Many different messages can appear when you check the order status of your package. A common message that many see is awaiting fulfillment. What does awaiting fulfillment mean as far as the order status?
When your order status says awaiting fulfillment, it means that the fulfillment company has received your order and they are preparing your order for shipment. Soon, you will receive a confirmation email informing you that your order is in transit.
Read on to learn more about the meaning of awaiting fulfillment and other topics related to it.
What Is the Order Status Awaiting fulfillment?
Unless you’re keeping a close eye on your ecommerce order, there are actually several stages that take place with an online order that can be easily missed.
Firstly, you place the order with your chosen retailer and submit your payment. From the moment you pay, the fulfillment system marks the order as completed and it is immediately sent to the retailer’s third-party logistics provider. When the order is awaiting fulfillment, it joins any others awaiting processing and shipping and depending on how large the retailer and how efficient their fulfillment system is, it can be there for a little while.
When you check your order status and it is on the awaiting fulfillment status, it simply means that the logistics warehouse hasn’t started the order fulfillment process as of yet. The awaiting fulfillment meaning is that the process that involves the picking and packing of the items on your order into boxes ready to be shipped.
Understanding Other Order Fulfillment Statuses
As well as awaiting fulfillment there are a few other stages that your order will pass through when you place an order with an online retailer. This guide aims to help you better understand the other terms you may not be familiar with so that you don’t have to fly blind when ordering online.
Submitted for fulfillment
This means that your order is complete, and is on its way to the system in use by your chosen online retailer’s fulfillment company. This is the stage before awaiting fulfillment where the order has to be accepted.
Pending fulfillment
At this stage the company has received your order and it has been accepted for fulfillment. However, it is in the queue for order processing. This means that the picking and packing process has not yet been completed, so one of the team is either currently going to collect your item from its designated location, or it is about to be picked.
Partially Shipped
Only some items in the order have been shipped. This is because one or more items may be out of stock, and will need to be sent in split shipments.
Shipped
This means that your order is in the hands of the carrier used by your ecommerce retailer’s fulfillment company or 3PL. When this happens, you should get a confirmation email telling you it is on its way. This email usually features tracking information so that you know when to expect your item, and you won’t miss it if you go out. You also usually have the ability to designate a safe space if you’re going to be out, or you can delay the order to a specific day or time; though this does depend on the carrier.
Awaiting Fulfillment vs. Pending Fulfillment
The word “pending” means exactly the same thing as “awaiting” when it comes to ecommerce order fulfillment – these terms are often used interchangeably by different ecommerce companies and brands.
If you are looking for fulfillment we would love to hear from you. Send us a note to connect about how we can help your company grow. You can read DCL’s list of services to learn more, or check out the many companies we work with to ensure great logistics support.
