eCommerce Order Workflow
Why we use workflows
The cost of doing business can be huge. Businesses that pay more to actually sell are at a competitive disadvantage compared to businesses that can reduce the cost of processing orders.
It could be the difference between you having to sell a product for £199, while your competitors can sell it cheaper at £189 and still make a better margin.
To understand how a business can reduce the costs associated with processing orders, we typically map out an order processing flowchart or workflow.
Here we look for opportunities to reduce the manual steps your staff are required to make, so orders can come in and flow out with minimum intervention from your human resources.
Every business is different
Businesses sell different products in different markets, and each one has its own internal processes and technical infrastructure in place.
To truly understand how a business operates, we have to get involved and understand each business as a unique entity.
But there are elements common to all eCommerce businesses that can help any business. We call these standard optimisations in modern order processing.
You will know that your business, and the way it operates, could be vastly different compared to 10 years ago. If it looks the same, you may not be taking advantage of technology, and it will be impacting your bottom line. You could, for example, be hiring staff to cover work that can be automated, simply because you are unaware that solutions already exist or can be developed.
Below is a tool that maps your order workflow. It’s designed around the pain points small and medium businesses run into most, and shows the areas that could be automated or integrated into your current workflow to improve efficiency.
Start here
What kinds of orders do you take?
Pick everything that applies. Each one gets its own route through your workflow.
Your workflow today
- New order placed
- Pick your order types to start
Real Results. Local Businesses.
Ecommerce brands we've helped grow through connected SEO, PPC, development, and automation.
Company
From Liverpool Supplier to One of the UK's Leading Workwear Brands
How we grew Work Uniform Company's monthly revenue by 900%, fully automated their order processing through supplier APIs, and took them to the top of Google for competitive terms like "work shirts" and "womens work trousers" on the Shopify platform.
Direct
Scaling Organic Traffic for Liverpool's Largest Bed Retailer
How we helped Bed Factory Direct, a Liverpool-based bed manufacturer and retailer with over 37 years in business, increase organic visibility and drive ecommerce revenue through a connected SEO and development strategy.
Driving Ecommerce Revenue for Liverpool's Iconic Home Store
How we helped Taskers, an established Liverpool home and furniture retailer with over 60 years of history grow their online revenue through an integrated approach spanning SEO, development, and ecommerce optimisation.
Order processing in omni-channel environments
If we think of a typical business, 30 years ago they may have only sold products in their local shop. Then 20 years ago they started selling online in addition to the shop. Then 10 years ago they started selling on Amazon, then five years ago they started selling on Facebook, and today they are selling on TikTok and Instagram.
The opposite can also be true. You may start selling on TikTok or Instagram, then open a website or a shop on the high street as your business grows.
This modern omnichannel approach needs systems in place that can scale when you add a market. They also need to be integrated, not operating as separate silos that each require their own staff and admin.
You don’t want to run five separate businesses within your business. Information needs to be consolidated and processes put in place to handle your orders, no matter where they come from, be it a B2B customer using a web portal or a customer who has placed an order via an app.
Order automation on Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce
Different eCommerce platforms have different capabilities out of the box. While there are a multitude of apps and add-ons you can install on your website to help improve your order workflow, custom development is often necessary.
It’s not recommended to load your store up with too many apps or plugins. They can bloat your website, conflict with each other, and need to be kept up to date and patched against the latest security issues.
For a lot of stores, the right answer is a mix. Use what your platform does well out of the box, add a small number of trusted apps where they genuinely save time, and build custom only for the parts that are specific to how your business runs. Whichever platform you’re on, the goal is the same: orders coming in and flowing out without anyone re-typing, copying or chasing them.
Shopify
Shopify's built-in automation rules and its app store cover a lot of the everyday wins, like tagging orders, sending updates and creating shipping labels. When your store needs to talk to other systems, like an ERP, a warehouse or a trade ordering system, we build a private app that runs on its own server and connects them.
Automation rules and private appsMagento / Adobe Commerce
With Magento you own the code and the server, so automation can be built straight into the store as custom modules. It's the most flexible of the three, and it can handle complex catalogues, B2B pricing and multiple warehouses. That flexibility needs looking after, so we keep updates and performance in check as part of the work.
Custom modulesWooCommerce
WooCommerce runs on WordPress, so plugins cover the basics and custom code can hook straight into how orders are handled. Heavy automation can slow a site down on standard hosting, so for bigger jobs we often move that work onto a separate server and keep your store fast.
Plugins and custom codeSelling across several platforms
If you sell through more than one platform, or need several systems to share information, the cleanest setup is one integration service sitting in the middle on its own server. Every channel feeds into it and everything flows out from it, so you're running one business, not five.
One integration hub
Questions About Order Workflows
Common questions about mapping and automating your order processing.
It's every step an order goes through from the moment it's placed to the moment it's delivered, paid for and in your accounts. That includes checks, payment, picking and packing, shipping, tracking, stock updates and returns. Mapping it out shows where your team is doing work a system could do for them.
It depends on how many systems you use and how much needs connecting. Some fixes are free settings in your platform, some are an off-the-shelf app, and some need a custom integration. We map your workflow first, then quote a fixed price for the parts you want us to build.
Usually not. Most of the time the problem isn't the systems themselves, it's that they don't talk to each other. We connect what you already have, like your store, warehouse, accounts software and marketplaces, so information moves between them without anyone re-typing it.
Yes. Most ERPs, warehouse systems and fulfilment companies have an API we can build against. If they only accept CSV or FTP files, that can still be automated on a schedule, so orders go out and tracking comes back without anyone touching it.
Yes, and it's often where the biggest savings are. Trade orders can come in through a portal or straight from your customer's system, with credit limits checked, PO numbers captured and invoices raised automatically.
Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, WordPress and Webflow, plus custom and headless builds. We've worked on ecommerce back ends since 2013, so we're used to connecting platforms to the systems behind them.
Quick wins like automation rules and app set-ups can often be done in days. Custom integrations take longer depending on the systems involved. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we've seen your workflow.
Often, yes. Even a few minutes saved per order adds up over a year, and automation cuts mistakes like wrong items, missed orders and overselling. Use the tool above to see roughly what your manual steps are costing you.
They're estimates based on typical times for each step, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote. Put in your own order volume, staff cost and channel split for a closer figure. When we map your workflow properly, we measure it against how your business really runs.
Put your name in the book.
Tell us which parts aren't working. We'll reply within 24 hours, no hard sell.