Foundation · 2 min
What you need to know
What happens during ecommerce order fulfillment?
Fulfillment confirms eligibility and stock, assigns a location, picks items, checks variants, packs, labels and hands the package to the delivery service. Track what actually happened for each item so support can answer a customer’s question accurately.
What are the stages of fulfillment?
A practical sequence runs: ready for fulfillment, picking, packed, handed to carrier, in transit and delivered. Different systems use different labels. Define which event moves the order to each stage and how exceptions are recorded.
When should an order become ready for fulfillment?
An order is ready when its payment or approved terms, stock and required checks meet the store’s rules. A pending or failed payment should not silently trigger shipment. Make exceptions visible to the fulfillment team rather than relying on them to spot payment status.
What is pick, pack and ship?
Pick means find the exact item and variant at the right location. Pack means protect and label it. Ship means hand the parcel to the carrier or delivery service. Each stage is distinct and each should be recorded when it completes.
How should orders be prioritized for fulfillment?
Prioritize by promised dispatch date, paid expedited service, stock availability or customer commitments according to a documented rule. Record the actual cutoff. Avoid advancing a newly placed order while an older promised order becomes late without explanation.
How should fulfillment status be tracked?
Track order and shipment events with timestamps and record who or what updated them. A label created is not the same as handed to a carrier. Support should be able to see whether packing, pickup, or the carrier is currently responsible for the next step.
What happens when an item cannot be fulfilled?
Stop that item’s fulfillment, confirm the stock problem, and contact the customer with real choices. A substitution, split dispatch or refund depends on the order and applicable rules. Do not silently ship a different item without customer agreement.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Should payment be captured before fulfillment?
Choose capture timing to match supported payment methods and order readiness. For delayed capture, monitor authorization expiry. For paid orders, verify the captured state before releasing to fulfillment. See the payment batch guides for payment states and safeguards.
How do I prevent an order from being fulfilled twice?
Give each shipment a unique order and parcel reference, mark completed packing actions and require an explicit exception for a second dispatch. If staff retry after an error, check whether a label or package was already created and handed off before creating another.