Orders allow you to track and manage purchases imported from your sales channels. Each order progresses through a structured life cycle that ensures smooth processing and fulfillment. This process involves multiple steps, starting with importing the order and ending with shipment synchronization.

Key Areas of an Order

Orders consist of several components that store and display essential information.

• Details: Displays a summary of the order, including customer information and order totals.
• Line Items: Lists the products included in the order along with quantities and prices.
• Fulfillment Requests: Represents the version of the order sent to fulfillment sources for processing.
• Shipments: Tracks shipment updates, including confirmations and tracking numbers received from fulfillment sources.
• Source Invoices: Automatically generates invoices once a shipment is added to the order.
• Timeline: Provides a historical record of all actions taken on the order, including comments and status changes.

Order Life Cycle

Orders follow a defined life cycle to ensure accurate processing. Below is an explanation of each step with examples:

Importing: Orders are imported from your sales channels using integrations, such as a “Get Orders” connection. For example, if you receive an order on Shopify, it is automatically pulled into the system.

Invoicing: Once imported, an invoice is generated based on the order details. For instance, a customer purchasing two items will see these reflected in the invoice, along with calculated totals and taxes.

Routing Orders: Orders are routed to fulfillment sources based on pre-set rules or preferences. You can route orders based on location, stock availability, or shipping costs. For example, an order might be routed to a warehouse closest to the customer to reduce shipping time.

Processing: The system sends a fulfillment request to the selected source, which acknowledges receipt of the order. For example, if an order is sent to a third-party supplier, the supplier confirms the request and begins preparing the shipment.

Shipment Received: Once the source provides tracking information, it is recorded in the system. For instance, the supplier updates the tracking number when the order leaves their warehouse.

Shipment Sync: Shipment and tracking details are sent back to the sales channel. For example, the customer receives an email notification with tracking information after the shipment syncs with the store.

Tracking Progress

You can view all updates and actions related to an order in its Order Timeline. This timeline captures key activities, such as order imports, status updates, shipment tracking, and comments left by team members. It also offers filtering options, allowing you to focus on specific types of data, such as only comments or order activity.

The Timeline also supports comments, enabling team members to add notes for internal tracking. For instance, a note might indicate that an order was delayed or requires follow-up with the supplier.

Example Workflow

1. A customer places an order on your website.
2. The order is imported into the system and an invoice is generated.
3. The order is routed to the supplier with the fastest delivery time.
4. The supplier acknowledges the order, ships the items, and provides tracking information.
5. The tracking information syncs back to the website, notifying the customer.

Order Timeline Overview

The Order Timeline in FLX provides a complete history of your orders, showing every action taken throughout their life cycle. Entries are listed in reverse chronological order, so the most recent updates appear at the top. In addition to tracking activity, the timeline includes a comment feature that allows users to leave notes specific to the order.

Viewing Timeline Details

Each entry in the timeline includes the action performed, the user who performed it, and the date and time of the action. Additional details may also be included in a note section. You can click the Details button to expand an individual entry or use the Expand All button to view all entries at once.

Adding and Managing Comments

Users can add comments directly within the timeline to share notes or updates about the order. Simply type your message into the comment field and press Enter to save it.

If you need to delete a comment, you must be logged in as the user who created it. Locate the comment you want to remove and click the red trash can icon next to it. Comments added by other users cannot be deleted.

Filtering the Timeline

To make it easier to find specific information, the Order Timeline offers filtering options. You can choose to view:

• All entries, including both activity and comments.
• Order Activity only, which excludes comments.
• Comments only, which hides order activity.

Simply select the filter you want to apply, and the timeline will adjust accordingly.

This timeline gives you full visibility into order progress and provides a space for communication, making it easier to track and manage orders efficiently.