New Changes to TikTok Shop Order Status Sync: On Hold
Plans: All plans Platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Magento-2, Salesforce, Amazon
TikTok rolled out a significant update— On Hold order status. This tweak to the order process brought with it some noteworthy alterations. When a buyer places a paid order on TikTok, their order status will read On hold for one hour. During this brief period, buyers have the flexibility to cancel their orders without requiring the seller's approval. Merchants too need not have to approve the buyer’s cancellation request during this 1-hour window.
However, this change from TikTok Shop has brought with it certain cons that need to be addressed and rectified by providing merchants with more options to increase their flexibility in handling order syncing to TTS and minimize the potential losses.
In this tutorial, we will discuss:
What was the change?
What’s the issue with the change?
What options do you have?
What do you need to do?
Last year, on August 14, 2023, TikTok introduced the On Hold order status under which the order status will show the On hold status for 1 hour (remorse period) whenever a buyer places a paid order on TikTok.
The orders with the On hold status do not not support tracking numbers. This means if you fulfill an order on your eCommerce platform before the 1-hour window has passed, your tracking number will not be synced to TikTok Shop.
TTS does not provide the buyer’s information or shipping address until the orders with the On hold status do not pass the 1-hour window
Regardless of whether the order is on hold or not, the buyer can cancel the order at any time within the 1 hour after the order is paid, without needing the merchant's permission.
TTS’s new policy allows customers to cancel the order any time they deem fit within the 1-hour remorse period, irrespective of whether the order is on hold or not, without seeking the merchant’s approval. During that 1 hour if the merchants fulfill the order from their end, it can cause them potential losses.
To address this concern and minimize losses, AfterShip Feed now offers merchants more freedom to choose how they wish to sync their order status to TTS with the introduction of new options. The merchants can now select the option that best suits their business operations and helps mitigate potential losses.
There is a feature called Sync rules for TikTok Shop orders on hold that can be found in your AfterShip Feed’s Order sync settings.
We had 2 options for how AfterShip Feed deals with orders on hold.
We are taking down one of the options and replacing it with a more efficient one.
Before, when merchants used to select this option, AfterShip Feed would immediately sync orders on hold from TikTok Shop to Shopify, with the payment status showing as Payment pending and fulfillment status On hold. Your inventory level was updated, but the buyer's information was withheld by TTS. You’d have to wait until the On hold status was removed before you can fulfill the orders.
Once TikTok Shop removed the On hold status from an order, the order's payment status on Shopify would change to Paid, the fulfillment status would change to Unfulfilled, and the buyer info would update automatically.
With this option, you didn’t have to worry about inventory update delays. However, if your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Warehouse Management System (WMS) didn’t recognise the status Payment pending, or support syncing status updates or shipping address updates from your eCommerce platform, you could run into issues when fulfilling orders.
Also, we encountered that there were a lot of merchants whose downstream systems didn’t recognize on-hold order fulfillment status, leading to additional fulfillment issues and financial losses. The reason why the option is disabled and replaced with new and more optimized ones.
TikTok Shop withholds customer address for 1 hour after payment to reduce fulfilment issues. Only the orders that will pass the 1 hour remorse period will include the complete shipping address.
Some merchants have an automatic shipping process enabled on their eCommerce platforms and the shipping software or warehouse management system does not support the shipping address sync. To prevent the warehouse locations from shipping within the 1-hour window, this option will be set as default.
Merchants may witness some overselling due to delayed inventory updates.
To reduce fulfillment errors, orders without shipping addresses will first show as Unpaid on your {e-commerce} platform, then update to Paid once TikTok Shop provides complete address information (billing address will be missing from the Shopify orders as the platform does not support it).
If your {e-commerce} platform’s downstream system doesn’t update order information, we recommend choosing Sync to {e-commerce} after 1 hour.
Inventory levels are updated immediately when the order is synced to the {e-commerce} platform.
It's important to stay informed about the modifications to TikTok Shop's order statuses and regulations, as well as the solutions provided through AfterShip Feed.
Shopify Users: You have the flexibility to opt for either Option 1 or Option 2 within AfterShip Feed > Settings > Order Sync Settings. Feel free to switch between these options as needed. The option archived will not be visible to the existing users if they opt for any of the latest options.
WoCommerce Users: You too have the flexibility to opt for either Option 1 or Option 2 within AfterShip Feed > Settings > Order Sync Settings. Feel free to switch between these options as needed.
All Platform Users: You only have the 1st option. To check for TikTok Shop orders currently on hold, simply navigate to AfterShip Feed > Orders. Stay updated on any potential order changes and ensure a seamless experience for both you and your customers.
If you have any questions, please contact our support team.
Overview
TikTok rolled out a significant update— On Hold order status. This tweak to the order process brought with it some noteworthy alterations. When a buyer places a paid order on TikTok, their order status will read On hold for one hour. During this brief period, buyers have the flexibility to cancel their orders without requiring the seller's approval. Merchants too need not have to approve the buyer’s cancellation request during this 1-hour window.
However, this change from TikTok Shop has brought with it certain cons that need to be addressed and rectified by providing merchants with more options to increase their flexibility in handling order syncing to TTS and minimize the potential losses.
What you'll learn
In this tutorial, we will discuss:
What was the change?
What’s the issue with the change?
What options do you have?
What do you need to do?
What was the change?
Last year, on August 14, 2023, TikTok introduced the On Hold order status under which the order status will show the On hold status for 1 hour (remorse period) whenever a buyer places a paid order on TikTok.
The orders with the On hold status do not not support tracking numbers. This means if you fulfill an order on your eCommerce platform before the 1-hour window has passed, your tracking number will not be synced to TikTok Shop.
TTS does not provide the buyer’s information or shipping address until the orders with the On hold status do not pass the 1-hour window
Regardless of whether the order is on hold or not, the buyer can cancel the order at any time within the 1 hour after the order is paid, without needing the merchant's permission.
What’s the issue with the change?
TTS’s new policy allows customers to cancel the order any time they deem fit within the 1-hour remorse period, irrespective of whether the order is on hold or not, without seeking the merchant’s approval. During that 1 hour if the merchants fulfill the order from their end, it can cause them potential losses.
To address this concern and minimize losses, AfterShip Feed now offers merchants more freedom to choose how they wish to sync their order status to TTS with the introduction of new options. The merchants can now select the option that best suits their business operations and helps mitigate potential losses.
What options do you have?
There is a feature called Sync rules for TikTok Shop orders on hold that can be found in your AfterShip Feed’s Order sync settings.
We had 2 options for how AfterShip Feed deals with orders on hold.
We are taking down one of the options and replacing it with a more efficient one.
Archived option: Sync to {e-commerce} immediately and keep on hold for 1 hour
Before, when merchants used to select this option, AfterShip Feed would immediately sync orders on hold from TikTok Shop to Shopify, with the payment status showing as Payment pending and fulfillment status On hold. Your inventory level was updated, but the buyer's information was withheld by TTS. You’d have to wait until the On hold status was removed before you can fulfill the orders.
Once TikTok Shop removed the On hold status from an order, the order's payment status on Shopify would change to Paid, the fulfillment status would change to Unfulfilled, and the buyer info would update automatically.
With this option, you didn’t have to worry about inventory update delays. However, if your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Warehouse Management System (WMS) didn’t recognise the status Payment pending, or support syncing status updates or shipping address updates from your eCommerce platform, you could run into issues when fulfilling orders.
Also, we encountered that there were a lot of merchants whose downstream systems didn’t recognize on-hold order fulfillment status, leading to additional fulfillment issues and financial losses. The reason why the option is disabled and replaced with new and more optimized ones.
Latest options
Option 1: Sync to {e-commerce} after 1 hour (recommended)
TikTok Shop withholds customer address for 1 hour after payment to reduce fulfilment issues. Only the orders that will pass the 1 hour remorse period will include the complete shipping address.
Some merchants have an automatic shipping process enabled on their eCommerce platforms and the shipping software or warehouse management system does not support the shipping address sync. To prevent the warehouse locations from shipping within the 1-hour window, this option will be set as default.
Merchants may witness some overselling due to delayed inventory updates.
Option 2: Sync to {e-commerce} immediately
To reduce fulfillment errors, orders without shipping addresses will first show as Unpaid on your {e-commerce} platform, then update to Paid once TikTok Shop provides complete address information (billing address will be missing from the Shopify orders as the platform does not support it).
If your {e-commerce} platform’s downstream system doesn’t update order information, we recommend choosing Sync to {e-commerce} after 1 hour.
Inventory levels are updated immediately when the order is synced to the {e-commerce} platform.
What do you need to do?
It's important to stay informed about the modifications to TikTok Shop's order statuses and regulations, as well as the solutions provided through AfterShip Feed.
Shopify Users: You have the flexibility to opt for either Option 1 or Option 2 within AfterShip Feed > Settings > Order Sync Settings. Feel free to switch between these options as needed. The option archived will not be visible to the existing users if they opt for any of the latest options.
WoCommerce Users: You too have the flexibility to opt for either Option 1 or Option 2 within AfterShip Feed > Settings > Order Sync Settings. Feel free to switch between these options as needed.
All Platform Users: You only have the 1st option. To check for TikTok Shop orders currently on hold, simply navigate to AfterShip Feed > Orders. Stay updated on any potential order changes and ensure a seamless experience for both you and your customers.
If you have any questions, please contact our support team.
Updated on: 06/08/2024
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