The order journey and the emails you'll receive
The whole process from enquiry to delivery, the email that arrives at each step, and what each one asks of you.
This is the whole process, start to finish, with the email that arrives at each step. The emails and approval pages carry your supplier's branding, and approval links need no login, so you can forward them to whoever should decide.
#Who's involved
There are often three parties in a job:
- Your supplier designs the artwork, has the garments made and ships them.
- You hold the account, raise the purchase order and own the decision on whether a job goes ahead.
- Your own customer (sometimes) — the club, school or team who'll wear the garments. They may approve the look or enter their own sizes and quantities.
Your own customer can approve a design and enter quantities, but they can't commit your money. Anything with a commercial consequence stops with you. That's why some things come back to you for a second look.
#The journey, step by step
- Enquiry — you submit an enquiry in the portal, or email your supplier and they enter it. See Making an enquiry or requesting a price.
- Visual — your supplier's designer draws up the artwork and sends it for review.
- Decisions — one per product: Approve & Place Order, Approve for Later or Request Changes. No order until every product is approved. See Approving a visual.
- Receipt — you get a breakdown of what was decided.
- Confirm — the order is a draft until you confirm it with your purchase order number, freight method, delivery address and required-by date. See Confirming an order.
- Checked — your supplier checks it and confirms it back to you with a delivery date.
- Panel prints — photos of a sample print to approve before the full run. Some orders also have a pre-production sample or a job sheet. See Approving panel prints.
- Made and dispatched — the goods leave the factory.
- Out for delivery — your supplier sends them on from their warehouse.
- Delivered.
#The emails, and what each asks of you
| When it arrives | What it asks of you | Safe to forward? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry received | When your enquiry is in | Nothing. It's your record that your supplier has it. | Yes |
| Visual ready | When the artwork is drawn up | Review and decide on each product. | Yes — or use Send to my customer for approval |
| Response received | As soon as decisions are submitted, by you or whoever you forwarded it to | Press Raise Order Now (approved, not ordered) or Confirm Order Details (an order was placed). | Keep it |
| Order confirmation request (and any reminder) | When a draft order is waiting | Confirm the order with PO number, freight, address and date. | No — only to whoever approves the spend |
| Order confirmed | When your supplier has checked your confirmation | Nothing. It carries a firm delivery date and no prices. | Yes — built to be forwarded |
| Samples ready for approval | When panel print photos are ready | Approve or request changes per product. Production waits on this. | Yes |
| Pre-production sample | When a sample garment has been made (some orders) | Approve, approve with changes, or request a new sample. | Yes |
| Left factory / dispatched | When goods leave production | Nothing. Often includes production photos. | Yes |
| Out for delivery | When goods are sent on locally | Nothing. Includes a local tracking link. | Yes |
| Part of your order is on its way / Another part… / The rest of your order… | For each parcel of a split delivery | Nothing. Each has that parcel's tracking. | Yes |
| Quote | When your supplier prices a job | Accept or decline the quote. | Shows prices |
| Invoice (if your supplier uses invoicing) | When you're invoiced | Pay it. | To your accounts person |
Good to know
the order confirmed email carries no pricing by default, so you can forward it to your own customer as their confirmation without your margin on it.
#Who gets the emails
Order emails go to the order's contact. Approval emails go to the job's contact. If you think you should be getting something you aren't, ask your supplier. They control who receives what.
#Common questions
My customer approved the visual. Why do I have to confirm too? Because confirming commits the order, and it collects your purchase order number, freight, delivery address and required-by date — nobody has asked for those yet.
I placed the order myself. Isn't confirming doing it twice? No. Those four details are only asked at confirmation, and it's your last chance to change quantities.
Can I forward these emails? Yes, approval links are built for it. Keep the order confirmation request to whoever approves the spend.
I didn't get an email. Check your spam folder, then ask your supplier who the contact is on that order.
Is there a version of this I can share? Yes. More → How orders work in the portal opens a full guide that needs no login.