Orders
Orders holds customer orders before they become invoices: you capture them, get them approved and follow them through packing and dispatch.
Why and when you use it
A distributor takes orders on the phone, from salesmen on the route and from the customer portal, but cannot always deliver the same day. Recording the order first lets the office check stock and credit, get a manager's approval and then pack exactly what was asked for. The office or the salesman creates orders; a manager approves them; the warehouse picks up approved ones in Packing.
Before you start
- Add the customer (Customers)
- Add the products with prices (Inventory)
Step by step
- Open OrdersIn the left sidebar, under Stockivio ERP, open Orders. The list shows Order #, Customer, Date, Expected Delivery, Items and Grand Total.
- Filter by statusUse the status filters to see Draft, Submitted, Approved, Packed, Partially Packed or Dispatched orders. Each morning, look at Submitted and Approved first.
- Start a new orderPress New Order and pick the customer. Set the expected delivery date so the warehouse can plan.
- Add the itemsPress Add Item for each product and enter the quantity. Check the Grand Total before you go on.
- Save as draft if you are not surePress Save Draft when the customer is still deciding or you need to check stock. A draft does not move to packing.
- Submit the orderWhen the order is final, press Submit Order. Its status becomes Submitted and it waits for approval.
- Get it approvedA manager reviews the submitted order, checking stock and the customer's outstanding balance, and approves it. Approved orders appear in Packing under Approved Orders.
- Follow it to dispatchWatch the status change to Packed (or Partially Packed if some items were short) and then Dispatched. Use Order Tracking to answer a customer's 'where is my order?' call.
Worked example
On 12 Nov 2026 Gupta Kirana Store phones Sharma Traders for 50 packs of tea 250 g at ₹118, 30 packs of detergent 1 kg at ₹200 and 5 cartons of glucose biscuits at ₹1,920, for delivery on 13 Nov.
- Open Orders and press New Order; pick Gupta Kirana Store and set Expected Delivery 13 Nov 2026.
- Press Add Item three times: tea 250 g × 50, detergent 1 kg × 30, glucose biscuits carton × 5.
- Check the items total: ₹5,900 + ₹6,000 + ₹9,600 = ₹21,500 before GST.
- Press Submit Order. The order shows as Submitted.
- The owner checks the shop's balance in its Customer Ledger and approves the order.
Result: The order appears as Approved and is waiting in Packing. No stock has moved and no invoice exists yet; those happen later in the flow.
💡 Tips
- Always set Expected Delivery; it is how the warehouse decides what to pack first.
- Check the customer's outstanding before approving a large order.
- Use Save Draft for orders the customer may change, so packing does not start too early.
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Raising an invoice directly for an order that still needs packing. Keep it as an order until it is packed and dispatched, so stock and paperwork stay in step.
- Leaving orders in Submitted for days. Approve or reject them daily so customers are not kept waiting.
- Typing a new order for a change to an old one, which doubles the quantity. Edit the draft or cancel the old order first.
Questions
Does an order reduce stock?
No. Stock goes down when goods are actually sold and billed. An order is a promise to supply.
What does Partially Packed mean?
Some items on the order were packed but not all, usually because stock was short. The rest can follow later.
🎬 Video walkthrough (script — recording coming soon)
- Scene 1: Open Orders and walk through the status filters.
- Scene 2: Press New Order and pick Gupta Kirana Store with delivery on 13 Nov.
- Scene 3: Add three items with Add Item and check the total.
- Scene 4: Press Submit Order and show the Submitted status.
- Scene 5: Approve the order as the manager.
- Scene 6: Show it waiting under Approved Orders in Packing.