Create & Manage Orders from the Square for Retail POS App

You can accept, fulfill and manage orders in-app, directly from Square for Retail on iOS, Square Register and Square Terminal.

Getting Started

The Square for Retail customer checkout experience just got easier with updates that will help you serve more customers from anywhere, faster. 

To enable or disable the new checkout experience in your Square for Retail POS app:

1. Tap ≡ More, then navigate to Settings. 

2. Tap Favorites > toggle on/off Enable the new cart experience. 

To create an order on the Square for Retail iOS app, Square Terminal, or Square Register:

1. Select an item to Add to Cart.

2. On the item details screen, select the fulfillment method you wish to apply in cart, including Pickup and Shipping. The default fulfillment selected will always be In-Store.

   1. If you select Pickup, you can add a new or existing customer to the order or directly enter pickup information in the Details fields. 

   2. If you select Shipment, you can add a new or existing customer to the order, or directly enter delivery information in the Shipping address fields. 

3. After all items have been added to the cart, tap Charge to complete the sale.

Note: The cart only supports only 1 fulfillment method at this time which will be applied across all items. If you already have item(s) added to the cart or the item details screen was skipped, you can change the fulfillment selection by: 

1. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the cart and select Edit fulfillment method.

2. Choose a fulfillment method from In-store, Shipment, or Pickup > tap Save.

3. Add required fulfillment details based on the new fulfillment method selected.

Cross Location Orders

With Square for Retail, you have the option to fulfill orders with items across all locations — meaning if you’re out of stock for an item at one location, you can easily fulfill it from another location to avoid losing out on a sale. While fulfilling the order for shipment or pickup, you’ll have full visibility into the inventory at your other locations to determine if you can fulfill the order successfully. Once created, the order will route to the selected location for fulfillment, and you can track the progress through the Orders section of your online Square Dashboard or Square for Retail app.

Note: Cross location orders are only available with a Square for Retail Plus subscription.

To get started with cross location orders:

1. Select an item to Add to Cart. 

2. On the item details screen, select Pickup or Shipping as the fulfillment method.

   1. If you select Pickup, you can add a new or existing customer to the order or directly enter pickup information in the Details fields. 

   2. If you select Shipment, you can add a new or existing customer to the order, or directly enter delivery information in the Shipping address fields. 

3. To process a cross-location order, you can either:

   1. Select a specific item, and navigate to the item detail screen for it. Scroll down to the Location dropdown at the bottom of the fulfillment Details screens, and tap to select a new location. 

   2. Tap the three dots at the top right of the cart, then tap Change Fulfillment Location. Tap the existing location dropdown to select a new location. 

4. You will be able to see inventory availability for the item(s) in your cart per location and filter by Distance, In stock, and Name. 

5. Once the new location fulfillment location has been chosen, tap Save to complete your changes. The new fulfillment location will now be reflected at the top of your cart.

6. Tap Charge to complete the order.

Once the order has been fulfilled at the appropriate location, the stock levels at the location where the item(s) were fulfilled will update accordingly. The location where the order was created will receive the sale (e.g. the funds processed will be included in that location’s next transfer) for the order and the order details can be viewed in the sales reporting associated with said location.

Note: At this time, an entire order must be fulfilled from a single location with a single fulfillment type. The ability to split fulfillment across multiple locations is not currently available.

Shipping Sales Tax

With Square for Retail, when you create a cart with Shipment selected as the fulfillment method, Square will automatically calculate a sales tax based on your applicable tax registration for the destination address. By default, Square creates a tax registration for each US State where you have a store location. If no tax registration is set up for the destination address then no shipping sales tax will be automatically applied to the order. Shipping sales taxes can be applied at the cart level or to individual items. Shipping Sales Taxes are available on Square Register, Square Terminal, and the Square for Retail app on iOS devices.

Note: The following states do not apply shipping sales taxes to an order based on their destination, but are instead taxed based on the item's origin address: 

• Arizona

• California

• Illinois

• Mississippi

• Missouri

• Ohio

• Pennsylvania

• Tennessee

• Texas

• Utah

• Virginia

Manage Shipping Sales taxes

To add a shipping sales tax, you must first have at least one item added to your cart with Shipment selected as your fulfillment method. If you have an applicable tax registration for the destination address, a tax will automatically be added to the cart.

To override taxes or create a new custom shipping sales tax:

1. Tap Tax, then tap Add Custom Tax. 

2. Next, you will need to add a Name and a Percentage or tax rate. 

3. Once the tax Name and Percentage have been added, tap Done to add your custom tax to the cart. 

Note: Custom taxes will not be saved after the transaction has been completed. A name is required for custom taxes as these taxes are itemized and listed in transaction history, order notifications, customer receipts, etc. If you choose to override the automatically calculated tax from the cart level, this tax will be applied to all future items added to your current cart. 

Order Status Updates

Customers will also be able to request status updates once the order has been charged. To get started:

1. Upon payment, customers will see the Receipt screen, where they can select Email, SMS, Print, or No receipt and enter their information for receipt delivery. The receipt serves as their proof of payment and can be used for future returns or exchanges.

2. After receipt selection, customers will see an order notification opt-in screen, where they can choose to receive status updates via e-mail or SMS as their order progresses in the fulfillment status. 

3. Tap Done.

Note: If your customer would prefer not to receive updates regarding their order, select No thanks on the order notification opt-in screen.

Keep in mind, taxes pre-applied to items will not include a local tax for items shipped out of your area. If a tax isn’t already applied to your selected item(s), you will see a prompt to add a custom tax or existing tax. Custom taxes will have an automated name based on the customer’s delivery address.

Automatically Print Orders

To turn on automatic printing for Square for Retail orders created in person and online:

1. From the Retail app, tap the three horizontal lines and select Settings > Hardware > Printers.

2. Select the use types under Use this printer for. 

3. If an order requires immediate preparation or customization for your in-store customer, toggle on In-store order tickets to turn on automatic printing.

4. If an order requires shipping or pickup and will be fulfilled for a customer at a later time, toggle on Order tickets with fulfillment to turn on automatic printing. 

5. Select the categories of items you prefer to print and select other options like Single item per ticket or Compact tickets if applicable.

6. Tap Save.

After the feature is turned on, new orders will automatically print from your supported printing device. Any new orders will also be highlighted green in the Orders section of your online Square Dashboard and in your Square for Retail app to differentiate from existing orders.

Learn more about printing order tickets with Square for Retail.

Address Validation

For shipped orders, the customer’s address will need to be accurate for delivery carriers to accept the orders. When entering customers’ shipping information, you’ll see an alert if the address needs to be updated. Tap Verify, and Square will run this address through our database, recommending changes where needed. If prompted with a Confirm shipping address screen, choose the address that best matches the customer's provided information and tap Done. If you prefer to proceed with the original address and not verify it as deliverable, just tap Skip.

Buyer-Facing Order Status Notifications

You can automatically send order status updates to your customers via e-mail and text message for orders created in your retail POS app on iOS, Square Register and Square Terminal.

Standardized order updates status will be automatically sent to your customers when:

• the order is placed,

• the order is ready for pickup,

• the order is shipped or

• the order is partially shipped.

Your customers can opt in to or opt-out of these updates based on their preferences when they place their order. Customers can also respond to the notifications, and you will be able to see and reply to the conversation in Messages.

Messaging Customers

With Square Messages for Square for Retail, you have a centralized location in-app and online so you can manage communications with customers that have made an order with your business. You can reply to your customers via email or text after they send you an initial message with Square Messages or initiate new conversations with your customer via email or text with Square Messages Plus. Learn more about Square Messages.

To initiate a new message with Square Messages Plus:

1. Select the Messages icon from your online Square Dashboard or the navigation menu of the Square for Retail app.

2. Search for an existing customer from your directory or select Create Customer.

3. Type your message into the section labeled Send via text or Send via email. If you have both an email address and phone number on file for your customer, you can switch the channel by tapping •••.

4. Tap or click on the blue arrow to send your message.

You can also send a message to a customer from the Orders section. This feature is ideal for gaining clarification on your customer’s order as well as any last-minute changes, such as out-of-stock items or substitutions.

To send a message to your customer about their order:

1. Go to Items & Orders > Orders.

2. Select an order and click ••• to open the action menu.

3. Select Message Buyer.

4. Confirm that you have consent from your buyer to contact them.

5. Type your message and hit Send.

To view your existing messages and respond to customers:

• Select a conversation from the Messages section of your online Square Dashboard or Square for Retail app.

• Review your conversation or enter a message into the section labeled Send via Text or Send via email. The section will default to the most recent channel used by your customer. If you have both an email address and phone number on file for your customer, you can switch the channel by tapping the •••.

• Tap or click on the blue arrow to send your message.
  

Manage Orders from the Square for Retail POS App

You can also manage Square Online and Square for Retail generated orders directly from your Square for Retail iOS app, Square Register and Square Terminal.

To get started with managing orders: 

1. Tap the three horizontal lines to bring up the main menu, and tap Orders. You’ll see a list of your orders, along with the time elapsed since the orders were placed.

2. Tap an order to bring up the Order Detail screen, and then tap Mark In Progress. The order status will update to In Progress.

3. Once you’ve completed the order, tap Mark Ready. From here, instructions will vary depending on the order fulfillment type. For Pickup Orders that have completed, tap Mark Picked Up. For Delivery Orders that have completed, tap Mark Delivered. For Shipping Orders that have completed, tap Mark Shipped.

4. If you’re shipping the order, make sure to add the shipping carrier and include a tracking number or tap Skip Tracking > Save.

5. Once the order(s) have been fulfilled, tap the arrow icon at the bottom of your screen to view the transaction details. Since customers will be charged as soon as they complete the checkout flow in Square Online, your transaction details will reflect the time your customer placed the original order.

Edit Shipping Address 

After a customer places an order, there may be times when the customer requests changes to the shipping address before the order has shipped. You can update these order details without having to cancel the order and create a new one.

To get started:

1. From your Order Manager, open the main menu and tap Orders > Active. For more specific results, sort by the order or fulfillment date.

2. Tap the order with the shipping address you want to edit. 

3. Select Edit Address > Verify to finish validating the address.

Note: Editing the shipping address is available with both Square for Retail Free and Square for Retail Plus. Read frequently asked questions about how to edit the shipping address of an order.

Cancel Orders

You can cancel specific items for an order, or the entire order, directly from  Order Manager on Square for Retail or on Dashboard. Square for Retail Free or Square for Retail Plus.

To get started:

1. Tap the three horizontal lines to bring up the Main Menu, tap Orders > Active. For more targeted results, sort by the order or fulfillment date.

2. Tap on the order you would like to cancel > Cancel Items.

3. Select the items to refund, or tap Select All > Next.

4. Choose a reason for the cancellation:

   • Item(s) Not in Stock

   • Customer Cancellation Request* Other

5. Tap Cancel Order.

6. Next, choose to issue your customer a refund or to cancel the order without refunding.