: Order already in final status (Delivered/Cancelled) Solution: Final statuses cannot be changed; contact support if incorrect

Notification Not Received by Customer​

Cause: Customer notification settings or email issues Solution: Send manual message through app; verify customer contact info

Next Steps​