How to buy on Shopify

Optimal order management is an essential element of your e-commerce business. To increase sales and customer satisfaction, you need to have complete control over the entire order process, from receipt of an order to shipping, processing and returns.

Placing an order begins after a customer has searched for information and consulted one or more of the product sheets in your catalog. The initial step in the process is for the buyer to add items to their shopping cart. Once the shopping cart has been finalized, the next step is payment. This is where the actual ordering takes place.

Your customer selects their online payment method from among those available on your Shopify online store: credit cards, e-wallets, bank transfer, etc. During the purchasing process, the buyer will be asked to provide certain personal information, as well as shipping information. Once payment has been validated, you, as the seller, will receive an order notification. To avoid unpleasant surprises, use only secure 100 % payment methods. As soon as your order has been processed, you'll be able to consult your stock, check the shipping address and complete all payment details.

Buying on Shopify automatically generates an invoice detailing the transaction. The next step is for you to prepare the order. This involves not only researching, but also packing and assembling the purchased items, and precedes the shipping phase. You should be aware that there are inventory management software packages available that can be used in conjunction with your CMS, enabling you to monitor in real time the number of items you have in your warehouse, so that you can better anticipate supply needs.

Shipping and delivery refers to the physical transport of goods from your warehouse to the delivery address provided by your customer. To avoid any difficulties at this stage, make sure you set up a transparent and clearly explained shipping policy on your online store. To ensure that each and every one of your deliveries is a success at every level, make sure you take every aspect of the process into account: carrier selection, package tracking, logistics coordination, etc.

In addition to the delivery of items purchased on your Shopify e-commerce site, another essential aspect of order management concerns possible returns. The reasons for returns are varied: problems with the order, defects, the customer's personal decision and so on. Whatever the reason, you need to provide your customers with one or more return methods that make it easy for them to send back their items. By way of illustration, don't hesitate to provide prepaid return labels in your packages, or make downloadable labels available on your site that can be easily printed. Your Shopify online store should include full details of the refund policy you are implementing. Your returns management must be as efficient as your order dispatch management. To this end, good communication with the customer is essential, including sending an e-mail or notification when the package is received or when the refund has been processed. This process can be fully automated using order management software.

Last but not least, for optimal order management, your customer service team must be able to intervene at any stage of the purchasing process. Thanks to this support, your customers will have all their questions answered, and will be more inclined to buy from your online store again in the future.