Manage Orders within Activation

Summary

Overview

The Orders syndication functionality allows for the smooth exchange of product order data between a source, an ERP, an OMS, the Activation platform, and various retailers and marketplaces, starting with Amazon Seller Central and MIRAKL-powered marketplaces. The Activation platform plays the role of a self-service bridge, managing the data flows between a source and a destination.

 

 

Activation enables the real-time fetching, storage, and pushing of marketplace orders to third-party systems (ERPs/OMS), followed by automated shipping confirmation updates back to the marketplaces. Currently supporting Amazon and Mirakl-based marketplaces, Activation is expanding to include Walmart, Target, Otto and eBay soon.

Beyond order processing, the Activation order module also serves as a central monitoring and troubleshooting hub. It actively detects and alerts users to any errors within the order flow—including connection issues, performance glitches, and operational disruptions—ensuring prompt resolution and minimizing potential transactional data revenue impact.

This documentation explains how to effectively access and use the order management module in Activation. 

 

The exchange of order data to third-party systems (ERPs/OMS) is currently only available via API. We're actively working in building FTP connection support between Activation and 3rd party systems.

 

 

Refunds and Returns

Both of these functionalities will be available later in 2025

 

 

 

How does it work?

Data Flow

Here is the end-to-end process for managing orders within the Activation platform. Activation facilitates seamless order synchronization between your sales channels (e.g., Amazon Seller France) and your external systems (ERP, OMS, CMS).

Channel Connection:

  • Establish a connection to your desired sales channel (e.g., Amazon Seller France) within Activation.
  • This process is identical to the production information connection detailed in this article.

Order Retrieval Activation:

  • Navigate to your connected channel's settings within Activation.
  • Enable the "Order Retrieval" feature.

Order Synchronization:

  • Once enabled, Activation will begin automatically retrieving order data from your sales channel.
  • Order data is fetched every 5 minutes, ensuring near real-time updates.
  • The orders will then be visible inside of the Activation order module.

Order Data Export (to ERP/OMS/CMS):

  • Activation provides an Orders API with a dedicated endpoint URL.
  • Your external system (ERP, OMS, CMS) must integrate with this API to retrieve order data.
  • This is a pull method, where your system pulls the data from Activation.

Order Confirmation (to Activation):

  • After processing orders in your external system, send order confirmations (e.g., shipping updates, carrier information) back to Activation via the provided API.
  • The confirmation can be for one or multiple orders at the same time.
  • Activation translates this data into the format expected by the respective marketplaces.

Order Confirmation Transmission (to Marketplaces):

  • Activation utilizes a scheduler to automatically transmit order confirmation data to the marketplaces via API.
  • This transmission occurs every 15 minutes.
  • The order confirmation updates to the marketplaces can also be controlled (on/off) inside of the Activation channel settings. (e.g., you might only want to pull your orders into Activation but confirm them via another tool)

Order Data Storage and Association:

  • All order data is securely stored within Activation.
  • Orders are automatically associated with their corresponding products within the Activation platform.

 

Product information, product offers, and orders work independently from each other. You do not need to send product information or product offers to be able to fetch orders in Activation. As long as you are connected to the channel, you can retrieve orders and push order confirmation updates.

 

 

Working with the Orders API

As highlighted above, to exchange order data from 3rd party system to Activation, you will need to work with our Order API.  You can review the API documentation in this API guide to understand how to successfully call it to fetch orders from Activation and then push order confirmation updates back to Activation at your cadence. 

In the guide, you will learn about all the data points required to add in the shipment confirmation calls so that Activation sends the accurate data back to the marketplaces.

Access Token

  • To call the API successfully, you must access a token. Every new customer is assigned a unique access token when connecting a PIM to the Activation App.
  • Accessing the API requires the use of this access token.
  • To create a new access token to call the API you can generate it from the Activation app via this link
    1. Go to the Activation settings
    2. Select the “Activation settings” tab
    3. Click the generate token button with arrows

 

 

Order List

If you're connected to an Activation channel and have enabled the setting to fetch orders, you can now view your orders directly from the Activation platform. From the main menu on the left, click “orders”.

Here you can access the list of all of your orders for the all marketplaces you're connected to. 

Search and Filters

To manage your orders efficiently some filters and search functionalities are available at the top of the order list. Filters can be combined to refine search results and can be cleared when selecting the "All" option.

You can search by the order IDs provided by the marketplaces and here are the filters available:

  • Status: filters on order statuses
    • Options:
      • All
      • Pending
      • Waiting for shipment
      • Partially shipped
      • Shipped
      • Refused
      • Canceled
      • Unknown
    • The meaning of the statuses is described later in this article 
  • Your connected channels: filters on the marketplaces you're doing business with
    • Options:
      • All
      • ex: Amazon FR, Amazon ES, Walmart
  • Syndication Channels: filters on the Activation channels you've connected
    • Options:
      • All
      • ex: Amazon FR 1, Amazon FR 2, Amazon FR 
  • Date: simple-select filter change, refining the date for when Activation received the order.
    • Options:
      • All (default option)
      • Today
      • Yesterday
      • This week (starting on Mondays)
      • Last week (previous 7 rolling days)
      • This month
      • Last month
  • Orders Errors: filters on orders that contain errors
    • Options:
      • All
      • Contain errors
      • No errors

 

 

Order Count

You can view the order count returned from your search in the top right part of the table.

Sort

You can sort the table by the “errors” and “purchase date columns”

 

Split orders and mixed fulfillment

When an order includes items fulfilled by both the merchant and the marketplace, Activation will display these as two distinct orders. In most cases, each resulting order will have its unique order number assigned by the marketplace.

 

 

 

 

Order Details

Inside the table list, clicking on an order row provides a detailed view of all order data, organized around multiple sections.

Viewing Order Details: When you view an order, you'll see a summary of its key information:

  • Order IDs
    • Order ID: unique ID coming from the marketplace associated with each order
    • Line item ID: unique ID coming from the marketplace for each line item inside an order
    • Internal ID: unique ID generated by Activation to facilitate internal operations
  • Order Dates
  • Order Status
  • Payment details

Variations in Data: Be aware that the information displayed can differ depending on the marketplace. Also, some marketplaces provide supplementary data, like VAT/sales tax calculations.

 

Buyer Information: You can view the buyer's details, including:

  • Contact information (e.g., email, phone number)
  • Address(es) (shipping and/or billing)

 

Ordered Products: This section displays the details of the products included in the order:

  • Product Identification: GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), provided by the marketplaces
  • Channel: marketplace the products(s) were ordered on
  • Quantity: Number of units ordered
  • Total Price: The combined price for the ordered quantity of the product.
  • View product: If a product ordered was part of a product export from Activation, you can click on the “view product” button to access the product's information directly from your Activation channel product grid

 

 

Order Status

Understanding Order Status:

The order status shows the current stage of processing. "Waiting for Shipment" and "Shipped" are the most common statuses. Other statuses can be marketplace-specific.

Key Points:

  • "Shipped" means a shipment was processed, not necessarily sent to the marketplace yet.
  • “Canceled” means the cancellation process started and finished.
  • Be aware that each marketplace will have its own unique order status and status meaning. The goal of the Activation platform is to create a uniform, standard, and agnostic system, as much as possible, but you should always double-check new marketplaces' ways of working before fully automating your order process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Status API status Description
Pending PENDING It has not been picked up by the webstore/order management system yet.
Waiting for Shipment WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT It has been acknowledged by the webstore/order management system, and has a merchant order number*. It remains in progress even if partially shipped or canceled, with one or more items still to be shipped.
Shipped SHIPPED It has been shipped.
Partially Shipped PARTIALLY_SHIPPED It is partially shipped form the web app, with one or more items still to be shipped – this usually happens with partial merchant-fulfilled orders.
Canceled CANCELED It is canceled, either by the merchant or by the customer/ marketplace.
Refused REFUSED MIRAKL specific, if an order is refused by the marketplace, it is unlikely to be used.
Unknown UNKNOWN there as a "default"  if any new statuses come up from a marketplace, unlikely to be used.

 

 

Orders cancellation requests

Akeneo Activation is designed to handle order cancellation requests received from marketplaces, whether initiated by the marketplace or by the buyer. These cancellation events are important for maintaining accurate order information and managing inventory.

  • Logging and API Availability: Activation logs all order cancellation requests within the system. This information is also made accessible through the Order API.
  • UI Filtering: The Activation user interface provides a filtering mechanism that allows users to easily filter and view orders that include canceled items. This feature simplifies the process of identifying and managing orders affected by cancellations.
  • Cancellation Labels: Orders that have been subject to cancellation requests are identifiable within the UI through specific labels or tags. This visual cue helps users quickly recognize canceled orders in lists and reports.

 

Email Notifications: Notifications for order cancellation requests are available via email. Detailed information on configuring and managing these email notifications can be found in this article.

 

 

Order errors

Activation actively monitors the order lifecycle for errors during:

  • Order retrieval from marketplaces.
  • Data transformation.
  • Order updates to marketplaces or connected systems (ERP/OMS/CMS).

All detected errors are logged for troubleshooting and auditing and can be viewed by going to the logs tab on the Activation platform (main menu on the left >> Logs”)

 

Error Notifications and Alerts:

Activation provides timely notifications to alert users of processing issues during the order lifecycle:

  • Email Notifications: Critical errors trigger email alerts to designated users to facilitate trouble.
  • Order Details UI: Errors related to specific orders are displayed directly within the order details page.
    • you can copy the error logs by clicking the “…” and “copy error details”

 

Types of alert monitoring:

  • Failed order retrieval from marketplaces.
  • Failed order push/pull to/from connected systems (ERP/OMS/CMS).
  • Failed order transmission to marketplaces.
  • Cancellation request failures.
  • General system connectivity failures.

These error detection and notification mechanisms ensure order processing reliability, maintain platform usage trust, and facilitate prompt issue resolution.

 

 

Exchange order data with external systems via FTP

The preferred method to exchange order data with external systems is using the orders API (see section at the beginning of this article). However, if connecting to the orders API is not feasible, Activation provides the option to import and export order-related information through FTP connections. This method allows for the transfer of order details and shipment confirmations using CSV files, offering a flexible alternative for integrating with systems that may not support direct API communication. The following sections describe the configuration and usage of FTP-based order export and shipment confirmation jobs within Activation.

 

 

 

Order Export Job

Overview

Akeneo Activation allows you to export order data to external systems via FTP. This functionality enables you to share order information with partners, fulfillment centers, or other platforms that require access to your order details. The order export job is configured within the Activation Channel settings and utilizes FTP connections (described in this article) for data transfer. Here are the steps to configure the order export job for a specific Activation channel

 

Job Configuration

Activation Channel Settings: Access the settings for the relevant Activation channel.

Go to the Order Section: Within the channel settings, find the "Order" section.

Enable/Disable the Job:

  • Use the provided toggle or checkbox to Enable the order export job.
  • Ensure it is enabled to activate the export process.
  • When enabled, order data will be exported as CSV files to your specified storage (e.g., FTP). Only orders that have been updated by the marketplace since the previous export will be included.

Set Job Frequency:

  • Define the frequency at which the system will export order data.
  • Available options typically include intervals like every 15, 30, or 45 minutes, hourly, daily, or weekly schedules.

Select Storage Connection:

  • Choose an existing FTP connection from the dropdown menu or create a new one by clicking the "+" icon.
  • This connection will be used to specify where the order data files will be sent.

Select Folder Path:

  • Specify the folder path on the selected FTP storage where the order data files should be saved.

 

Template: The order export job uses a template to structure the exported data. The template includes the following columns and data requirements:

Column name Examples Can be empty Type / Format Description Note
order_status SHIPPED String Status of the order PENDING | WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT | PARTIALLY_SHIPPED | SHIPPED | REFUSED | CANCELED | UNKNOWN
order_id 402-2654339-9122716 Identifier The marketplace order id  
purchase_date 2024-11-15T19:56:04.000Z String The date at which the product was bought It’s an ISO date
fulfilled_by merchant String Represents the third party that must handle the shipment Can be:

merchant when the order must be fulfilled by you

marketplace when the order must be fulfilled by the marketplace
- empty string (the marketplace did not provide this information)
 
customer_name John Doe String Name of the customer who bought the product Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
customer_phone 0102030405 String Phone of the customer who bought the product Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
shipping_address_line_1 13 place Aristide Briand String First part of the shipping address Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
shipping_address_line_2 2 eme etage String Second part of the shipping address Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
shipping_postal_code 44000 String Shipping post code Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
shipping_city Nantes String Shipping city Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
shipping_country_code FR String Shipping country code Can be empty depending on the current order status (example: when it’s in a status before WAITING_FOR_SHIPMENT)
product_sku 12345 String Product SKU  
quantity_ordered   Number The quantity ordered  
quantity_shipped   Number The quantity shipped  
quantity_remaining_to_ship   Number The remaining quantity to ship Formula: quantity_ordered - quantity_shipped
unit_price 39.9 Number The price per single unit of the product Formula: line_total / quantity_ordered

Special Case: 0 if quantity_ordered == 0 (e.g., canceled order).
line_total 119.7 Number The total price, including taxes, for all units ordered It includes taxes

Special Case: 0 if we did not receive any price from the marketplace
line_number 1 Number The product’s index in the order list Starts from 1

 

Note: Some fields can be empty depending on the order status.

 

 

Select File Filter:

  • Specify the order status you would like the file to be filtered on (this is an optional configuration)
    • Pending
    • Waiting for shipment
    • Partially shipped
    • Shipped
    • Refused
    • Canceled
    • Unknown
  • Select one or more order statuses to export only matching orders. If no status is selected, all orders will be included.

File Split Group:

  • You can decide to split your order export file based on a couple of criteria (on/off toggles)
    • Fulfillment type:
      • When enabled, separate CSV files will be generated for orders fulfilled by the marketplace and those fulfilled by the seller.
      • Ex: FBA/FBA for Amazon
    • Shipping Country:
      • When enabled, separate CSV files will be generated for orders based on their shipping country.
      • Ex: an order is placed on Amazon Seller France but the shipping destination is actually Spain

Automatic Saving: Settings are saved automatically after selecting the folder path.

File Naming:

  • The exported files are named based on activated split groups.
  • If no groups are active: 
    • orders_export_[syndicationChannelCode]_[isoDate].csv (e.g., orders_export_amazon_vendor_us_2025-04-11T15-37-34.5132.csv)
  • If grouped by fulfillment:
    • orders_export_[syndicationChannelCode]_[fulfilledBy]_[isoDate].csv (e.g., orders_export_amazon_vendor_us_merchant_2025-04-11T15-37-34.5132.csv)
  • If grouped by shipping country code: 
    • orders_export_[syndicationChannelCode]_[shippingCountryCode]_[isoDate].csv (e.g., orders_export_amazon_vendor_us_FR_2025-04-11T15-37-34.5132.csv)
  • If grouped by both: 
    • orders_export_[syndicationChannelCode]_[fulfilledBy]_[shippingCountryCode]_[isoDate].csv (e.g., orders_export_amazon_vendor_us_merchant_FR_2025-04-11T15-37-34.5132.csv)

 

Order Shipment Confirmation Job

Overview

Akeneo Activation can import order shipment confirmation data from external systems via FTP. This feature allows you to update order statuses and related information in Activation based on shipment details provided by external sources. The job is configured in the Activation Channel settings and uses FTP connections (the same as the order export job explained above). Here are the steps to configure the order shipment confirmation import job for a specific Activation channel

 

Job Configuration Steps

Navigate to Activation Channel Settings: Go to the settings of the desired Activation channel.

Go to the Order Section: Locate and enter the "Order" section within the channel settings.

Enable/Disable the Job:

  • Use the toggle or checkbox to Enable the order shipment confirmation import job.
  • Ensure it is enabled to activate the import process.
  • When enabled, shipment update data will be imported from your specified storage (e.g., FTP). Only CSV files are processed and deleted afterward.

Set Job Frequency:

  • Define how often the system should check for and import shipment confirmation data.
  • Select from frequency options such as every 15, 30, or 45 minutes, hourly, daily, or weekly.

Select Storage Connection:

  • Choose an existing FTP connection or create a new one using the "+" icon.
  • This connection specifies the FTP server and credentials for accessing the shipment confirmation files.

Select Folder Path:

  • Specify the folder path on the selected FTP storage where the shipment confirmation CSV files are located.

 

Template: The order shipment confirmation job relies on a template to define the structure of the imported data. The template includes the following columns:

Column Name Examples Required Type / Format Description Note
id d3c712bc-8be3-222b-e6aa-f57bd1a0e4f6 ✅ / ❌ Identifier The Activation internal id One of id or original_id is required
original_id 012-3456789-0000000 ✅ / ❌ Identifier The marketplace order id

 
One of id or original_id is required
package_id 1 String Identifier of package Usually when there is only one package, its value is “1”

Numeric
tracking_number A123456 String The tracking number of the shipment  
shipping_date 1744187335000 Timestamp (in milliseconds) 13 digits The shipping date and time  
carrier_code UPS String The carrier code  
item_id 15.0 ✅ / ❌ Identifier The Activation order item id One of item_id or item_original_id is required when “item_quantity_shipped” is provided
item_original_id USD ✅ / ❌ Identifier The market place order item id One of item_id or item_original_id is required when “item_quantity_shipped” is provided
item_quantity_shipped 2024-01-01 Integer The number of the current item shipped Needs to be defined when only a subset of the order has been shipped

Automatic Saving: The configuration is saved automatically after setting the folder path.

Template file

 

Automated orders management critical path

With a full API integration, Activation automates order handling. Your 3rd party system (ERP/OMS) manages the core order process.

Here is the critical path workflow

  1. Marketplace order arrives, Activation status: "Waiting for shipment."
  2. Order sent to 3rd party system (ERP/OMS), Activation status: "Waiting for shipment."
  3. 3rd party system (ERP/OMS) processes order.
  4. 3rd party system (ERP/OMS) ships, sends tracking to Activation, Activation status: "Shipped."
  5. Activation updates the marketplace with shipment details.
  6. Marketplace notifies customers.

 

 

Current module limitations

To date, it is not possible from the Activation app to:

  • fetch orders from marketplaces and send the data from Activation to an ERP/OMS via FTP
  • send order confirmation to Activation via FTP
  • create orders manually in Activation
  • create returns for an order from Activation
  • request refunds for an order from Activation
  • in Activation, automatically update product inventory across channels when an order is received