What does my order status mean?
When a customer places an order for goods, the package goes through various stages and across various locations. You may not be physically present during each stage, so it is important to track the order to ensure everything is running smoothly. Shipping/Order statuses provide essential information about the order’s position and keep both buyers and sellers updated throughout each stage of the package’s fulfillment. They also alert the parties involved about any unexpected delay or issue in the delivery of the order.
Order statuses have two main functions:
- To determine at which stage an order is at; pending, processing, shipped.
- To track the order and have control over the fulfillment.
There are different statuses, each of which signifies a different stage at which the order is. Listed below are the standard shipping statuses and what they mean for your package:
PENDING
A pending status implies that the customer has placed an order, but payment has yet to be received by the seller. In some cases, an order might get a pending status if it is still being packed and getting ready for shipment or due to delays in the logistical chain. Such incomplete orders are marked with a ‘Pending’ status. An order can be canceled by both the buyer and seller at this stage.
PROCESSING
At this stage, the customer has finalized their order by making the payment and the seller has started the production of the ordered goods. Upon verification of this order, the fulfillment center will begin processing the order almost immediately to prepare it for shipping. The order cannot be canceled at this stage.
SHIPPED
When a package is assigned the “shipped’ status, it means that it has been loaded on a truck and left the fulfillment center for final shipping. At this point, the order could be anywhere between the origin location and the end destination. The shipping company will provide the carrier information and tracking number for the order so buyers can follow estimated delivery times.
BACKORDER
A backorder means that the ordered item is out of stock but will be replenished soon on a given date, and then sent out for shipping. Backordered products are generally sold with a guarantee that the product will be shipped as soon as it is restocked. Due to the shortage of physical inventory, an order containing a backordered item cannot be packaged and delivered promptly. If the order contains other in-stock items, the order may be divided and shipped at different times.
ON HOLD
A shipment might be put on hold due to any unexpected delays in shipping or due to incomplete information provided by the customer. In the second case, the customer should be contacted to resolve the issue. The order will remain on hold until the customer provides the complete and correct information.
In the same vein, Fulfyld uses the same five stages to communicate with the seller and our Operations Team. While they have similar meanings, below is how we define each stage internally. These statuses are used by our Order Management Software (OMS) to keep our processes clear and efficient.
PENDING
Pending is the first stage of an order coming into our system from its designated sales channel. The order details have been received and it is ready to be moved to processing.
PROCESSING
Once fulfillment hours start in the warehouse, the status will be changed to processing. Here at Fulfyld, this stage is when a pick ticket / invoice has been generated and is going to be picked and then packed by the operations team.
SHIPPED
Once the order is packed, a label is generated, and tracking is issued, then it will be marked as shipped. From here the package goes into a stage area awaiting to be picked up from its assigned carrier.
BACKORDER AND ON HOLD
Typically carry universal meaning and share the same definitions as before.
Using this simple 5-step system keeps our warehouse organized and our software easy to understand for all users. Outside of order statuses, our inventory management processes keep track of other data points that provide insight to our team and our customers. If you want to learn more about our services, sign up for a free pricing proposal here.
