In this section, we will learn how to complete an order step by step.
- We have now got the payment with bank transfer. We will change the Order Status to Processing and inform the customer by checking the Notify Customer option. What we write in the Comment section will be emailed to the customer.
The following screenshot shows what the customer will get in the email inbox:
This information was also recorded on the Order History page:
- Suppose that we are ready to ship the order items. Now, it is time to Generate an Invoice ID. This is on the Order History tab as well. We can use this invoice as both a regular business invoice or/and a shipping invoice.
- Now, we can Print Invoice on the screen. Let's remember that an invoice is a legal document and shows the payment amount and purchase of the products.
The following screenshot shows the Invoice. Notice the information about our store and payment and shipment addresses, an the items in the shipment, are clearly shown:
- We should set Order Status to Shipped after real shipping is made. It is also a good practice to Notify Customer with a Comment in the email.
This is what a customer will see in their email about the shipping:
- Suppose that we have learned that our shipping was delivered by a parcel company. It is now time to Complete the order. We don't need to inform the customer since they have already got the products.
- We can trace all the steps on the processes of an order in detail on the Order History tab at the order details page.
We have learned how to apply each order status step and inform the customer about it. The default order was Pending for bank payments. Step by step we have changed it to Processing, Shipped, and Completed.
Place an order as a fictional customer and suppose that you are already paid by Paypal. Cancel the order because you don't have enough stocks for the ordered items. Look at the pre-defined order statuses and change them accordingly on each step until you refund the customer.