Follow an order from customer to warehouse.
Follow a single illustrative order from two perspectives: the customer making a purchase and the team processing it. This is a browser-based explanation, not a live Medusa backend or a real payment.
EXPO COMMERCE ↘Find and choose the right item
The customer enters through a category, search or a relevant link. Agreed attributes help narrow the catalogue. The product page explains the variant, price, availability and specifications. The cart checks the selected items and quantity again.
Choose delivery and payment
Address shipping, store pickup and partner pickup points have different requirements. The selected location must be able to supply the order. Cards, wallets, transfers and cash on delivery depend on the provider, contract and implementation. Authorization is different from capture, and an order awaiting transfer is not automatically paid.
Create the order and reserve inventory
In the standard checkout flow, managed inventory is reserved when the order is placed. With five stocked units and two reserved, there are three available for a new purchase. Physical stock has not left the warehouse yet.
Notify the customer and process the order
Configured templates and a notification service send the appropriate transactional messages. Staff review the order, payment and fulfillment. A defined ERP connector can pass the agreed data to the system responsible for invoices. An order confirmation email is not automatically a fiscal invoice.
Fulfill and reconcile stock
Standard fulfillment reduces stocked and reserved quantities. In the example, five stocked and two reserved become three stocked and zero reserved. The agreed business process determines the corresponding staff action, especially for pickup. Cash-on-delivery dispatch does not by itself establish that money has reached the retailer.
Handle the exception
A declined card must not look successful. Cancellation before fulfillment can release a reservation. A physical return needs receipt and inspection. Refund and return-to-saleable-stock are separate operations. Custom expiry rules for unpaid orders require an agreed workflow.