Manual order creation in Shopify means a store admin enters an order directly in the admin on a customer's behalf and sends that customer a payment link. Shopify provides "Draft Orders" for this; they are used to handle orders that come in by phone, WhatsApp, or social media, influencer campaigns, and B2B deals with special pricing outside the standard checkout flow.
What is a Shopify Draft Order and When is it Used?
A Draft Order is a preliminary order record manually created from Shopify's admin panel and sent to the customer with a payment link. Once payment is made, the draft automatically converts into an active order; stock is updated, and the standard order flow begins.
Draft orders were added to all Shopify plans in a major update in 2016. Since then, the scope of the feature has expanded: functions such as adding tracking codes, tagging, accepting partial payments, and customizing payment links can now be managed via draft orders.
Manual orders are most useful in the following scenarios:
1. Influencer and content creator payments: You're sending products as part of a campaign, but you want the influencer to place the order directly with you. By sending the influencer a specially priced or zero-total link via a draft order, you can both monitor the process and track stock movement.
2. WhatsApp and phone orders: A customer placed an order via social media or phone. Instead of directing them to standard checkout, you can select the products, prepare the order at a special price, and send a one-click payment link.
3. B2B and wholesale special pricing: It's possible to create orders for corporate clients with agreed-upon prices different from the list price. You can open a separate draft for each B2B customer and apply special pricing.
4. Discounts and campaigns: In a draft order, a discount coupon, percentage discount, or fixed amount discount can be applied on a per-order basis; this discount does not conflict with the store's general coupon system.
5. Shipping fee exemption: Defining free shipping for specific customers is possible without overriding standard cart rules.
6. Pre-order and reservation management: When a pre-payment or reservation agreement is made with a customer while a product is not yet in stock, a draft order is created and processed once the stock arrives.
7. Correcting erroneous orders: A customer placed an order for the wrong product or quantity via standard checkout. Instead of starting a return, you can simplify the process by creating a new draft order and charging the difference, or by creating a new order in exchange for the return.
At Nodus Works, we've seen that the manual order feature is often poorly set up in social commerce stores and brands active in influencer marketing. A poorly configured draft order flow leads to stock errors and payment tracking mismatches. We especially see boutique stores that receive dozens of Instagram messages a day either losing customers or selling out-of-stock products when they don't use this tool correctly.
How to Create a Draft Order in Shopify?
A draft order can be created within minutes from the Shopify Admin panel. The steps below use the English labels of Shopify Admin.
Step 1: Log in to Shopify Admin. In the left menu, go to Orders.
Step 2: In the top right corner of the Orders page, click the Create order button.
Step 3: In the Search products field, type the product name or SKU. Select the product and variant. You can add multiple products and update the quantity on each line.
Step 4: Enter customer information. You can search for an existing customer profile or enter new customer details and save them for the order. For a new customer, first name, last name, and email are sufficient; the phone number is optional.
Step 5: Add the shipping address. If it's filled in automatically from the customer profile, check it and correct it if needed.
Step 6: If you need to adjust the price, click the price field next to each product. Three options are offered: enter a custom price, apply a percentage discount, or define a fixed amount discount.
Step 7: If you want to add a discount code, use the Apply discount field below the order total. Your existing discount codes work here.
Step 8: Select the shipping method. You can choose one of your saved shipping options or define free shipping by setting the shipping cost to zero. You can also enter a custom shipping amount.
Step 9: Add notes and tags. In the "Order notes" field in the right column, you can enter a campaign name, reference code, or special instructions. In the tags field, add categories like influencer, whatsapp, b2b; these tags will be useful for filtering later.
Step 10: At the bottom of the page, click the Save button to save the order as a draft. Now you have two options: collect payment directly or send a payment link to the customer.
By default, stock is not reserved for draft orders; it is updated when the order is completed by receiving payment. For popular or limited-stock products, creating multiple drafts for the same product carries the risk of stock conflicts. When stock is limited, use the … menu → Reserve inventory option on the draft order page to hold the items until a specific date.
Sending Payment Links for Influencers and Special Customers
The most powerful feature of a draft order is its ability to send the order directly to the customer via a payment link. The customer clicks this link and proceeds directly to the payment step; there's no need to select products, add to cart, or register. This significantly reduces cart abandonment and is a major advantage when sending orders to people who aren't familiar with online checkout, such as influencers.
Steps to send a payment link:
- After the draft order is prepared, on the order page, click the Send by email button.
- The customer's email address and order summary will auto-populate. You can add a special note to the message field.
- Click the Send button. The customer will receive a personalized payment link.
- Alternatively, use the Copy link option to get the URL and send it manually via WhatsApp, SMS, or DM.
Payment link security:
The payment link generated by Shopify is unique and belongs only to that specific draft order. It is technically not possible for another customer to use this link because it contains the order's content and customer information. However, Shopify does not verify who uses the link; therefore, identity verification may be necessary for very high-value orders.
Payment link validity:
The payment link sent by Shopify expires by default after a certain period. As long as you don't delete the draft order, you can generate a new link for the same order from the Admin. A customer clicking an expired link will see the message "This order is no longer valid"; you simply need to send the customer a new link.
Best practice for influencer campaigns: Create a separate draft order for each influencer and record the campaign name and influencer username in the order notes. This way, you can track which campaign generated which order from Shopify reports. Do not share the same link for multiple influencers; when each draft is separate, payment status and delivery can be monitored independently.
Draft Order vs. Standard Order Comparison
Payment Methods for Draft Orders
You can complete a draft order with three different payment methods.
Method 1: Payment via link (most common)
The customer pays with their own card via the unique link sent to them. Your store's standard payment provider (iyzico, PayTR, etc.) processes the transaction. The customer clicks the link and enters their card details; the process is identical to standard checkout. The store owner does not see the card details.
Method 2: Manual card entry (in-person / phone)
The customer gives their card details over the phone or pays in person. You can enter the card details directly in Shopify Admin. For this method, your payment provider must support MOTO (Mail Order / Telephone Order) transactions; some providers in Turkey may require an additional application for this feature. iyzico requires an additional account type to be opened for MOTO transactions.
Method 3: Mark as pending payment
If payment will be collected later, or if payment is made via cash or bank transfer, you can save the order with a "pending payment" status. This is used when payments are received by bank transfer to your IBAN. Once the payment reaches your account, mark the order as "paid" manually in Shopify Admin; the order then becomes active and moves into fulfillment.
A 100% discounted (zero-total) draft order can be created for influencers or corporate clients. This method allows you to record stock deductions and order history in Shopify when sending a product as a gift. It then becomes possible to track campaign performance and gift stock movements through reports.
Draft Orders with Partial Payments and Deposits
Shopify's draft order infrastructure also supports accepting partial payments (deposits). This feature is particularly useful for high-value orders, custom-made products, and pre-order situations.
How to set up partial payments:
- After creating the draft order, on the order page, click the Collect payment button.
- Select the "Collect a specific amount" option.
- Enter the deposit amount or a percentage of the total amount (e.g., 30% down payment).
- Send the payment link to the customer; the customer will only pay the specified amount.
- The remaining balance is collected with a separate payment request at a later stage.
At Nodus Works, we've set up this flow for B2B stores that collect a 30-50% deposit before an order, especially in furniture and home textiles. While standard checkout requires an additional app or custom development for partial payments, draft orders offer this functionality natively.
Draft Order Tracking and Reporting
All draft orders are listed under Shopify Admin → Orders → Drafts. The status of each draft (pending payment, completed, canceled) can be monitored here.
Filtering and searching:
On the Drafts page, you can filter by status, date, and customer name. Tag filtering is not directly available on this page; however, it is possible to find relevant drafts by typing the tag name into the Shopify Admin search bar.
Recommended tagging system for tracking:
- influencer-campaign-name: campaign-based tracking
- whatsapp-order: channel-based tracking
- b2b-customer-name: customer-based tracking
- pre-order: pre-order / reservation
- deposit: orders with partial payment
Tags allow you to filter both in the draft list and in Shopify reports. Tags are kept when completed drafts become orders; at the end of a campaign, you can pull reports showing which drafts became orders and which were canceled.
Managing abandoned drafts:
Drafts that are never paid, or where the customer doesn't respond, pile up over time and clutter the list. Clean up once a month: review drafts older than 30 days with a "payment pending" status, and if the customer hasn't responded, cancel them or follow up.
Draft Order Use Cases and Configuration
Automation with Shopify Draft Order API
In advanced use cases, draft orders can be created programmatically via API, rather than manually from Shopify Admin. This approach is used for CRM integration, bulk draft creation, or importing order data from external systems into Shopify.
Basic API endpoint:
GraphQL Admin API: draftOrderCreate mutation (POST /admin/api/2026-10/graphql.json; Shopify releases a new API version every quarter, and 2026-10 is the latest stable version as of October 2026)
With this mutation, you send product, customer, price, and discount information as input to create a draft order programmatically; if you need to reserve stock, use the reserveInventoryUntil field. You can then retrieve the ID of the new draft order and send its payment link URL (invoiceUrl) to the customer automatically.
CRM integration scenario:
When a customer reaches the "quote approved" stage in the CRM, the system automatically creates a draft order in Shopify and emails the payment link to the customer. This automation brings the number of manual steps in B2B sales to zero; the sales team completes the quote → payment link cycle without ever opening Shopify.
The Draft Order API requires `write_draft_orders` permission under OAuth. When developing a custom app, remember to add this permission to your API access settings; a missing permission will result in a 401 Unauthorized error.
Campaign Tracking in Shopify Reports with Draft Orders
One of the most frequently overlooked features of draft orders is campaign performance tracking. With standard checkout, you can report sales by discount code; with draft orders, tags are what let you identify orders that got special pricing without a coupon.
Campaign reporting workflow:
- Define a standard tag for each campaign: such as influencer-summer2025, b2b-bulk-sale-may.
- Add this tag to each draft order when you create it.
- At the end of the campaign, go to Shopify Admin → Reports → Sales by order.
- Filter orders related to the campaign using the tag filter.
- Compare total revenue, number of orders, and average order value with the campaign cost.
In influencer campaigns tracked by Nodus Works, draft order tagging allowed us to calculate the campaign-specific cost per order (CPO). This data was completely unavailable in previous campaigns run without tagging; budget allocation was based entirely on intuition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is creating manual orders in Shopify subject to an additional fee? No. The draft order feature is included for free with all Shopify plans. However, if the order is paid through a third-party payment provider (such as iyzico or PayTR), your plan's transaction fee applies on top of the provider's commission (Basic 2%, Grow 1%, Advanced 0.6%).
Does the draft order link have an expiration date? Yes. The payment link sent by Shopify expires by default after a certain period. As long as you don't delete the draft order, you can create a new link for the same draft from the Admin; even if the old link has expired, a new one can be generated.
If I create draft orders for the same product for multiple influencers simultaneously, will there be a stock issue? Yes, there is a risk. By default, stock isn't reserved at the draft stage; it's deducted when payment is received. When you create multiple drafts simultaneously, even if stock appears available, the same unit could be sold to multiple people. For products with limited stock, use the draft's Reserve inventory option to hold the items until a specific date; reserved units can't be sold to other customers.
Can coupon codes be used in a draft order? Yes. When creating an order, you can enter your existing coupon codes in the coupon code field. Alternatively, you can adjust the price directly without using a coupon; this method allows the customer to pay a discounted price without needing a coupon code.
Can the product or price be changed after a draft order is completed? Yes, before payment is received. The product, quantity, price, and discount on a draft order can be changed; there's no need to send a new link to the customer as the updated draft remains accessible via the same URL. After payment is received, the order becomes active; Shopify's standard order editing tools are used for changes.
How do I send a free product to an influencer on Shopify? Create a draft order, add the product, and set the price to zero by applying a 100% discount. No payment step will occur; the order will be completed as "payment not received," and the shipping process will begin. Stock will be deducted, and a record will be created in the order history.
Can I take orders via WhatsApp on Shopify? Yes. Create a draft order, copy the payment link, and send it via WhatsApp. The customer clicks the link, lands on your store's payment page, and completes the transaction with their own card. This allows you, as the store owner, to receive secure payments without accessing card details.
Can a B2B price list be created with Shopify draft orders? Draft orders are created individually for each order; there is no automatic B2B price list. For large-scale B2B operations, Shopify Plus's B2B feature or a dedicated B2B app is a more suitable solution. However, for small-scale B2B, draft orders offer sufficient flexibility.
Can an automatic payment link be sent with the Shopify draft order API? Yes. When a draft is programmatically created via the Draft Orders API, the response includes an `invoice_url` field. This URL directs directly to the payment page; you can use this URL in your CRM or email automation to send an automatic payment link to the customer.
Conclusion
Shopify's manual order creation is the most effective way for stores engaged in social commerce and influencer marketing to systematize sales channels outside of the standard checkout. When the draft order setup is correctly configured, stock tracking, campaign performance, and payment security can all be managed from a single panel. Advanced features like partial payments, zero-value gift orders, and API integration transform this infrastructure from merely "entering orders" into a much more comprehensive sales management tool.
To optimize payment and order flows in Shopify, support influencer campaigns with technical infrastructure, or set up a B2B sales structure, contact Nodus Works. You can see how we handle these topics on our Shopify store setup and Shopify integration solutions service pages.
