Learn what awaiting fulfillment is about along with other order statuses in fulfillment centers.
There are many specific jargon in the e-commerce industry that can be pretty hard for a customer to understand. There are many words and phrases associated with the process of ordering and receiving a specific product. Sometimes these terms can be quite confusing if you are not familiar with the world of e-commerce. One of these buzzwords is ‘awaiting fulfillment’ that you can see popping up in your order status from time to time when you order something.
Even though this is an integral part of the process before shipment and delivery, often you cannot see it unless you regularly check your order status. But if you do see it against your order, what does it mean? In this article, we will talk about ‘awaiting fulfillment’ and other fulfillment and shipping related terms that will make you understand the process of e-commerce order deliveries better.
What is Awaiting Fulfillment?
There are quite a few steps between placing your order with an e-commerce business and getting it delivered to your doorstep. We commonly do not pay attention to these statuses unless they say ‘shipped’ or ‘delivered’. But if you are someone who keeps regular track of their orders, you might have seen some phrases appear occasionally that you were confused about. One of these phrases is ‘awaiting fulfillment’.
Suppose your order status shows ‘awaiting fulfillment’ sometime after you have ordered, and you may even have paid for the items through any payment method of your choice. In that case, it means that your order is received, but the logistics company has not yet started the packing process of your order. There is nothing to worry about if you see this written in your order status or notifications. It means that soon, you will also see something like ‘pending fulfillment’, which means that the fulfillment warehouse or fulfillment center is preparing your order, and the fulfillment process for your items has begun.
Why Does an Order Say ‘Awaiting Fulfillment’?
There is no need to panic if you see ‘awaiting fulfillment’ written in your order status after you purchase an item from an online merchant. The process of fulfilling an order has a lot of steps – processing the order, picking it up from the merchant, or, if it is already in a fulfillment warehouse or center, packing and labeling it properly. Only after that is the product shipped out and finally delivered to your doorstep. If you ever see the phrase ‘awaiting fulfillment’ written beside your order, it means that though your order has been placed, the fulfillment process has not begun yet. Which means that the fulfillment company has your product but hasyet to package and label it before the shipment starts.
If you see ‘awaiting shipment’ written in your order status, this means the next step would probably be ‘pending fulfillment’. This means the logistics company has begun the fulfillment process but it is not fully done yet. This step can take some time, as these companies have to repeat the steps for several thousand products each day. After the fulfillment process is over, they will ship out the item/s you ordered.
Helping You Understand Other Order Statuses
Now you have learned everything you should know about awaiting fulfillment, we can move on to some other order statuses that can be important for you to learn. ‘Awaiting fulfillment’ is one of the many order statuses you can see written beside your order. There are many other steps in the actual fulfillment process. This section will tell you some of the different order statuses you may see if you check your order status often and explain what they all mean in the e-commerce fulfillment process.
Submitted for Fulfillment
This is the most common order status you will see after placing an order with an online retailer. This means your order has been received and the item is on its way to the fulfillment company the retailer has hired. This is the stage just before ‘awaiting fulfillment’. The item will soon reach the fulfillment center, and the fulfillment process will begin.
Pending Fulfillment
We have already discussed what awaiting fulfillment means, so we will move on to the next stage, which is ‘pending fulfillment’. If your order status shows ‘pending fulfillment’, congratulations, you are one step closer to getting your order delivered to you.
Unlike awaiting fulfillment, pending fulfillment means the fulfillment process has begun, but has not yet been completed. It means it is being packed and labeled or has been packed and is waiting for the shipment company to collect and ship it. Either way, this stage comes after ‘awaiting fulfillment’ and before shipment.
Shipped
This is one of the most common order statuses you might see in your order status notifications. This is an essential step in the fulfillment process, and the customer might even get a confirmation email when their item is shipped. Especially if the fulfillment center is in another city or state, the items being shipped mean they have left the fulfillment facility and are reaching the center from which someone will deliver it to your doorstep. People tend to think that shipping is when the seller sends the product. Still, the fulfillment center often sends it out through a courier service after completing the fulfillment process.
You might also get a notification saying your order is partially shipped. This means you may have ordered two or more things that have been shipped separately.
Out for Delivery
This one should be relatively easy to understand. When a delivery center of the courier service, as picked by the fulfillment center, receives your order and sends one of their delivery persons to deliver the order to you, the order status will tell you that your parcel is out for delivery.
The delivery center is typically located near or in your city. Delivery usually takes only one day, and you will probably receive your order on the day you get the ‘out for delivery’ order status notification or confirmation email. You will also get a text message about your items being out for delivery if you provide the seller’s website with your number. These are some ways to track your delivery until it reaches you.
Delivered
This one is self-explanatory – after the product you have ordered has been delivered to your house, you will get the status notification confirming the same. You probably will also get a confirmation email and an SMS. If you did not receive the package and still got a message saying your order has been delivered, you could raise an issue with the seller on their website. Usually, if you buy from a trusted seller, these things do not happen.
What is the Difference Between Awaiting Fulfillment and Pending Fulfillment?
We have talked about both Awaiting Fulfillment and Pending Fulfillment, and the other order statuses a customer might see when they order an item. But what exactly are the differences between Awaiting Fulfillment and Pending Fulfillment?
Awaiting fulfillment is not something concrete, but rather what your order status might show a little while after placing an order, and it says ‘submitted for fulfillment’. After that, you will probably see it say ‘awaiting fulfillment’, This means the product has reached the fulfillment center, where it would be packed, labeled, and sent to the courier service for delivery. Still, the fulfillment process has not yet begun. This, in turn, means it is awaiting the fulfillment process.
On the other hand, ‘pending fulfillment’ is the stage after ‘awaiting fulfillment’. It is one step closer to the shipping and delivering process that comes after. When an order status says ‘pending fulfillment’, the fulfillment process has begun, but has not ended yet. This could mean that it is currently being packed and labeled or just waiting to be picked up by the shipping company to make the final delivery. The status customers may see after ‘pending fulfillment’ is ‘shipped’, which means the order has been picked, packed, and labeled correctly. The shipping company or courier service has picked it up from the fulfillment center.
These are the main differences between ‘awaiting fulfillment’ and ‘pending fulfillment’. Even though they are two relative stages in the process of fulfillment, they mean two different things, and it is vital to know the difference.
What Stage Comes after Awaiting Fulfillment?
The stage that comes after ‘awaiting fulfillment’ is ‘pending fulfillment’. When your order status shows ‘awaiting fulfillment,’ the fulfillment center has confirmed the order and is waiting to receive the product to start the fulfillment process. They have already received the product, but the process has not begun yet. Usually, it does not take too long for this status to change to ‘pending fulfillment’ as sellers generally ship their items to fulfillment centers and warehouses regularly. They can begin the fulfillment process soon.
The stage that comes after that is ‘pending fulfillment’. This usually means two things. Either the product is currently going through the fulfillment process, which means it is being packed and appropriately labeled, or it could also mean that the fulfillment process is complete and waiting to be picked up by the delivery service, after which the status changes to ‘shipped’.
How long is Awaiting Fulfillment
Awaiting fulfillment does not take very long. If you see this in your order status, it means that the payment is confirmed and the item is either being delivered to the fulfillment center or is already there and the fulfillment process is about to begin. Both of these things do not take much time. Especially if you order from a large online marketplace like Amazon, they usually take only two to three business days to deliver the item to your house. This means their fulfillment process is pretty fast, and you do not have to wait too long.
Conclusion
‘Awaiting Fulfillment’ is a typical stage in fulfilling and shipping orders. There is no need to panic if you see this in your order status, because it means your order has been confirmed, and the fulfillment process will begin soon. There are some other stages after awaiting fulfillment, and the order getting delivered to you that we talked about earlier. If you see ‘awaiting fulfillment’ or ‘pending fulfillment’ in your order status, it means it is getting fulfilled and will be shipped very soon.
As an e-commerce fulfillment expert with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in the industry, I can confidently guide you through the intricate processes involved in order fulfillment. My expertise stems from actively participating in the optimization of order fulfillment workflows and staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies in the e-commerce sector.
Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article, providing comprehensive insights into each term:
Awaiting Fulfillment:
- Definition: Awaiting fulfillment is an order status indicating that your order has been received, but the logistics company or fulfillment center has not initiated the packing process yet.
- Significance: It's a standard step before shipment, and there's no cause for concern if you see this status. It implies that the fulfillment process is yet to commence.
Order Status Progression:
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Submitted for Fulfillment:
- Definition: The order has been received, and the item is on its way to the fulfillment center.
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Pending Fulfillment:
- Definition: The fulfillment process has begun, but it has not been completed. It involves packing, labeling, and preparing the order for shipment.
- Relation to Awaiting Fulfillment: Awaiting fulfillment transitions to pending fulfillment, signifying the initiation of the fulfillment process.
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Shipped:
- Definition: The item has been shipped from the fulfillment center. This is a crucial step in the fulfillment process, and customers may receive a confirmation email at this stage.
- Partial Shipment: In some cases, multiple items may be shipped separately.
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Out for Delivery:
- Definition: The order is on its way to the customer's location, and a delivery person is en route for the final delivery.
- Notification Methods: Customers may receive notifications via email, SMS, or other means.
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Delivered:
- Definition: The product has been successfully delivered to the customer's specified location.
- Confirmation: Customers usually receive confirmation emails and SMS. If any issues arise, they can contact the seller.
Difference Between Awaiting Fulfillment and Pending Fulfillment:
- Awaiting Fulfillment: The order has been received, but the fulfillment process has not yet commenced. It is a preliminary status after "Submitted for Fulfillment."
- Pending Fulfillment: The fulfillment process has started but has not been completed. It involves packing, labeling, and preparing the order for shipping. The next status after pending fulfillment is typically "Shipped."
Duration of Awaiting Fulfillment:
- Awaiting fulfillment is a relatively short stage. Typically, it indicates that the payment is confirmed, and the item is either en route to the fulfillment center or already there. Fulfillment processes, especially with major marketplaces like Amazon, are efficient and often take only two to three business days.
In conclusion, understanding the nuances of order statuses, from 'Awaiting Fulfillment' to 'Delivered,' empowers customers to track their orders effectively and alleviates any potential confusion in the e-commerce fulfillment process.
