Order Status & Workflow

Order statuses help you track where each order is in its journey from creation to fulfillment. OmniOrders uses clear status labels and provides actions to move orders through their workflow.

Quick Tip

Orders automatically move through statuses as they’re processed. You can also manually change statuses to hold, release, or cancel orders when needed.

Why Use Order Statuses?

Order statuses show you exactly where every order stands in the fulfillment process — from Draft through Shipped. Use them to hold orders for review, release them for processing, filter your order list to find specific subsets, and trigger automation rules when a status changes.

Track Progress

See exactly where each order is in its fulfillment process at a glance.

Control Workflow

Hold orders for review, release them for processing, or cancel them as needed.

Filter & Search

Find orders quickly by filtering on specific statuses in the orders view.

Automate Processing

Set up automation rules that trigger actions based on order status changes.

Understanding Order vs Shipment Statuses

Two Status Systems

OmniOrders tracks two separate statuses for each order:

• Order Status - The overall state of the order itself (6 statuses)
• Shipment Status - The fulfillment state of the order’s shipments (14+ statuses)

When you view an order, you’ll see both its order status and its shipment status working together.

Order Statuses

OmniOrders uses six main order statuses that represent the overall state of the order:

Draft

New orders being created

Orders in draft status are still being built. They can be edited freely and haven’t been submitted for processing yet.

Actions: Edit, Clone, Cancel

Open

Active orders ready for fulfillment

Open orders are active and ready to be processed. They’re waiting to be picked, packed, and shipped.

Actions: View, Hold, Close, Cancel, Verify Address, Send to Location

On Hold

Orders paused for review

Orders on hold are temporarily stopped. They won’t be processed until you release them back to open status.

Actions: Release, Close, Cancel

Closed

Orders completed and fulfilled

Closed orders have been fulfilled successfully. All items have been shipped and the order is complete.

Actions: Re-open, Clone

Error

Orders with processing issues

Orders with error status have a problem that needs attention. Review the error details and fix the issue.

Actions: Re-open, Close, Cancel, Clone

Cancelled

Orders that won’t be fulfilled

Cancelled orders have been stopped and won’t be processed. They’re kept in the system for records.

Actions: Re-open, Clone

Common Shipment Statuses

While orders have 6 statuses, shipments (the actual fulfillment of orders) have their own set of statuses that you’ll see in the system:

Routing

System is determining fulfillment location

The automation rules are running to decide which warehouse or fulfillment location should handle this order.

What it means: Order is being automatically assigned based on your routing rules.

Assigned

Sent to fulfillment location

The order has been assigned to a specific warehouse or 3PL for fulfillment.

What it means: The warehouse knows about this order and will process it.

Backorder

Items out of stock

One or more items in the order are not available in inventory and are on backorder.

What it means: Order is waiting for inventory to be replenished.

Unshipped

Not yet shipped

The order has not been shipped yet. It may be awaiting processing, packing, or pickup.

What it means: Order is in the fulfillment process but hasn’t left the warehouse.

Shipped

In transit to customer

The order has been shipped and is on its way to the customer.

What it means: Order is with the carrier and tracking information is available.

Partially Shipped

Some items shipped

Part of the order has been shipped, but other items are still being processed or are on backorder.

What it means: Customer will receive multiple shipments for this order.

How They Work Together

An order might be Open (order status) while its shipment is Routing (shipment status). Or it could be Closed (order status) with a shipment status of Shipped. The two statuses work together to give you a complete picture of the order’s progress.

Managing Order Status

1. View Order Status

   Go to the Orders view at /orders. Each order shows its current status in the status column of the table.

2. Access Order Actions

   Click the three-dot menu icon (⋮) on any order row to see available actions for that order’s current status.

3. Choose an Action

   Select the action you want to perform. The available options change based on the order’s current status.

Common Status Workflows

Normal Order Flow

1. Draft → Create and build the order
2. Open → Submit for processing
3. Closed → Complete after shipment

Hold & Release

1. Open → Order is active
2. On Hold → Pause for review
3. Open → Release back to processing
4. Closed → Complete normally

Error Recovery

1. Error → Issue detected
2. Fix the problem (address, inventory, etc.)
3. Re-Open → Return to open status
4. Closed → Complete after fixing

Cancellation

1. Any status → Identify order to cancel
2. Cancelled → Stop processing
3. Optional: Re-Open if cancellation was mistake

Visual Workflow

Here is how orders move through the system:

Draft→Open→Closed|↔On Hold↔Error

Cancellation

Orders can be cancelled from most statuses. Cancelled orders are kept for records but won’t be processed.

Status Actions Explained

Re-Open Order

Returns an order to “Open” status so it can be processed again. Use this for:

• Closed orders that need additional shipments
• Cancelled orders that should be fulfilled after all
• Error orders after fixing the issue

Note

Reopened orders return to active processing workflow automatically.

Hold Order

Moves an order to “On Hold” status to pause processing. Use this when you need to:

• Wait for customer clarification
• Verify payment or address information
• Review special handling requirements

Hold Orders Won’t Process

Orders on hold won’t be picked, packed, or shipped until you release them.

Release Order

Moves an order from “On Hold” back to “Open” status. The order returns to normal processing workflow.

Close Order

Marks an order as complete and moves it to “Closed” status. Orders are usually closed automatically after successful fulfillment.

Closing Orders

Transfer orders and orders with certain statuses cannot be manually closed.

Cancel Order

Stops order processing and moves the order to “Cancelled” status. Use this when:

• Customer requests cancellation
• Payment fails or is declined
• Order cannot be fulfilled

Verify with Warehouse

Check with your fulfillment location (warehouse, 3PL, Amazon, etc.) to confirm cancellation status and prevent duplicate shipments.

Verify Address

Validates the shipping address using address verification services. This helps:

• Reduce shipping errors
• Confirm address accuracy
• Update addresses with verified information

Available for: Open orders (not available for draft, closed, on hold, error, or cancelled orders)

Send To Location

Assigns the order to a specific fulfillment location (warehouse) for processing.

Available for: Open orders (not available for draft, closed, on hold, error, or cancelled orders)

Clone Order

Creates a copy of an existing order. Use this to:

• Quickly create similar orders
• Reorder previous orders
• Use an order as a template

Clone Status

Cloned orders are created with “Draft” status, ready for you to review and modify before submitting.

Filtering by Status

1. Open the Status Filter

   In the Orders view, click on the “All Locations” column filter. This opens a modal where you can filter by status.

2. Select Statuses

   In the modal, choose one or more statuses to filter by. The table updates to show only matching orders.

3. Clear Filters

   To clear the filters and see all orders again, click on the “X” icon to remove the status selections.

💡 Best Practices

Review Holds Daily

Check orders on hold each day to prevent delays. Release them as soon as issues are resolved.

Fix Errors Quickly

Address error status orders promptly. They often indicate inventory, address, or configuration issues.

Verify Before Closing

Confirm shipments are complete before manually closing orders. The system usually handles this automatically.

Confirm Cancellations

Always verify with your warehouse that cancelled orders haven’t already shipped to avoid duplicate fulfillment.

Use Automation

Set up automation rules to handle common status changes automatically based on your business logic.

Monitor Status Reports

Use dashboard metrics to track orders by status and identify bottlenecks in your fulfillment process.

Troubleshooting

Why can’t I edit an order?

Only Draft orders can be edited. Once an order moves to Open or any other status, direct editing is locked. Instead:

1. Clone the order to create a draft copy
2. Cancel the original order if needed
3. Edit and submit the cloned order

Why is my order stuck in error status?

Error status means the order has a problem that must be resolved before it can continue processing — typically an address issue, inventory shortage, or configuration mismatch. Fix the underlying issue, then use “Re-Open Order”:

• Address issues - Use “Verify Address” to validate shipping information
• Inventory problems - Check that items are in stock at the fulfillment location
• Configuration errors - Review shipping method, carrier, and warehouse settings

Fix the underlying issue, then use “Re-Open Order” to return it to processing.

How do I release multiple orders at once?

Order status actions currently work on individual orders, but you can use bulk actions from the Orders view to hold or release groups of orders at once, or set up automation rules to handle status changes automatically. For manual bulk changes:

1. Filter orders by status to see all relevant orders
2. Process each order individually using the actions menu
3. Or use automation rules to handle status changes automatically

Can I customize statuses or add new ones?

Order statuses in OmniOrders are fixed system values and cannot be renamed or added to. However, you can:

• Use order tags to add custom labels
• Add notes to track additional information
• Create custom reports filtered by status

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Related Topics:

• Orders Overview - View, filter, and find orders
• Managing Orders - Take action on orders including bulk operations
• Creating Orders - Create new orders manually
• Editing Orders - Modify draft orders