When you order items online, your order status may show up as “awaiting fulfillment.” But what does awaiting fulfillment mean? If you’re not in the 3PL industry, this may sound impossibly vague, as if your order were lost in processing.
Awaiting fulfillment does have a specific meaning in eCommerce. It doesn’t mean that your order disappeared. In fact, it will probably ship soon. Here’s what you need to know to understand your order status.
Why does an order say awaiting fulfillment?
There are several stages when you place an order online. They usually happen very quickly, so you might miss them if you blink.
First, you place an order online and submit your payment. Once you have paid, the system marks the order completed. The order is immediately sent to the logistics company that the eCommerce business uses. There, it joins lots of other orders waiting for processing and shipping.
If you check your order status and it says “awaiting fulfillment,” that simply means that the logistics warehouse hasn’t started the getting your orders shipped quickly process yet. That process involves picking the items for your order and packing them into a box for shipment.
At Red Stag Fulfillment, we process most orders the same day they are received. The first email you are likely to receive when it ships from one of our warehouses is that your package is on its way to you.
There can be circumstances that delay shipping. For example, items you ordered might be temporarily out of stock or back-ordered. In that case, you might have to wait a few days before your order ships. Also, work safety restrictions due to the pandemic have slowed down picking and packing in some 3PLs. These restrictions plus carrier capacity limitations may add time to the shipping process in 2021.
Understanding order status
Here are the stages that your items will pass through after you place an order online.
Submitted for fulfillment
Your order is complete. It is on its way to the logistics company’s system.
Pending fulfillment
Your order is in the queue for processing. The picking and packing process is not yet complete.
Shipped
“Shipped” means your order is in the capable hands of FedEx, UPS, or USPS. You should get an email with a link to track the progress of your shipment. The link should give you an estimate of the number of days it will take to arrive.
Delivered
The carrier has delivered the package. If you haven’t received it, check with the carrier or the business where you placed the order. Make sure that it wasn’t delivered to the wrong address.
Is there a difference between awaiting fulfillment and pending fulfillment?
“Pending” means precisely the same thing as “awaiting” when it comes to eCommerce fulfillment. ECommerce companies tend to use the terms interchangeably.
No matter what you call it, Red Stag Fulfillment keeps processing times to a minimum. We know that consumers expect fast delivery, and we are committed to getting your orders shipped quickly. If you’d like to learn more about our same-day services, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you.
Awaiting Fulfillment FAQ
What does awaiting shipment mean?
The meaning of awaiting shipment is that the products have been fulfilled already (picked and packed) and are now ready to be shipped. Awaiting shipment means the products that have been ordered are waiting to be picked up by the carrier or waiting to be dropped off with the carrier to be shipped.
What does fulfilment status unfulfilled mean?
Fulfillment status unfulfilled means that the products that have been ordered by the customer have yet to be picked out from inventory and packaged. Once products are picked and packed, then they will have been fulfilled, and then ready to be shipped.
What does pending remote fulfillment mean?
Pending remote fulfillment is a term specific to Tracfone orders, which means the same as awaiting fulfillment, which is that the order has yet to be packed, and prepared for shipping.
