Order Lifecycle Overview

Learn more about orders in this course.

Order Lifecycle Stages

An order in Pipe17 can move through the following statuses:

1. Draft - An incomplete order that requires additional data before processing

2. New - The initial status for most orders when first created in Pipe17

3. On Hold - Order is temporarily paused (default is 10 minutes) before further processing

4. To Be Validated - Order requires validation before proceeding further in the workflow

5. Review Required - Order needs manual review before proceeding

6. Ready For Fulfillment - Order is ready to be processed by the Order Routing Engine

7. Sent To Fulfillment - Order has been routed and sent to a fulfillment provider

8. Partially Fulfillment - Some items in the order have been fulfilled, but not all

9. Fulfilled - All items in the order have been fulfilled and shipped

Statuses reserved for future use:

1. In Transit - Order is currently being shipped to the customer

2. Partially Received - Some items have been received by the customer

3. Received - All items have been received by the customer

4. Returned - Items from the order have been returned by the customer

5. Refunded - Payment has been refunded to the customer

6. Canceled - Order has been canceled and will not be processed further

7. Archived - Order has been archived (similar to canceled but hidden from default views)

8. Closed - Order has completed its lifecycle and all processing

Refer to the Order Object Model API for current definitions.

Typical Order Flow in Pipe17

Here's how an order typically flows through the app:

1. Order Creation

   • Orders originate from sales channels like Shopify, Amazon, BigCommerce, or TikTok

   • Pipe17 pulls these orders using channel-specific integrations

   • New orders are typically assigned the New status

2. Order Curation (via Automation Engine)

   • By default, new orders are placed On Hold for 10 minutes

   • During this time, the Automation Engine can:

     • Validate order data (address, line items, quantities)

     • Add or adjust missing data needed for fulfillment

     • Hold orders for a remorse period

     • Flag orders for manual review

     • Cancel orders if necessary

3. Order Routing

   • Once an order reaches Ready For Fulfillment status, the Order Routing Engine (ORE) processes it

   • ORE applies user-defined routing rules to determine the optimal location for fulfillment

   • Routing decisions can be made at the order or line item level

   • After routing, the order status changes to Sent To Fulfillment

   • Shipping requests are created for the assigned fulfillment locations

4. Fulfillment Processing

   • The shipping request is sent to the appropriate fulfillment provider (3PL, warehouse, etc.)

   • The fulfillment integration continuously monitors for updates from the provider

   • When items are picked, packed, and shipped with tracking information, the integration pulls this data into Pipe17

   • The order status is updated to Partial Fulfillment or Fulfilled depending on completion

5. Delivery and Post-Delivery

   • Once shipped, orders move to In Transit status

   • Upon delivery, they can be marked as Partial Received or Received

   • If items are returned, the order can be marked as Returned

   • If payment is refunded, the order can be marked as Refunded

   • Finally, orders can be Closed when their lifecycle is complete

Most Critical Order Statuses

While all statuses are part of the order lifecycle, these are the most commonly used statuses that most merchants will focus on:

• New - Initial order creation

• Ready For Fulfillment - Order is ready to be routed

• Sent To Fulfillment - Order has been sent to fulfillment provider

• Fulfilled - Order has been shipped

Key Components Affecting Order Flow

Several elements in the order model impact how orders flow through the system:

Line Item–Level Fields:

• requiresShipping: Marks whether an item requires fulfillment.

• trackedAtSourceChannel: Controls whether tracking should be sent to the sales channel.

Order Updates and Cancellations

• Pipe17 pulls changes from the sales channel until certain order statuses are reached.

• Once an order is routed and sent for fulfillment, changes to line items or shipping addresses are ignored.

• Canceled orders remain visible in the order list, while archived orders are hidden by default.

• The app stops pulling all changes once an order is archived.

Special Order Scenarios

Pre-Routed Orders

• Fulfillment location can be set by the source channel.

• If locationId is present and ORE is configured accordingly, routing respects this assignment.

Digital or Non-Shipped Items

• Line items with requiresShipping = false are excluded from routing.

• Useful for digital goods, warranties, services, and externally fulfilled items.

Shipping Labels Required

• If requiresShippingLabels = true, Shipping Request is held until label is added.

• The label must be attached to the request before fulfillment proceeds.

Source Tracking Not Required

• If the sales channel already has tracking (e.g., created its own label), set trackedAtSourceChannel = true.

• Prevents redundant or conflicting updates to the channel.

Need Help?

If you need additional assistance:

• Use Ask Pippen, our AI agent, located at the top of the app page.

• Submit a support request with as much relevant detail as possible. Learn how to submit a request.

• For urgent issues, email us directly at support@pipe17.com.

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