· 11 min read

What are Draft Orders in Shopify? How to Create Draft Orders

Draft orders are helpful when you want to manage your orders for your customers.

Custom orders, pre-orders, or incomplete orders can all be done by creating a draft order.

Here, we will focus on what draft order is and how you can create draft orders for your customers. Let’s start!

What is a Draft Order in Shopify?

A draft order is an order done for customers by the store owners without any payment.

If you have an order from outside channels, like chats, social media, or in-person, you can create a draft order as a merchant on Shopify.

Draft orders don’t charge any customer without their permission or they aren’t converted until the payment is made.

illustration of a woman creating a draft order featuring a Shopify world

How to Create a Draft Order in Shopify

Creating a draft order in Shopify takes only four steps to manage.

Follow the steps below to create your draft order practically.

Step 1- Log Into Your Shopify Store.

You should start by reaching out to your Shopify Store Admin Panel.

Shopify login page with a modal that needs email to continue

Step 2- Choose “Orders” on the Left Sidebar.

On the left sidebar, there is an ‘Orders’ tab under the Home tab.

Shopify Admin dashboard Orders tab

Step 3- Click “Create order” on the Orders Tab.

There is an explicit button at the center of the page to create an order; click it.

the Create Order button on Orders tab

Step 4- Customize Your Draft Order.

On the page you view, you can edit the draft order details.

Creating a draft order to customize

The details you can customize are as follows:

Products: You can choose, add, or delete products. Or determining their quantity is available.

Discount: If you provide a discount for your customers, you can edit the discount by deciding on the discount type, discount value, and its reason.

Shipping or Delivery: It is possible to customize the shipping name and price based on your certain order.

Estimated Tax: Choosing to include charging all taxes or not depends on you.

Payment due later: When you activate it, you need to determine payment terms

Notes: For keeping records and notes, the ‘Notes’ part is beneficial to use for distinguishing.

Customer: You can choose your customer directly or create a new customer with their personal information.

Market: Market is where you can change the currency of your draft order.

Tags: Depending on your customers’ actions and your order, you can add new Shopify tags on your store or choose among the current ones.

Sending Invoice: After you create your order, you can send invoices on your orders by customizing the necessary fields.

Collect Payment: For collecting payment, you can either enter a credit card or mark it as paid if your order is already paid.

With details and important information, you can create your draft order and finalize it by clicking “Collect payment” and choosing the format you want.

Sending Invoice for a Draft Order

To send an invoice for a draft order is easier than creating the draft order itself.

By following the steps of ‘how to create a draft order’, you will reach the end.

➤ Then, you should click “Send invoice” at the bottom of the order.

the Send invoice button of creating draft order

➤ Next, you need to fill in the details for the invoice that you will send to your customers.

Here is a sample modal for you to customize related fields.

When you complete all of them, you need to click Review invoice.

customizing Send invoice modal

➤ You need to Send invoice after you review your invoice.

The invoice is composed of your message and the order summary with the details of your draft order.

If you are sure about all, you are ready to send it.

reviewing invoice on Shopify before sending

While sending invoices to your customers, you can share your draft order checkout at the same time.

Since the invoice includes the order summary and a CTA to complete the purchase, they can reach the checkout page.

  • If you want to send the invoice with a different currency, you can change the currency of your draft order on the “Market” section of it and save it on the related draft order.

Why Use Draft Orders in Shopify?

The importance of draft orders depends on various factors:

  • Sending invoice with a secure checkout link using draft order
  • Collecting payment for pre-orders and in-person orders
  • Creating manual existing orders for customers
  • Saving incompleted orders
  • Selling extra products not displayed on inventory
  • Selling products with a discount or wholesale rate
  • Arranging changes that customers demand from you, like address or personal information

How to Convert Shopify Draft Order to Order

If you have created your draft order in Shopify, you might be into converting your Shopify draft order to a real order.

Check how you can convert Shopify draft order to order!

➤ First, click “Collect payment” once you have created your draft order.

the Collect payment button of draft order on Shopify

➤ If one chooses “Enter credit card”, you or your customers need to fill in the card details to charge.

Once you are done with the details, click “Charge …”.

enter credit card details modal of Shopify draft order

As we mentioned before, when you share the checkout link of your draft order, your customers will be able to enter their own credit card details.

When they demand the checkout for a draft order on Shopify, you can directly share it with them for the process.

➤ Or, if you choose “Mark as paid”, a modal will appear for determining the type of payment received.

Please know that if you choose this option, your customers cannot fill in their credit card details.

Lastly, don’t forget to click “Create order” to make your Shopify draft order an order.

Mark as paid view to convert draft order to order

And your draft order is an order now!

To Wrap Up

A draft order is an order process without any payment as a part of pre-purchase.

It encourages your customers to come shopping.

Because it encourages your customers to shop, you improve a customer loyalty program for your business.

As you know how to do it, create your own Shopify draft orders and ease their shopping experience!

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ part will answer the most necessary questions in your mind.

How Can I Duplicate the Draft Order That I Created?

After creating a draft order, you should check them on the Orders tab. Since you have created a draft order, it can be duplicated. To duplicate your draft order, you need to click “Duplicate” at the right top of the page.

Can I Change the Currency of the Draft Order in Shopify?

Yes, you can. If you choose the Market section on your draft order, it is available to change the currency. You can search and choose or scroll among the choices based on the currency of your store or your customers’ preferences.

Can I Edit the Draft Order After I Finalize It?

Yes, it is always possible to edit it on the same Drafts section of your Shopify Admin dashboard. When you view Drafts and choose your order, it is open to be customized and ready to send to your customers.

Do I Notify My Customer If I Create a Draft Order?

No. If you create a draft order, it only affects the list on your dashboard. Therefore, no notification is sent to your customer. To notify your customer, you need to send an invoice or create a real order for them.

How Can I Share the Draft Order with Customers?

To share the draft order, you need to complete creating your draft order and check it on your “Drafts”. When you find the target draft order, you need to click “Share” at the right top of the draft order page and copy the link to send to your customers.


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