Create new orders

In cases where the customer does not have an order in progress, you can create a new order.

Be aware that the workflow for creating a new order is influenced by your environment: single-site or multiple sites.

Complete these steps to create a new order:

1. Complete a customer search. If the customer is new, click the Create New Customer link to create a new customer record.
2. Under Customer Results, in the Cart column, click New. The Order Details page appears.

   In a multiple site environment, the Select Cart link is displayed. Click the link to display a menu from which you can choose to create a new order or select an incomplete order on a particular site.

   If you have a single-site environment, the New or Complete link is displayed. If the customer has an order in progress, the Cart Action is displayed as Complete.

3. In a multiple site environment, when you are creating a new order or updating an incomplete order, a site picker is displayed on the Create Order page. From the menu, you can choose the site to which the order applies.

   The site picker is not displayed for a single-site environment. To use split shipping, select the site in the single shipping mode, and then switch to the split shipping mode when finished.

4. Add items to the cart using SKU, Product Name, and Catalog searches. Once you add an item to the order, in the Order Items section, under the order total, the Schedule Order checkbox appears. For more information, see Schedule an order.

   If you are working in an environment that uses split shipping, perform the actions needed to add items to the cart in single shipping mode, and then switch to split shipping mode.

   Note: A TypeAhead feature may be enabled for your site. TypeAhead is a separate, auto-suggest searchable field ranking list that can return results in a type-ahead format when you or a shopper type in a menu field. For more information, see Manage Search Settings in Using Oracle Commerce.

5. Once the item is added to the cart, to make any changes to the item variant or modify the add-on products, click the product image or name to display the product details page.

   The system supports backorder and preorder items. Add these items as you would any other items. A notice is displayed on the Create Order page to show the backorder and preorder status along with the date by which these items are available. Once the order is placed, the notice changes to show the item has been backordered or preordered. For more information, see Manage inventory in Using Oracle Commerce.

   Some base items may also include add-on items (additional items purchased to enhance or modify the base item for sale, for example, warranties and monogramming). While they do possess their own SKU, description, and attributes, these add-on items cannot be purchased separately and are flagged as not for individual sale in the administration interface. Add-on items appear in the same product detail line as the base item. You can view details and edit add-ons before placing the order. Once the order has been placed, you can review the order details, included together in the product line. You cannot return an add-on item separate from the main product.

   Any regular item can also be an add-on product and can be purchased separately as well as an add-on item to any product as long as it is associated to the main product.

   When using the catalog to add items, click Complete Order next to the Cart icon to return to the Order Details page.

   You cannot search for items with deactivated SKUs.

   You may see items in the catalog that are listed as having no price associated with them (displayed as Price Unavailable). You cannot add such an item to a shopper’s cart. Contact your supervisor for details.

   Note: Products cannot be added to cart from the Checkout page. Only shipping can be selected on this page. Return to the cart to add or remove items from the order.

6. To add multiple quantities of an item, you can do the following:
   • Click Update Quantity to directly add a quantity in the shopping cart.
   • Click Add from Catalog. From the catalog list, click the link to open the product details page. In the quantity field, enter the quantity number for that item, and click Add to Order.
7. For items with variants (for example, size and color), to see the in-stock status of different item variant combinations, click the item link to open the product details page. On the page, a table is displayed showing each SKU variant combination along with how many of each product is in stock.

   For example, for a camera whose variants are color (black, blue, gold, and brown) and resolution (14.1, 22.3, and 30.8 megapixels), the list would show how many black, 14.1 megapixel cameras are currently in stock, as well as all the other combinations offered.

8. If your business uses the Oracle CPQ Configurator integration, and the item you are adding has been identified as a configurable item, you can click the Configure button to open a frame that allows you to choose between the configurable options associated with the product. Once you have selected the configurable options, click the Add to Cart button to add the configured item to the shopper’s order.

   There is a validation check before the order is processed to ensure that the configuration options selected are valid. If they are valid, the order process completes and the order is placed. If they are not valid, an error message is displayed telling you that the configuration is invalid and that the order cannot be placed.

9. If your business uses a system that externally prices items (for example, with shoppers bidding on items), items may already be included in the Order Items section. Notes are provided explaining the quantities covered by the external price. Anything beyond that quantity is priced at list price. For example, up to 5 items may be listed at the external price of $90.00, with each additional item at the list price of $100.00.

   You cannot add an item and give it an external price. However, if the item appears in the shopper’s order with an external price, you can change the quantity to reflect the shopper’s request.

   Important: When dealing with externally-priced items included in the Order Items section, use extreme caution with the Delete Product button located to the right of the quantity field. If you delete a product from the order using external pricing, there is no way to recover the product.

10. For BOGO (Buy One, Get One) promotions—which may include other similar purchasing combinations, for example, buy two, get one free—the free items are not added to the order automatically, but must be added manually by either the shopper or the agent. Refer to your business promotion information to determine which promotions are currently valid for BOGO.
11. If your storefront uses multiple price groups, select the appropriate price group from the menu. Multiple price groups can have same currency.

    Price groups can only be selected during order placing. If your environment is set up for account-based commerce functionality, customers logged in see only the prices of the price list group associated with their contract. The menu option for selecting other price list groups is not displayed.

    When setting up a shipping method, you can specify an associated price group or region. Depending on the configuration, the shipping method may change based on the shipping region and price group of the order. For example, selecting a US shipping address and price group might provide a free shipping method while other addresses and price groups may not. Select the correct address and price group combination to ensure the order totals are correct for the shopper.

    To set up a split shipping method, configure the order with single shipping and then switch to split shipping when finished.

    For account-based commerce buyers, the price group is associated with the contract and addresses are associated with the account. Therefore, you cannot edit either of these. This feature may not be enabled in your environment.

12. A line item called Shipping Surcharge may appear under Order Items in the Order Total section. This extra charge is automatically added to the shipping of some items depending on criteria set by your business, for example, for an oversized item such as a kayak. Shipping surcharges are set up in the Oracle Commerce administration interface.

    If an item with a shipping surcharge is returned, the corresponding shipping surcharge is deducted from the Shipping value under Refund.

    There are discounts that may appear under Order Items. These discounts are set up in the Oracle Commerce administration interface and appear as a separate line item. If there are any discounts set up, and the order data satisfies the criteria, the discounts are automatically applied.

13. Change the quantity of the items to be purchased by highlighting the number in the Quantity field and edit the number. Once you have edited the quantity, click Update.
14. Delete items from the cart by clicking the Delete icon to the right of the Quantity field.

    Clicking the Delete icon immediately removes the item from the cart.

15. If the system has been set up for agent supervisors to complete item price overrides during order creation, a pencil icon appears to the right of the item.
    • Click the pencil icon to display the Price Override dialog.
    • Enter the corrected price in the Subtotal field.
    • Select a reason from the menu.
    • Click Save. The new price appears below the original price.

    Once the order is placed, an information icon on the Order Details page provides details about the person who made the change as well as the reason.

    Note that you can not perform a price override in a split shipping environment. Perform the override in the standard shipping mode and then switch to the split shipping mode when finished.

16. Enter promotion codes, shipping details, payment details, and any notes pertaining to this order.

    Coupons can be set up for use on an unlimited, limited, or one-time basis, and a single coupon code can apply multiple promotions to the order. Coupon codes are entered under the Promotion Summary section when creating an order. If a one-time or limited-use coupon is used beyond its limits, a notice appears explaining the code has already been used. For more information, see Understand coupons and gifts.

    If your storefront uses multiple currencies, promotions can be associated with a price group as well. The details are shown in the Promotion Summary section, except when the applied coupon is not configured for the selected price group. Messages are shown only when the applied coupon is valid for the order.

    If the order results in a zero order total, see Understand zero payment orders.

17. For information on shipping items, see Understand shipping.

    For account-based commerce buyers, you cannot edit the shipping or billing address information as it is set for the account associated with the shopper. If you click the Edit button and modify the displayed address, the changes are saved as a new address. Note that the new address will not be displayed on the customer's profile page until the new order has been placed.

    If no shipping method has been specified or if the shipping address is incomplete, an icon appears next to the order values to inform you the values are inaccurate. Once the correct shipping details are added, the order values are re-calculated and the icon is removed.

    Note: The shipping address cannot be edited on the Create Order page, Address Book. To update an address, go to the Customer Profile page, Address Book tab.

18. For orders sent to a single address, Under Payment Details, if the billing address is the same as the shipping address, select the checkbox. No other details are necessary. If the billing address is different, clear the checkbox, and manually enter the shopper’s name, country, address, and contact phone number.

    Note: The shipping address cannot be edited on the Create Order page > Address Book. To update an address, go to the Customer Profile page > Address Book tab.

    For orders sent to multiple addresses, use the Billing Address menu to select the appropriate address.

    For more information, see Understand shipping.

    For account-based commerce buyers, you can only choose from the shipping and billing addresses listed as they are set for the account associated with the shopper.

19. For order payment, under Payment Details, switch to either single or multiple payments depending on the shopper’s preference. For more information, see Understand single and multiple payments.
20. Click Credit/Debit Card option, or, if enabled, the Gift Card, Cash (also known as Deferred Payment) or store credit option. Your business may also allow the use of invoices (purchase orders) as a payment option. If the shopper has selected multiple payments, add additional credit/debit cards.

    Note: Gift cards only appear as an option if they are enabled as a payment option in Oracle Commerce administration interface.

    • For the credit/debit card option, on the right side of the Payment Details section, enter the card information in the appropriate fields.

    Only one credit/debit card can be used per order unless the shopper has chosen to use the multiple payments option. For more information, see Understand single and multiple payments.

    • For the gift card option, on the left side of the Payment Details section, enter the gift card number and pin in the Gift Card Payment fields.

    You can use multiple gift cards per order even in the single payment mode.

    • For the invoice option, enter the invoice/purchase order number in the field. This feature may not be enabled in your environment.
    • For the store credit option, the shopper’s store credit balance and store credit number field are displayed. This option is not available for account-based commerce accounts.

    While the system does allow for PayPal to be used as a payment option, because PayPal requires a user ID and password, agents are not able to use PayPal as an option for order payment when helping a shopper. For more information, see Configure the PayPal integration in Using Oracle Commerce.

    Credit card and gift card information is not stored in the system. Only tokenized transaction references given by the payment gateways are stored. Card information cannot be edited once the order has been placed.

    Only one credit card can be used for payment during payment processing. Because of this, the order may eventually end up associated with multiple credit cards if there are multiple amendments to the order.

    The Cash (Deferred Payment) option only appears if your system is set up to accept cash payments. The Cash option can be configured to appear for specific countries. For valid shipping countries, once the order is successfully placed, it is sent to the fulfillment system after any applicable remorse period.

    Cash orders can only be amended and any increase in the total cost of the order must be paid for using cash.

21. If necessary, click New Note to add a customer note. This may include, for example, special delivery instructions.
22. Once all item and customer information has been added to the order, click Place Order.

    At this point, the order can either immediately be submitted for fulfillment or, if your business uses a remorse / order hold period, placed on hold in cases where the customer wants to make changes to the order before it is sent on to be fulfilled.

23. For orders placed by account-based commerce buyers, if the order total exceeds the buyer’s account level purchase limit, an Approval Required dialog appears. The buyer should be informed of the need for approval.

    Agents cannot approve orders that require approval. This action must be done by approvers with an active status on the account. For more information, see Understand Accounts.

Once you click Place Order, the order data is immediately saved or persists in the system to avoid situations where order data is lost when a third-party application (for example, a credit card system) is for some reason unavailable and the order fails. This functionality eliminates the need to re-do a failed order.