Streamlining Store Operations

Scope: Applies to Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce 2.4.x (Admin-only features; no extensions required).

Note: This tutorial uses only features available in Magento Open Source 2.4.x. If you use Adobe Commerce, you can also leverage B2B and advanced features (not covered here).

Why This Tutorial Matters

Business Impact: Reduce order handling time, prevent stockouts, and standardize fulfillment to improve customer satisfaction and lower cost per order.

What You'll Achieve:

  • Cut daily order processing time by 20–40% using saved grid views and mass actions
  • Reduce out-of-stock incidents with inventory thresholds and weekly Low Stock reviews
  • Standardize invoicing and shipment emails to improve customer communication

Learning Journey Overview

Your Situation

You process 10–500 orders/day, manage a growing catalog, and need faster picking/packing, fewer manual updates, and consistent customer notifications—without adding headcount or custom code.

What You'll Learn

By completing this tutorial, you will:

  • Create and use saved Admin grid views for Orders and Products
  • Perform common mass actions efficiently on orders and products
  • Configure Sales Emails for orders, invoices, and shipments
  • Set inventory thresholds and review Low Stock reports
  • Structure inventory using Sources and Stocks (MSI)
  • Update product attributes in bulk safely
  • Optimize indexers for performance with Update by Schedule

Success Criteria

You'll know you've succeeded when:

  • You have at least two saved views on Sales > Orders and Catalog > Products
  • New orders trigger Order and Shipment emails automatically
  • Low Stock report is empty or reviewed weekly; no unexpected stockouts in the next 30 days
  • Indexers are set to Update by Schedule and all are in Ready status

Time Investment

  • Estimated time: 30–45 minutes for first-time setup
  • Skill level after completion: Confident day-to-day operator with efficient order and inventory workflows
  • Business value unlock: Faster fulfillment, fewer errors, improved customer communications—no extensions required
  • Note: Ongoing usage typically adds ~5–10 minutes per week for reviews and adjustments

Before We Start

Who This Is For

This tutorial is designed for:

  • Store owners and operations managers
  • Fulfillment leads and warehouse supervisors
  • Catalog managers responsible for product updates

What You Need

Make sure you have:

  • Magento Admin login with permissions to Sales, Catalog, Stores > Configuration, and System tools
  • Outgoing email configured by your host or SMTP provider (to send transactional emails)
  • If using multiple locations, a simple plan for your inventory Sources and Stocks (MSI)
  • Optional: A staging site to test configuration changes before production

Preparation Checklist

Before starting, complete these preparation steps:

  1. Confirm email sender identities: Stores > Configuration > General > Store Email Addresses
  2. Verify you can send emails: Stores > Configuration > Advanced > System > Mail Sending Settings (or confirm SMTP with your host)
  3. Review Indexers: System > Tools > Index Management (note current mode)
  4. Export or screenshot key configuration settings as a lightweight backup

Step-by-Step Learning Path

Orders & Fulfillment

  1. Create saved Orders grid views
  • Go to Sales > Orders.
  • Click Filters, set Status = Pending, set Purchase Date to Today (or as needed).
  • Click Columns and enable the columns your team needs (e.g., Grand Total, Shipping Address, Shipping Method).
  • In the Views selector (top right), click Save Current View and name it "New Orders Today".
  • Repeat to create an "Awaiting Shipment" view (e.g., Status = Processing, no Shipment created).
  1. Use mass actions to batch process safely
  • Go to Sales > Orders and select your "New Orders Today" view.
  • Select multiple orders (check the boxes), open Actions and choose safe batch operations like Print Invoices or Print Packingslips.
  • Tip: If the Invoice action is unavailable for an order, the payment method may auto-capture; open the order and check the Invoices tab.

Customer Communications

  1. Configure Sales Emails
  • Go to Stores > Configuration > Sales > Sales Emails.
  • Ensure Order, Invoice, Shipment, and Credit Memo emails are Enabled.
  • Choose appropriate Email Sender identities (configured under Stores > Configuration > General > Store Email Addresses).
  • Save Config.
  • Test by placing a small storefront order and confirming that Order and Shipment emails arrive.

Inventory & MSI

  1. Set low stock thresholds and review reports
  • Go to Stores > Configuration > Catalog > Inventory > Product Stock Options.
  • Set Notify for Quantity Below to a sensible buffer (e.g., 5–10, depending on sales velocity) and Save Config.
  • Weekly: Go to Reports > Products > Low Stock, review and restock items before they sell out.
  1. Define Sources and Stocks (for multi-location)
  • Go to Stores > Inventory > Sources and Add New Source for each physical location (enable and fill address/contact details).
  • Go to Stores > Inventory > Stocks and either:
    • Use the default Stock for single-location, or
    • Create a new Stock, assign your website, and add the relevant Sources.
  • When fulfilling orders, Magento's Source Selection Algorithm (SSA) will suggest optimal source(s) based on your configuration.

Catalog Efficiency

  1. Bulk update product attributes
  • Go to Catalog > Products.
  • Filter/select the products to change.
  • In Actions, choose Update Attributes.
  • Adjust fields (e.g., Tax Class, Visibility, or attribute values) and click Save.
  1. Create a "Out of Stock" product view
  • Go to Catalog > Products.
  • Click Filters, set Stock Status = Out of Stock (and add any other useful filters like Visibility or Website).
  • Adjust Columns to include Qty, Stock Status, Status, and Visibility.
  • Save the view as "Needs Restock" to quickly identify products requiring attention.

Performance

  1. Optimize indexers for stability and speed
  • Go to System > Tools > Index Management.
  • Select all indexers, choose Actions = Set to Update by Schedule, and Submit.
  • Confirm all indexers show Ready status after the next cron run. If not, verify the server cron is running.

Practice and Reinforcement

Now that you've learned the core process, let's reinforce your skills:

  • Create two additional Orders views: "Awaiting Payment" (Status = Pending) and "Shipped Today" (Shipment Date = Today).
  • Bulk update 10 products to the same Tax Class and confirm the change via Catalog > Products.
  • Trigger a test order on the storefront and verify Order and Shipment emails are received.

What You've Accomplished

🎉 Congratulations! You have successfully:

  • Created saved views for Orders and Products to accelerate daily work
  • Standardized transactional emails for key order events
  • Implemented inventory thresholds and review habits to prevent stockouts
  • Organized inventory across one or more locations and enabled efficient picking
  • Optimized indexers for balanced performance

Business Impact

  • 20–40% reduction in daily order handling time via saved views and mass actions
  • Fewer out-of-stock incidents through proactive monitoring
  • Improved customer satisfaction from timely, consistent emails

Skills Gained

You now have the ability to:

  • Create and manage Admin grid views
  • Execute bulk order and product operations safely
  • Configure and test transactional emails
  • Structure inventory with MSI Sources and Stocks
  • Manage indexer modes and verify indexer health

Next Steps in Your Journey

Now that you've mastered this process, here's how to build on your success:

Immediate Actions

  • Schedule weekly Low Stock report reviews
  • Audit Sales Emails for branding and tone alignment with your store

Level Up Your Skills

  • Create role-based Admin users and permissions (System > Permissions > User Roles) for pick/pack/ship workflows to reduce errors

Advanced Applications

  • Connect carrier/shipping integrations for label printing and tracking
  • Automate exports from Sales > Orders for accounting or ERP reconciliation

When Things Don't Go as Expected

Even experienced merchants encounter challenges. Here's how to handle common situations:

Orders grid and saved views

  • Can't save a grid view: Ensure your admin role has permissions for the area; try clearing Admin cache (System > Cache Management > Flush Magento Cache).

Mass actions

  • "Invoice" action missing: The payment method may auto-capture; open the order and check the Invoices tab.

Sales Emails

  • Emails not sending: Confirm Stores > Configuration > Sales > Sales Emails are enabled; verify Mail Sending Settings under Stores > Configuration > Advanced > System; confirm cron and SMTP with your host/developer.

Inventory / MSI

  • SSA not suggesting sources: Ensure multiple Sources are enabled and assigned to the Stock serving your website.
  • Low Stock report empty but items sell out: Raise Notify for Quantity Below or shorten your review cadence.

Indexers

  • Indexers stuck: System > Tools > Index Management > Reindex Data. If issues persist, verify your server cron is running and check for long-running reindex processes.

Continue Learning

  • Efficient Catalog Management
  • Building Email Templates

How-To Guides

  • Create and Assign Attribute Sets
  • Configure Sales Emails
  • Manage Indexers

Reference Materials

  • Admin Grid Views and Filters
  • Inventory Management (MSI) concepts

Summary

Key Takeaways

  • Saved grid views and mass actions can save hours each week
  • Sales Emails reduce support tickets and improve customer trust
  • Low Stock monitoring prevents lost sales
  • Indexers set to schedule keep the site fast during updates

Remember

  • Test changes on a staging site when possible and review operational reports weekly
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