Ecommerce order processing flow

[commadus]

How do you organise your order processing flow?

I was expecting that the platform takes payment and creates and invoice. These invoices can be bulk printed at once so I can pick the orders, put them in the parcels, stick the address labels and then add the postage.

Do people use a4 invoices with a sticky address label or do you print the address labels separately?

Do I need to invest in a label printer?

I want to automate the process as much as possible.

 

[fisicx]

It all depends on what platform you are using. The sort of functionality you want may be built in or you may need to pay extra.

The sort of printer you buy depends of what you want to print. There is no one answer, every business will be different.

 

[finleydesign]

A lot of the solution we do, the email is the invoice, but we offer picking notes and despatch docs

A number us the despatch note and use those document enclosed wallets, works well

 

[Mr D]

We use royal mail click and drop so the royal mail site produces the labels, we just print them onto label paper, peel off address part and stick packing slip inside packaging.

 

[Solly]

Royal Mail use thermal label paper which they provide without cost which is a good cost saving. We use DespatchCloud.com and can print the pick note as well as the address label onto the same thermal label paper (so no ink costs). Well that is the way we used to do it until we used the App for picking

 

[Mr D]

If you can get the printer using the thermal paper to work....

 

[commadus]

If you can get the printer using the thermal paper to work....

I have a laser inkjet printer. Would I need to buy a thermal printer then to use printer labels?

 

[alan1302]

I have a laser inkjet printer. Would I need to buy a thermal printer then to use printer labels?

Depends on the labels - thermal labels need a thermal printer - most other labels are fine on a laser

 

[Mr D]

I have a laser inkjet printer. Would I need to buy a thermal printer then to use printer labels?

Not for A4 labels. Thought laser were toner, not inkjet?

For thermal paper labels on a roll you would need a separate printer.

 

[commadus]

https://www.labelszoo.com/gb/product-category/integrated-labels/

I think that might work for me initially I don't expect many orders. So might have to take the manual approach.

 

[19ninety]

I use a thermal printer for address labels (I batch print a roll of return address labels).
Address on the front, return address label on the back or side.
Done.

It's 2020 - I don't print invoices and put them in with the order, the customer can download a .pdf copy from the website if they really need it, seems pointless to waste paper and ink printing something which will end up going in landfill.
Only exception is if it's a bigger order where I'll tick off a packing list, so I don't miss something but also as a bit of customer reassurance. I feel if I don't put a packing list in for those orders, it perhaps inviting the "this was missing from my order" email.

 

[Solly]

Did a quick calculation and we save a lot by using thermal label labels.

 

[commadus]

I use a thermal printer for address labels (I batch print a roll of return address labels).
Address on the front, return address label on the back or side.
Done.

It's 2020 - I don't print invoices and put them in with the order, the customer can download a .pdf copy from the website if they really need it, seems pointless to waste paper and ink printing something which will end up going in landfill.
Only exception is if it's a bigger order where I'll tick off a packing list, so I don't miss something but also as a bit of customer reassurance. I feel if I don't put a packing list in for those orders, it perhaps inviting the "this was missing from my order" email.

Can you tell me what printer you use? Is a thermal printer cheaper than a laser or inkjet?

I do like the idea of having a pdf emailed invoice - is that legal?

 

[commadus]

Did a quick calculation and we save a lot by using thermal label labels.

When compared to a laser printer?

 

[Mr D]

Can you tell me what printer you use? Is a thermal printer cheaper than a laser or inkjet?

I do like the idea of having a pdf emailed invoice - is that legal?

Last time I purchased a thermal printer it was 150. That was 6 years ago.
Last laser printer I purchased was 133. So tiny difference in them.

Big difference is firstly making the printer work then secondly running cost. Cost of the printer can be the least important aspect.

Probably 90 percent of the B2B transactions my company has done when purchasing has been emailed invoice. Paper is so 17th century.

 

[19ninety]

Can you tell me what printer you use? Is a thermal printer cheaper than a laser or inkjet?

I do like the idea of having a pdf emailed invoice - is that legal?

I use a Zebra QLn320 - probably best described as an enterprise level solution, kinda thing that is used in supermarket warehousing, etc. It is a great bit of kit, but completely none user friendly, but it isn't designed to be, it's a tool designed to be setup and configured by a specialist for a job. It took me chuffing ages to get it working and lacks any of the usability features found in a consumer level printer. Avoid unless you like a challenge!!

My ecommerce platform emails a order confirmation once the order is placed which contains all the same information as the .pdf invoice which they can download from their user account. I'm not sure of the exact legal stance, but as I'm aware they customer need to receive or be able to access a copy of they're invoice. Can anyone else clarify for us?

 

[Scalloway]

I do like the idea of having a pdf emailed invoice - is that legal?

Yes. In fact many accounting software packages offer it as standard.

 

[Solly]

Paper invoices are a squalid nuisance.

 

[Pish_Pash]

Tip...if you send smaller items, reduce your invoice size down to A5 - one less fold (i.e.just one fold to fold it in half....vs having to do two folds into a Quarter when using A4)...also A4 weighs twice as much as A5 (which counts if you are in the 90g region for your item...an A4 invoice can take you over the 100g & into the next Royal Mail price band (quite a leap) .

A5 is also cheaper if bought in bulk, half the storage space...win win.

FWIW I enclose an invoice with the order (customers always like to get one & it sumps my time replying to emails about "no invoices enclosed"), but my own system also automatically emails an invoice out to the customer

In the OP's shoes, I'd just bite the bullet now & pony up for a Zebra GK420D thermal printer & a whole heap of 6" x 4" thermal labels (you'll need these when ordering shipping from the main couriers). I actually have 3 Thermal printers, one for my own address labels (100mm x 75mm)) one for the larger courier labels( 6" x 4") & one thermal printer which is solely dedicated to automatically printing off the new version of the Royal Mail CN22 export form (140mm x 75mm) for those orders heading outside the EC.

 

[fisicx]

Paper invoices are a squalid nuisance.

I prefer them. I can put them in the folder and give the whole lot to my accountant. No faffing about downloading and storing email attachments