Order fulfillment process flowchart and checklist
A fulfillment process for small webshops and warehouses, from a new order to a delivered parcel: order and payment checks, stock, picking, packing, labelling, shipping and keeping the customer informed.
Process flowchart
Step-by-step procedure
What you need
- Webshop or order management system
- Pick lists or a barcode scanner
- Boxes and mailers in several sizes
- Void fill and tape
- Shipping label printer
- Carrier account and pickup schedule
- 1
Review new orders Order admin
Open new orders at fixed times each day, for example in the morning and early afternoon, so they go out in batches before the carrier pickup. Check that each delivery address is complete, read any notes from the customer and confirm the shipping method they chose.
Is the payment confirmed and the order genuine? Order admin
- 2
Hold the order and contact the customer Order admin only if needed
Keep unpaid or suspicious orders on hold. Signs worth a second look include a delivery address far from the billing address, unusually large quantities of one item or several failed payment attempts. Contact the customer or wait for your payment provider's decision, and cancel and refund when an order cannot be confirmed.
Are all items in stock? Order admin
- 3
Offer the customer a choice Order admin only if needed
If an item is out of stock, tell the customer the same day and offer the options your shop allows: wait for the item, ship the rest now, swap it for a similar product or cancel that item with a refund. Update the order with their choice and correct the stock count in the system.
- 4
Pick the items Picker
Print or open the pick list sorted by location so you walk the stockroom once. Take each item from its location, check the product code, size and colour against the list, and scan it if you use a scanner. Put the items for each order in their own tray or tote.
- 5
Check and pack the order Packer
Compare the items in the tray with the order once more before packing. Choose the smallest box or mailer that protects the products, fill empty space so nothing moves, and add the packing slip or return information your shop includes. Seal the parcel firmly.
- 6
Weigh, label and mark as shipped Packer
Weigh the parcel, create the shipping label for the chosen service in your shipping tool and stick it flat on the largest side. Add customs documents to international parcels. Mark the order as shipped so the customer receives the tracking link.
- 7
Hand over to the carrier Packer
Put parcels in the pickup area sorted by carrier. At pickup, count the parcels with the driver and get a scan or a signed manifest as proof of handover. Keep that proof by date: it is what you need if a parcel goes missing.
- 8
Follow up on delivery problems Order admin
Check the tracking status of shipped orders every day. Contact the carrier and the customer about parcels that are delayed, returned or marked as delivered but not received, and decide on a resend or refund according to your shop policy. Note recurring problems per carrier.
Checklist
About this procedure
For a small webshop, fulfillment is where promises to customers turn into parcels. Most complaints come from a few predictable failures: the wrong size picked, an item that turns out to be out of stock after payment, a parcel without tracking, or nobody noticing that a delivery got stuck. A fixed process catches these before the customer does.
This flowchart runs from a new order to delivery. Two checks come first because they are cheapest to fix early: is the payment confirmed and the order genuine, and is everything in stock. Picking, packing, labelling and the handover to the carrier follow, with a daily look at delivery problems at the end.
Tips and common mistakes
Batch orders around the pickup time
Processing orders in fixed batches is faster than handling each one as it arrives. Plan the last batch so packed parcels are ready well before the carrier comes, and show a realistic order cutoff time in your shop.
Check twice, at picking and packing
Most wrong-item complaints are caught by a second look. The picker checks the product code against the pick list and the packer compares the tray with the order before sealing. A scanner makes both checks faster but is not essential.
Keep the proof of handover
When a parcel disappears, the carrier's scan or a signed manifest shows when it left your hands. Store them per day so you can find them quickly when a customer or the carrier asks about a missing parcel.
Fix stock counts at the source
An out-of-stock surprise after payment usually means the stock in the system was wrong. Every time a picker finds a location empty or short, correct the stock and look for the cause, such as a missed return or a damaged item.
How to adapt this template
- Set the batch times and order cutoff around your own carrier pickup times.
- Replace the payment and fraud check with the rules your payment provider and shop platform already apply.
- Add steps for gift wrapping, inserts or personalised products if you offer them.
- Write down your own options for out-of-stock items and delivery problems so everyone offers customers the same choices.
Laws and rules differ per country and region. Where a step depends on them, check what applies to your business before you use the procedure.
Frequently asked questions
What is an order fulfillment process?
It is everything that happens between a customer placing an order and receiving it: checking the order and payment, confirming stock, picking, packing, shipping and handling delivery problems. A flowchart shows the order of the steps and the points where an order can go another way.
How should I handle an order with an item out of stock?
Tell the customer the same day and give them a choice, such as waiting, receiving the rest of the order now, swapping the product or a refund for that item. Then correct the stock count so the shop stops selling something you do not have.
Should a small webshop use a fulfillment service?
It can make sense when packing takes more of your time than growing the shop, or when order volume swings a lot. Compare the cost per order, storage fees and how much control you keep over packaging and inserts with doing it yourself.
How can I reduce packing mistakes?
Use pick lists sorted by location, a tray per order and a second check by the packer before sealing. Barcode scanning helps once you have many similar products. Track every wrong-item complaint so you can see whether mistakes come from picking, packing or the stock data.