Excel order form templates are a common element in wholesale stores. Using a template, you can let users make orders quickly. Then, within minutes, they can share those orders with you in a format that’s easy for you to process.
However, as your operation grows, you may find yourself needing more sophisticated ordering solutions. This is where powerful online wholesale tools can help.
Ideally, your wholesale store should have a custom system that allows customers to review your inventory, order in bulk, and get orders to you quickly. In this article, we’ll show you how to use Wholesale Order Form to build an ordering system that can do all of this. So let’s get to it!
Why Use A Custom System Over Excel Order Form Templates
Excel order form templates are a popular tool among wholesale stores because you can easily create documents that fit your business needs. When you approve a new wholesale customer, you can share your store’s template with them so they can submit orders whenever they want:
Although Excel order form templates are versatile, they also present many practical issues. To make an order, customers need to either review your store or have access to a full list of your inventory.
Once customers submit an order, you need to check if your inventory can cover it and submit an invoice. It’s a straightforward process, but one that we can simplify using WordPress alongside WooCommerce and Wholesale Suite.
How To Add Wholesale Order Forms To Your WooCommerce Store
For this tutorial, you’ll need to use a Wholesale Suite tool known as Wholesale Order Form. Although you don’t need access to all these plugins, we designed them to complement one another so that you can run your store more efficiently.
Step 1: Create a new order form
To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard, then click Wholesale > Order Forms. The order forms for all the products you have in your store will then be listed for your viewing.
If you want to edit any details, just click on the name of an existing order form to access customization options. Alternatively, if you want to start from scratch, click the Add Form button at the top:
You may then see the shortcodes, the form’s position, and whether or not it has been published. For more information on the shortcodes available on the Order Form, see our KB article.
PRO TIP: Previously, Wholesale Order Form only allowed you to create one order form. But with the introduction of Order Form v.2, we enhanced this feature to allow you to host as many order forms as you’d like!
Step 2: Customize your order form elements
The new drag-and-drop order form builder lets you customize the look and feel of your order form. Similarly, by moving the elements around, you can also personalize how your order form functions.
After creating a new form, the plugin will redirect you to the drag-and-drop builder page. Here, you’ll see three major sections:
- Header – lets you design the top portion of your form
- Table – lets you arrange the body of your form
- Footer – lets you finalize the bottom and last section of your form
You can see these sections in the image below:
To expand the header and footer, you must choose how many rows and columns each section contains. Then, you should move modules from Header/Footer Elements into those spaces.
Similarly, to build your order form’s table, drag modules from Table Elements into the table section.
For more detailed guides on how to create a wholesale order form, check out the following articles:
- How To Create A Simple Wholesale Order Form Online
- A Step-By-Step Guide To WooCommerce Quick Order Forms
- How To Create A Simple Wholesale Order Form Online
Step 3: Sort your products accordingly
Once you’re happy with the form’s design and usability, it’s time to fill your order form with content.
Previously, default parameters determined Wholesale Order Form’s product sorting. However, you can now fully customize and specify the product sorting criteria you want to use for your form.
Start by clicking the Settings tab in the backend panel’s right-most column:
For example, you can use the Product Sorting and Product Sorting By options to arrange your products alphabetically. To organize your products from A to Z, simply choose “Name” from the Product Sorting By dropdown, then “Ascending” from the Product Sorting dropdown.
The two articles we mentioned in the previous step also offer more information on how to customize your order form settings.
Conclusion
Online wholesaling orders can be much easier to use than Excel order form templates. By using the right plugins for your WooCommerce store, customers will be able to review your existing inventory and place wholesale orders in a matter of minutes.
By switching from Excel order form templates to a built-in system, you’ll be able to save time and get to work on order fulfillment faster. If you use the Wholesale Suite alongside the Order Form plugin, you won’t need to deal with Excel order forms any longer.
To recap, you can set up wholesale order forms by observing the following steps:
Do you have any questions about how to switch from Excel order form templates to wholesale order forms? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
