Custom statuses, colors, and sequence
You create the names. Orderflow shows them on the queue and can write a matching Shopify tag when a status changes.
Orderflow for made-to-order Shopify stores
Shopify handles checkout. Orderflow handles what happens next.
A paid made-to-order order can still need information, artwork, a proof, production, and a ready-to-ship stage. You name those statuses. Orderflow is where that sequence lives.
Statuses you configureThe queue shows next stepsShopify stays the purchase
orderflow.orstrax.io/dashboard/orders
Orders
Active Orders
- #1184Needs info
Dana Ellis
Made-to-order cabinet
Ship by
Oct 18
- #1181Proof Sent
Chris Moon
Commission ceramic set
Ship by
Oct 8
- #1177In production
Blake Ivers
Bespoke jacket
Ship by
Oct 4
- #1172Ready to ship
Remy Soto
Built-to-order desk
Ship by
Today
Paid is a stage. It is not the whole job.
The problem after checkout
Fulfillment status is the wrong story.
Unfulfilled only means it has not shipped. For made-to-order products, that can include waiting on the customer, waiting on a proof, sitting in production, or sitting in a box. Shopify is not trying to tell those apart.
- One “in progress” tag hides four different jobs
- Staff ask each other what to do next
- Customers ask where it is before a label exists
- A due date is not the same as created-at
If checkout is only the beginning, you need a working queue for the stages you actually run — not a second store, and not a spreadsheet that drifts.
A sequence you configure, not a pipeline we invent
These names are examples. Orderflow does not hard-code them. A furniture maker, a sewist, and a ceramics shop will type different words and still need the same idea.
- 1
New
The Shopify order appears on the working queue.
- 2
Needs info
If something is missing, collect it on the order.
- 3
Artwork
Prep happens with the files attached to that order.
- 4
Proof sent
They review it through Proof Review.
- 5
Approved
Production is allowed to start.
- 6
In production
The floor status you chose, not a generic in-progress tag.
- 7
Ready to ship
Fulfillment still happens in Shopify when the work is actually done.
#1184
Made-to-order cabinet
Needs infoThe pieces of a made-to-order workflow
Orderflow is opinionated about keeping work on the Shopify order. It is not opinionated about what you call each stage.
Ship by dates
Made-to-order work has a date it must leave. That date belongs on the row you sort.
Information and files
Collect Info and Request Information are for the details checkout did not finish.
Proofs when the work needs approval
Not every made-to-order shop proofs. When you do, versions and revisions stay on the order.
Lookup, templates, and activity
Customers can check progress. You can send status mail from templates. The next shift can read what changed.
orderflow.orstrax.io/dashboard/orders
#1184Needs info
Dana Ellis
#1181Proof Sent
Chris Moon
#1177In production
Blake Ivers
#1184
Dana Ellis
dana@example.com
Ship by
Oct 18
Fulfillment
Unfulfilled
Customer MessageInternal NoteActivity
We have the cabinet order. Confirm finish and handle choice on the lookup page so we can schedule the build.
File
Request Information · waiting on finish selection
The order workspace
A made-to-order queue with statuses you could rename
Example stages only. Configure Orderflow to match your shop — these names are not built-in.
From the bench
Move a build from cutting to finishing without leaving the bench.
Orderflow
Active orders
- Proof Sent
#1042
Custom print — 11×14
Ship by Today
- In production
#1041
Personalized mug
Ship by Sep 26
- Waiting on info
#1038
Photo blanket
Ship by Sep 29
Tags and hope
- 1Everything unfulfilled looks the same
- 2A spreadsheet is the real system
- 3Customers only hear from you at shipment
- 4The next person on shift guesses
- 5Due dates hide in notes
A working queue
- Step 1. Each order has a status you defined
- Step 2. The queue is the system of work
- Step 3. Lookup and templates cover the wait
- Step 4. Activity is the handoff
- Step 5. Ship by is a first-class date
Ready to name your stages?
Give made-to-order work a place to live.
Orderflow does not replace Shopify and it does not invent your process. It holds the process you already have against the orders Shopify already created.
Works with your existing Shopify storeStatuses you configureBuilt for custom orders
Questions shops actually ask
Does Orderflow replace Shopify fulfillment?
No. Shopify remains the system of record for the purchase and for fulfillment. Orderflow is the production workflow between those two facts.
Are New, Proof sent, and In production fixed statuses?
No. Those are examples on this page. You create statuses, colors, and order. Optional rules can also set a status or a Ship by date when an order matches.
Is this only for personalized products?
No. Any made-to-order shop whose paid orders still need human work — information, approval, production stages — is the fit. Personalized and photo products are common cases, not the only ones.
Related resources
Practical guides for the workflow on this page. These are not Help articles.