If you’ve landed on this article, chances are you suspect that you could be handling your Shopify invoicing better. Perhaps your invoices are taking a long time to process? Or maybe you’re dealing with errors, or endless extra requests which are eating into time you could be using to build your business?
Invoicing customers is an important element of ecommerce – so how can you act to get your Shopify stores firing on all cylinders – turning the invoicing process from a tedious chore into something which actively improves your brand and business?
We’re here to turn the mundane into something a little bit magical. Read on to learn how.
Does Shopify Send Customer Invoices?
The short answer – no. Shopify doesn’t automatically add an invoice to each order that you process. Instead, the platform requires you, the merchant, to enter each invoice manually as you fulfill your orders. While this might be fine for a small business getting off the ground, once you hit your stride and the orders start flying out of the door, you’re going to need a better solution.
Your customers do need to receive an invoice for the goods they purchase from you – in fact, an invoice is a form of legal documentation. So it’s crucial to figure out a solution that will scale alongside your business.
Most Shopify stores will rely on a third party app to provide functionality that will send out invoices more efficiently. By setting this process up, you won’t have to worry about manually uploading invoices to each order – it saves you time, and reduces the risk of human error.
Once you’ve automated your invoicing process, you’ll have time to think a little more about the invoices you’re sending out – upgrading your template to include your branding, and tailoring the format to include every little detail that your customers need. Businesses that are serious about their brand will produce customized invoices – read on to learn more about the benefits of going the extra mile here.
How Can Shopify Custom Invoices Help Your Business?
Let’s explore the world of custom Shopify invoices… When it comes to commerce (on or offline) there’s an old adage – ”retail is detail”. What does this mean? Well, in a competitive marketplace, where many others are selling goods in the same vertical as your brand, it’s the small tweaks and improvements that can really differentiate your business and give customers a reason to buy from you.
Consistent branding plays a huge role in the way that your brand is perceived – and in ensuring that it’s remembered. Taking the time to elevate your invoices from the boring default template to something that has a little of the personality you pour into your brand shows that you’re committed to your customers’ experience. And making an important document feel a lot more professional and well thought out helps to instill a bit of extra trust in your operation.
What Needs to be Included on a Shopify Custom Invoice?
When you’re creating a custom Shopify invoice, you’ll need to tick certain boxes – after all, the reason you’re sending these documents in the first instance is so the right information reaches your customers. Because they’re legal documents, you also need to make sure you’re compliant with all the necessary requirements.
However you design your Shopify custom invoice, you’ll need to include the following information points:
- The word “Invoice” to clearly denote the paperwork
- The name and address of your business, and of the customer you’re selling to
- Invoice date
- Payment due date
- A unique invoice number
- A description of the items sold
- The quantity and price of each item
- The total amount due
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the exact content of an invoice may need to change, depending on who you’re selling to (i.e. if you’re selling to another company B2B) or if you’re selling to an overseas buyer (in which case addition al importation and tax information may be needed).
Creating a Shopify Custom Invoice
So far, so good. You’ve decided to automate your Shopify invoices, and customize the invoices that you’re sending out. But how do you go about creating a custom invoice for your Shopify customers? The bad news is that you can’t do this inside the Shopify platform – the good news is that a range of third party solutions can help you achieve some really professional looking results.
When you’re looking for a solution to help here, think carefully about the features and functionality that will help your business – in terms of reducing customer support requests (delivering what your customers need first time!) and providing an interface that’s suitable for your own technical ability.
- Can’t code (or don’t want to spend ages tweaking HTML)? Look for a code-free solution with an intuitive WYSIWYG editing tool.
- Selling to lots of overseas customers? Find a provider that can offer automated translation and one-click localization.
- Know you’ll need to occasionally fine-tune individual invoices? Go for an app that allows you to add custom elements.
Our own Order Printer Templates app offers all of the above – and much more (you can also customize your Shopify packing slips, returns forms and gift receipt templates). It integrates perfectly with Shopify’s own Order Printer app, or with our powerful automator, Order Printer Pro.
Ready to start sending beautiful customized Shopify invoices, automatically?
Creating a custom Shopify invoice template that automatically populates and delivers order documents with each sale is a game changer. Free your time, reduce support requests and impress your customers with a flawless brand experience and professional paperwork.
See how Protein Package enhanced their brand with Shopfiy custom invoices.
