Managing Orders and Customers in WooCommerce

Once your WooCommerce store is up and running, Managing Orders and Customers relationships becomes key to long-term success. In this guide, you’ll learn:

✅ How to process orders efficiently
✅ How to handle customer management and communication

How to Process Orders in WooCommerce

WooCommerce gives you a powerful and intuitive order management system right in your WordPress dashboard.

Step 1: Viewing Orders

1. Go to WooCommerce > Orders
   
2. You’ll see a list of all recent orders with details like order number, customer name, date, order status, and total amount
   

Step 2: Understanding Order Statuses

Each order goes through a series of statuses:

• Pending payment – Order received but not paid for
  
• Processing – Payment received; order is being prepared
  
• On hold – Awaiting payment or confirmation
  
• Completed – Order fulfilled and delivered
  
• Cancelled – Cancelled by admin or customer
  
• Refunded – Payment returned to customer
  
• Failed – Payment failed or was declined
  

These statuses help you track where each order is in your fulfillment process.

Step 3: Viewing and Editing Order Details

Click on an order to open its details page:

• Billing & Shipping Info: Customer contact details and address
  
• Products Ordered: Quantity, SKU, total price
  
• Order Notes: Internal notes or customer messages
  
• Order Actions: Send email invoice, resend notifications, or regenerate downloads
  

You can edit product quantities, prices, or customer info manually if needed.

Step 4: Changing Order Status

To update an order:

1. Use the “Status” dropdown to change the order status
   
2. Add a note (optional)
   
3. Click “Update” to save the change
   

You can also bulk-update orders using the checkboxes on the orders list page.

Step 5: Processing Refunds

To issue a refund:

1. Open the order
   
2. Click “Refund”
   
3. Enter the refund amount and reason
   
4. If your payment gateway supports it (e.g. Stripe, PayPal), WooCommerce will process it automatically
   

Customer Management and Communication

Keeping customers informed and satisfied is essential. WooCommerce makes customer management simple.

Step 1: Viewing Customers

1. Go to WooCommerce > Customers
   
2. You’ll see a list of all registered customers and their stats, such as:
   
   • Total spent
     
   • Orders placed
     
   • Last order date
     
   • Location
     

This helps you identify top customers and segment your marketing.

Step 2: Editing Customer Information

Click on any customer to:

• View their full profile
  
• Edit contact info
  
• View order history
  
• Reset passwords
  
• Add internal notes
  

Step 3: Communicating with Customers

WooCommerce automatically sends emails for:

• Order confirmations
  
• Payment receipts
  
• Shipping notifications
  
• Password resets
  
• Refund confirmations
  

You can customize these emails in WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.

To send manual updates:

• Go to the order page
  
• Add a customer note and check “Notify Customer”
  
• They’ll receive an email with your note
  

This is useful for shipping updates, custom requests, or follow-ups.

Tips to Enhance Customer Experience

✔️ Use live chat plugins (like Tawk.to or LiveChat) to support customers in real-time
✔️ Add order tracking plugins so customers can check shipping status
✔️ Offer guest checkout and easy account creation
✔️ Collect customer feedback with a follow-up email after each order

Final Thoughts

Properly managing your orders and maintaining clear communication with your customers is the foundation of a smooth WooCommerce operation. The built-in tools make it easy to keep everything under control — from order processing to personalized support.