Orders & Fulfillment Basics

Managing orders efficiently is critical for providing a smooth customer experience and maintaining operational efficiency. Shopify’s order and fulfillment system allows you to track, process, and ship orders with ease.

This guide covers the essentials of Shopify order management, including viewing orders, processing fulfillment, and handling returns.

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1. Viewing Orders

All customer orders appear in the Orders section of your Shopify admin.

• Navigate to Orders in the left-hand menu.
• Each order shows:
  • Customer name and email
  • Order number
  • Status (Paid, Fulfilled, Unfulfilled, etc.)
  • Total amount
  • Payment and shipping information

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2. Processing Orders

Once an order is received, you can process it by:

1. Clicking on the order to view details.
2. Verifying payment and shipping information.
3. Checking inventory availability for all products.

Fulfillment Options

• Manual Fulfillment: You mark items as fulfilled yourself and enter tracking numbers.
• Automatic Fulfillment: Shopify or an integrated app fulfills the order automatically when conditions are met.

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3. Printing Shipping Labels

Shopify allows you to purchase and print shipping labels directly from the order page:

• Select the order and click Create shipping label.
• Choose the carrier, package size, and shipping speed.
• Print the label and attach it to your package.

Using Shopify labels helps integrate tracking automatically into your customer notifications.

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4. Tracking & Notifications

Shopify automatically updates the order status and notifies customers via email when:

• Orders are fulfilled
• Tracking numbers are added
• Shipping updates occur

You can customize these notifications in Settings → Notifications.

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5. Handling Returns & Refunds

Efficiently managing returns and refunds builds trust with customers:

1. Navigate to the order in Orders.
2. Click Refund to issue a partial or full refund.
3. Optionally, mark returned items as restocked.
4. Shopify will notify the customer automatically.

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6. Tips for Smooth Fulfillment

• Batch Orders: Process multiple orders together to save time.
• Use Locations Wisely: Ensure products are assigned to correct locations to avoid fulfillment errors.
• Integrate Shipping Apps: Apps can automate label printing, tracking, and fulfillment.
• Communicate with Customers: Keep tracking information updated and respond promptly to inquiries.

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TL;DR

• Check new orders daily and verify details.
• Choose manual or automatic fulfillment depending on workflow.
• Print shipping labels directly in Shopify for seamless tracking.
• Handle returns quickly and transparently to maintain customer trust.
• Optimize fulfillment with batches, locations, and apps.