Reports & Automated Workflows to Manage your Shopify Orders Completely

Running a successful Shopify store takes hard work.  And while it's thrilling to see those orders come in, managing the behind-the-scenes work of processing, shipping, and handling returns can take a serious toll. That's the nature of e-commerce! Yet, the stores consistently seeing growth have streamlined the chaos of order management.

It's not just about fulfilling orders – though that's essential. Smart order management impacts customer satisfaction, how smoothly your business functions, and even how quickly you can scale. It's one of the key areas where investment pays off in the long run.

While Shopify provides some basic order management tools, they quickly become limiting as your store gains traction. You'll need to go a step further to manage increasing order volume and complexity.

This guide will show you how to:

• Avoid costly order fulfillment errors and delays that drive customers away
• Optimize your order processing workflow to save time and resources (and your sanity)
• Gain full visibility into your order pipeline to make data-driven decisions like a boss
• Automate repetitive tasks and streamline your order management process (so you can focus on the fun stuff)

Ready to take control of your Shopify order management and unlock your store's full potential? Let's do this.

Why Order Management Matters for Shopify Stores

Effective end-to-end order management is so much more than just processing transactions. When done right, it becomes a catalyst for growth and customer satisfaction. Here are a few of the key benefits:

• Improved Cash Flow: Handle orders quickly and avoid delays to ensure you get paid promptly.
• Happy Customers: Timely fulfilment and clear communication are essential to building customer loyalty.
• Reduced Operational Costs: Save on expenses by automating routine tasks and optimizing workflows.
• Smart Inventory Management: Real-time order visibility lets you stay on top of stock levels to avoid stockouts or carrying excess inventory.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Analyze order trends to spot growth opportunities or areas for improvement.
• Simplified Scaling: Robust order management processes provide the foundation to handle increasing order volumes confidently.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. When you master end-to-end order management, you unlock a virtuous cycle of operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and business growth.

Shopify's Built-In Tools: A Good Place to Start

Shopify does offer basic tools to get your order management off the ground.  These include:

• Order List View: See all your orders in one central location.
• Order Details Page: Access individual order details such as customer info, payment, and fulfilment status.
• Fulfillment Status Tracking: Update order statuses as fulfilled, partially fulfilled, or unfulfilled.
• Basic Order Filters: Quickly locate specific orders using various criteria.
• Order Export: Export orders to a CSV file for further analysis or integrations.

These are a helpful starting point, especially for a brand-new store. However, if you're serious about growth, you'll soon find yourself needing a more tailored and powerful solution.

The Limitations of Shopify's in-built Order Management tools

While Shopify's tools cover the very basics, they lack the depth and agility to keep up with a busy store.  Here's where they fall short:

• Limited Customization: With more flexibility, adapting your workflow as your business evolves becomes easier.
• Minimal Automation: Shopify requires a lot of manual input for tasks like order processing and status updates, which consumes valuable time and creates room for errors.
• Incomplete Visibility: Shopify's view of your orders can be fragmented, making it hard to track across channels or fulfilment methods. You might struggle to quickly answer questions like, "Is this product available to promise to a new customer?"
• Reactive, Not Proactive: Shopify focuses on day-to-day tasks but lacks the analytics and forecasting to help you stay a step ahead.
• Siloed Data: Order data stuck in Shopify makes it hard to see the big picture and make informed strategic decisions.

To overcome these limitations and take your Shopify order management to the next level, you need advanced reporting tools and strategies that empower you to work smarter, not harder. Let’s explore some of them.

Upgrade Your Order Management with these Advanced Reports

To take your Shopify order management to the next level, consider incorporating the following types of tools and templates (many solutions offer these pre-built and customizable):

1. Inventory Planning Report

Analyze historical sales data and suggest optimal inventory levels. This report considers product information and lead times to recommend inventory levels for each product variant/warehouse, helping you avoid stockouts and overstocking.

• Helps You Monitor: Inventory levels (indirectly, through recommendations).
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

2. Inventory Report by Quarter/Month/Location

Gain real-time visibility into current inventory levels. These reports provide insights into your inventory across different timeframes (quarter, month) and locations (warehouses, distribution centres), allowing you to make informed decisions about inventory allocation and restocking.

• Helps You Monitor: Inventory levels (by timeframe and location).
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

3. Sales Report

Track your sales performance over time. This report provides insights into sales trends and revenue, allowing you to identify areas for growth in your Shopify business.

• Helps You Monitor: Sales trends and revenue.
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

4. Sales Report by Location/Product

Analyze sales data by location and product. This report provides a deeper understanding of which products are popular in different regions. Use these insights to tailor your marketing and inventory strategies for better results.

• Helps You Monitor: Sales data (by location and product).
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

5. Sales Tax Report

Simplify tax calculations and ensure accurate reporting. This report provides a breakdown of sales tax for each order, jurisdiction, state, and country.

• Helps You Monitor: Sales tax (by order).
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

6. Abandoned Cart Report

Identify bottlenecks in your checkout process. This report analyzes abandoned cart data to help you understand why customers abandon carts. Use these insights to streamline the checkout experience and improve conversion rates.

• Helps You Monitor: Abandoned cart rate.
• Sample Report: Link to the sample report

These advanced templates go beyond basic order processing, providing the insights, automation, and optimization capabilities you need to excel in today's competitive e-commerce landscape.

But how can you access these game-changing templates without hiring a team of developers or spending countless hours on manual setup? Say hello to Locale.

Introducing Locale: Level Up Your Order Management

Locale is a solution designed to elevate Shopify order management from a chore to an asset. With Locale, you can:

• Access Pre-Built, Customizable Templates: Locale has a library of advanced templates, ready to be tailored to your store's needs.
• Automate Your Workflow: Reduce manual tasks with smart rules and triggers, freeing your team to focus on higher-value work.

• Get Actionable Insights: Locale's dashboards and reports deliver data you can use to make profitable decisions.
• Integrate with Your Fulfillment Partners: Manage everything from a single platform - inventory levels, shipments, returns, and more.
• Scale Without Headaches: Locale has the infrastructure to grow with you, so you won't have to worry about your tools holding you back.

Conclusion

End-to-end order management is the backbone of a successful Shopify store. By mastering your order management process, you can unlock significant benefits like improved cash flow, enhanced customer experience, reduced operational costs, and scalable growth.

But to truly excel, you need advanced tools and strategies that go beyond Shopify's basic order management capabilities. That's where Locale comes in.

With Locale, you can:

• Access pre-built, customisable order management templates
• Automate your order processing workflows
• Get real-time insights and analytics
• Integrate with your existing fulfilment partners
• Scale your operations with ease

Say goodbye to order management headaches and hello to a more efficient, profitable, and customer-centric e-commerce business.

Book a demo today to see how you can take control of your Shopify order management process like a boss.