Have you just opened an online shop or are you thinking of setting one up? Surely now all sorts of questions arise, so you know exactly what is going to happen.
You want to be prepared. You want a plan. And you want to avoid risks and mistakes.
That’s why, for today, we’ve prepared a special article for you, in which we talk about orders and deliveries. I mean the very wheels that turn your shop’s engine and bring you the profit you want.
See how to manage orders and deliveries in your unosoft shop, using the features of the platform.
Contents How to manage orders and deliveries
1. Order module in unosoft
2. Command status and autoresponder triggering
3. Invoice generation
4. Parcel preparation
5. Parcel delivery
6. Return, cancellation and money back – things to know
7. How to increase the value of your orders
1. Orders module in unosoft
In the platform you have a dedicated module where you manage your orders. Let’s start with its presentation, in case you haven’t seen exactly what it contains yet.
The module consists of 3 applications (if you have Pro or Enterprise):
- Orders – list of all orders placed on your site, together with their details (customer, status, mode of transport, number, payment status, etc.), invoice button and editing possibilities.
- Shopping carts – (starting with Plus subscription) place where you can see the composition of unfinished shopping carts in your store, both for customers with an account and actions made without an account.
- Subscriptions – (starting with Pro subscription) specific application for setting and managing subscription/subscription orders.
When you access this module, you have the possibility to filter existing orders, in case you want to see only those placed on a certain date, for example, or only those containing a certain product.
When a customer registers an order on your website, it will automatically appear in Orders, so that you can process it.
Also here you have a button for manually adding a new command.
For example, if you have spoken to the customer on the phone or received a request for an order from them and they may not be able to order online or are experiencing problems, you can manually create a new order for them so that it is recorded in the system and processed like the others.
You can use this module with almost no intervention at all, but our recommendation is to make some initial custom settings, which will help you a lot on the order prioritization and identification side.
2. Command status and autoresponder triggering
In the Commands module you can customize the status you will add to commands. Basically, the status tells the platform what to do next after an order has been placed. Also, assigning a status is important, because this is how information mails are sent to customers, depending on the given situation.
Initially, when order arrives in admin, it will have the status New order. This status is automatically linked to the Order Completion Email autoresponder (Customer Order Entry), which you can find in the Content > Email module.
This is the initial confirmation email and is sent to notify the customer that the order has indeed been successfully completed and is about to be processed. If you focus on card payments, here you can add a reminder that order processing will start once payment has been made.
When you start editing an order, then it is recommended to change its status as well, so that the customer has an updated status of the order: Order retrieved (when invoice and AWB already issued) or Payment error (in case you want an email with payment link sent), Cancelled (if this happens) etc.
The Order Status List area allows you to create custom statuses, depending on your shop strategy and needs:
- Preorder – if you have opened orders for products that are about to arrive in stock, for example.
- Order digital products – if you also sell digital products, such as courses, and you want a specific email to be sent with directions on where to find the purchased products in your account.
- Order Partners – Orders placed with a certain discount code, for example, or from certain special customers.
You can create absolutely any status you want, to mark including, for example, orders placed by problem customers.
Each status can be linked to a type of autoresponder, either a native one in the platform or one you set with Email Bot.
Let’s see an order management scenario, where you also have a provisional status for pre-orders:
- Customer completes an order on your website for a product that is on pre-order.
- The platform automatically assigns new order status and triggers the confirmation autoresponder / payment confirmation email from the payment processor you are working with.
- You see in admin the new order and you assign the status Preorder (in case it will be delivered later, when the product arrives in stock). If you have set up a GoBot, with additional information for this situation, it will automatically trigger when the status changes.
- When you receive the product, you check it, package it and generate the invoice, create the AWB and print it, and when the product is ready to be delivered to the courier, you change the status to Order Picked. This status will trigger the Order Picked/Confirmed email (Customer Notification on Order Confirmation) in the Content > Email, which you can customize as you wish, and which must also contain the AWB created for that order.
- All you have left to do is to wait for the courier (if he is automatically notified) or call him to hand over the parcel.
If it’s an order in a normal situation you go through the same steps, skipping point c.
And if the customer has started the online payment process, but it was interrupted for various reasons (application malfunction, customer does not have enough money on the card, his internet is down, etc.), when the Payment Error status is set, you can trigger the autoresponder containing a link to retry the payment.
Now, there are scenarios and scenarios, depending on your business strategy and the things you do differently. But being able to customize statuses, autoresponders and setting GoBoti can help you deal with any scenario quickly.
Tip! You can change the status of an order automatically if you set the necessary conditions with Order Bot.
Read also: 3 Follow-up email sequences your business needs
3. Generate invoices
The first settings, so that the invoices generated in the platform are correct, are made in the Settings > General settings > Invoicing module.
Here you have some fields that you have to fill in with your company data, which will then be automatically displayed on each invoice you issue.
- Make sure you have filled in the general settings in the invoicing program you are using (in unosoft Apps you have multiple integrations to choose from).
- If you already have an integrated program, the fields visible below are different than if you have no integration.
With integration:
Signature dates
- VAT payer – Yes or No
- VAT rates – fill in the VAT rate in Romania and, if applicable, the rate for the other countries. Or you can add a new rate.
- Name – fill in the name of your company
- Unique Registration Code – fill in your company’s CUI
- Trade Register No.
- Share capital
- Bank
- IBAN
- Tara
- County
- Oras
- Address
Without integration:
- Enter Series invoices.
- Enter Number from which the numbering of invoices starts during the current year.
- Enter Proformai series.
- Enter Number from which the numbering of the proformas starts during the current year.
- Choose whether or not to display on the invoice VAT on receipt.
- Choose whether or not to have Consecutive invoice numbers. If you select the YES option, the highest invoice number ever will be taken into account. If you select the NO option, the highest invoice number of the current year will be taken into account.
- Choose whether or not to Display payment method in invoice.
- Fill in if you want to display a Default text in the footer of invoices.
- And then fill in the company details as mentioned above – these details will be displayed on the invoices, but also in the Contact section of your website.
Now that you’ve made the initial settings, all that’s left to do is generate invoices for your orders. From the platform you can generate invoices, proformas or storno invoices (to correct the initial invoice, in case a mistake has been made, or the product has been returned).
In the unosoft documentation you can see step by step how to generate these documents for each order, so I don’t think I need to repeat the instructions here. I let you consult them in Help.
Did you know you can automate invoice generation?
With Order Bot You can automate the generation of a proforma, invoice or invoice reversal, based on a variety of conditions, from order or AWB status to a specific product attribute in the order.
Basically, whenever the conditions are met, the platform will generate the necessary document without you having to manually intervene. It saves you time and resources, and saves you from possible mistakes that could cost you.
4. Preparing parcels
The parcel preparation process means actions you do from the platform, but also outside the platform.
First of all, it’s important to have a parcel preparation procedure, so you know precisely what you have to do to minimize the possibility of making mistakes or forgetting things. This procedure is also useful when you have employees, especially when hiring new people.
What this procedure should contain:
-
- How to pick the products in the order – whether you have an automatic system that identifies the products in the warehouse, whether the parts in the order have to go into production once the order is received (for configurable products, for example), etc.
- Type of packaging for parcel shipment – if you have boxes or envelopes of different sizes, determine what type of products each is for.
- What extra materials should the package include – gift product (what kind / for what situations), inserts for the stability and protection of the products in the parcel (bubble wrap, foam inserts, shredded cardboard, etc.), a thank you letter, etc.
- Is the invoice included in the parcel or is it only sent by mail?
-
- AWB printing issued from the platform (or from the courier company’s application, if applicable).
- Affixing the AWB to the parcel.
When the parcel is ready for delivery, you change the status of the order (or it is automatically changed by the Order Bot depending on the conditions set) and wait for the courier to pick it up.
Read also: Online store brand and logo – 10 tips that will help you make good choices
5. Parcel delivery
For the delivery of orders placed in your shop you have multiple methods to choose from and companies to work with.
Most stores offer delivery by courier, at the door, at a fixed or flexible cost depending on the destination address. But it’s also important to vary as you evolve with your store to best meet your customers’ preferences.
Easybox or parcel delivery is becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the flexibility it offers customers. Also, to lower delivery costs, many prefer to pick up parcels from a local office, even if that means paying in full online first.
It is also important to note that there is a preference for courier companies, mainly because of previous experiences with them. They might avoid buying from your store when you only deliver with a certain company.
To meet your needs and ease your efforts, we have created the delivery service GShipments, in partnership with Ecolet.
Basically, we help you identify the courier with the lowest shipping cost for each order. You have multiple companies at your disposal, without having to make separate contracts with each one.
Optimise your costs by up to 46% and offer your customers their preferred methods of receiving their parcels.
For parcel delivery, when you generate an AWB from the unosoft platform, the courier is automatically notified to pick it up. In the initial order you can see the delivery status of the parcel until it reaches the recipient.
Usually, if you issue the AWB from the courier’s app, you also need to call him personally to pick up the parcel/parcels.
Read also: Small Guide To Delivery Strategy
6. Return, cancellation and money back – things to know
- Establish from the start a robust procedure for returned orders.
- Legally, you are required to offer the possibility of return within 14 days (except for personalized products, intimate products and other products according to the law). You can extend this period if you want to use the return period as a differentiator.
- Activate return form from unosoft Apps (it’s free) and links to the Return Policy page.
- Generate manual or automatic reversal invoices with unosoft Bot when order status changes to Returned.
- If you have unosoft Payments, poti process the repayment of the initial amount (according to the return and refund procedure) directly from the platform. If not, it is necessary to follow the steps indicated by the payment processor you are working with, according to their instructions.
- You can retain part of the initial amount if the product(s) are returned to you in a damaged condition. and cannot be sold again (you have this right, legally).
Read also: How to establish the return procedure: tips and things to know
7. How to increase the value of orders
We’ve written and talked about this topic before, but it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves together of the tactics you can implement to increase order value.
- Establish a product One-Time Offer in store – Displayed on the checkout page, this kind of unique offer whets the appetite for impulse shopping.
- Set a value threshold for free shipping – when you set a free shipping rule in unosoft, the platform will automatically display in the cart and order completion how many lei the customer still needs to buy to get free shipping. It works.
- Promotes the fact that you offer a gift of your choice when you cross a certain value threshold in the cart – you can use the Gifts in basket from unosoft for displaying these products.
- Fa product recommendations on page, with accessories and complementary products.
- Activate a popup triggered when adding to cartwith product recommendations.
- Offers discount on quantity – it is attractive for the customer to see a lower and lower price as they buy more. So set such discounts, using the Discounts.
- Offer vouchers – in email, on the website, in postings, through partner communications, etc. The higher the amount in the cart, the bigger the discount will seem.
Read if: 7 Actions that help you increase the average order value in your online store
Simplify order management & delivery processes with unosoft
We’ve designed the platform to make everything easier for you. But before you start using the features, it’s ok to do a little research to know what’s available to you.
You can automate a lot of things in the process to save resources, time and money. And managing an order can take less than 1 minute.
If you’re just starting out or about to open a shop, now’s the time to take action.
Take advantage of the tips in this article and let the platform work for you, so you have the time and energy to focus on what’s important: increasing profits and customer experience.
Remember, you have 15 days to try the platform for free. See unosoft subscriptions and choose the right one for your store – pricing plans start from 7 euros per month.
