Buyers submit for sign-off.
Team members build their order as usual, then submit it for approval instead of placing it directly.
- Order built from the live catalogue.
- Routed to the right approver.
- Nothing placed until approved.
Order approvals
Approve team orders in one click.
Empower your customers to streamline their ordering process with customisable approval workflows that match your organisation's requirements. Order Approval helps B2B organisations manage purchasing controls across shared customer accounts without slowing down the buying experience.
Order #1043
Placed by Loris Campanile · Sydney branch ·
Net 30
Loris Campanile isn't an approver on this account, so their
order is held for you.
ItemQtyLine
Safety gloves (case)30$2,400
Hi-vis vests40$2,600
Steel-cap boots10$1,300
Awaiting your decision
Total $6,300
Sydney branch budget · $6,600 of $25,000 used this
month
Why it matters
Buying teams need control without the bottleneck.
In B2B, the person placing an order often is not the person who signs off the spend. Without approvals, control happens after the fact: chasing sign-off over email, blowing budgets and reconciling surprises later. Approvals put the check in front of the order, without slowing everyone down.
Approvers act in one click.
Approvers get notified and can approve or decline from their phone or inbox, with the full order in front of them.
- Approve or decline from anywhere.
- See the full order and buyer.
- Add a note when declining.
Budgets are respected.
Spending limits, approval thresholds and budgets are checked automatically, so orders stay within the rules you set.
- Per-user and per-account limits.
- Thresholds that trigger approval.
- Full audit trail of every decision.
How an approval flows
From cart to approved order, without the chase.
Approvals should be a quick, visible step in the order, not a separate email thread that holds everything up.
1. Submit
The buyer sends it for approval.
A buyer builds their order and submits it for sign-off. If it is within their limit, it can proceed; if not, it is routed for approval.
2. Route
It reaches the right approver.
The order is sent to the approver based on your rules, with the buyer, items and totals attached so there is nothing to chase.
3. Decide
Approve or decline in one click.
The approver approves or declines from their phone or inbox, with budget and limit checks shown so the decision is informed.
4. Place
The approved order is placed.
Once approved, the order is placed and flows into your normal order and ERP process, with the approval recorded for audit.
A better way to control spend
Approvals up front versus cleaning up after.
Most teams control B2B spend after the order with email sign-off or manual reconciliation, which is slow and easy to bypass.
Capability
Email sign-off
No approvals
Pocketknife
When control happens
After the order, chasing sign-off.
Never, until reconciliation.
Before the order is placed.
Approver experience
Buried in an email thread.
Not involved.
Approve or decline in one click from anywhere.
Budgets & limits
Tracked manually, easy to miss.
Not enforced.
Spending limits and budgets checked automatically.
Audit trail
Scattered across inboxes.
Little to none.
Every decision logged against the approver.
Order approvals FAQ
What to know about approvals on Shopify.
Answers for Shopify Plus teams adding B2B order approvals, spending limits and budgets, with orders flowing into ERPs like Pronto Xi, Business Central, Apparel21, ASW, Exact and Oracle E-Business Suite.
How do order approvals work?
Buyers build an order and submit it for sign-off. The order is routed to the right approver, who approves or declines before the order is placed.
Can approvers approve from their phone?
Yes. Approvers can approve or decline in one click from their phone or inbox, with the full order and buyer in front of them.
Are spending limits enforced?
Yes. Per-user and per-account spending limits can be checked automatically so orders over a threshold require approval.
Can we set budgets?
Yes. Budgets and approval thresholds can be configured so spend stays within the rules you set for each team or account.
Who can be an approver?
Approvers are defined by your rules, so the right manager or account owner receives and decides on the orders that need sign-off.
Can orders under a limit skip approval?
Yes. Orders within a buyer's limit can proceed directly, while those over the threshold are routed for approval.
Can there be multiple approval steps?
Approval rules can be configured to fit your structure, including routing based on value, team or account.
Is there an audit trail?
Yes. Every approval and decline is logged against the approver so you always know who signed off on what.
What happens when an order is declined?
A declined order is not placed, and the approver can add a note so the buyer knows why and can adjust and resubmit.
Do approved orders reach our ERP?
Yes. Once approved and placed, the order flows into your normal order process and can sync to your ERP like any other order.
Does this work with multi-user accounts?
Yes. Approvals fit B2B accounts with multiple buyers and approvers, so teams can order while the account stays in control.
Does this slow down ordering?
No. Approvals only apply where your rules require them, and one-click decisions keep the process fast rather than holding orders up.
Put the sign-off in front of the order, not after it.
We will set up order approvals with your spending limits, budgets and approval rules, so teams can buy in one click while every order stays within control.
Talk through approvals →