How to track Instagram orders in a spreadsheet
“I’ll take the beige shirt in M. Do you deliver to Bitola?” You confirm the order that evening. The next morning, with the shirt on the packing table, you remember a follow-up message. Did she ask for a different size? One row in an order tracker gives you a place to keep the final choice, the delivery address and the amount to collect.
Download the free Instagram order tracker (.xlsx)
Open the “Orders EN” tab. DEMO-001 is a worked example. Replace it with your first order and keep using that tab for the rest.
When does a message become an order?
“How much?” is an inquiry. Start a row when the buyer confirms what they want. Give it an ID such as IG-001, then enter the date, Instagram handle, item, quantity and variant. If the buyer changes from M to L in a later message, update the size in the same row. The person packing the order will see the latest choice.
Still missing an address? Choose “Awaiting details”. Ask for the recipient’s name, phone number, street address and city. Share the sheet with the people who fulfil orders and keep customer details out of any public copy.
Work through one cash-on-delivery order
For one beige shirt in M, enter 1,490 MKD under “Items total” and 150 MKD under “Delivery”. The tracker calculates 1,640 MKD. Enter 0 for free delivery. If the buyer adds a belt to the same parcel, list both items with their quantities, update the merchandise total and enter the delivery charge just once.
| Order line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Beige shirt, size M | 1 × 1,490 MKD |
| Delivery to Bitola | 150 MKD |
| Amount to collect on delivery | 1,640 MKD |
“Order IG-001 is confirmed. One beige shirt in M, delivered to Bitola. Your total is 1,640 MKD, payable on delivery.”
Check the packing list and the payment separately
Once you have the details, choose “Ready to pack”. Before the courier arrives, filter for those rows and check the size, address and amount. At handover, enter the courier and tracking number and change the order status to “Shipped”.
A parcel can reach its buyer before the money reaches your shop. With cash on delivery, mark the parcel “Delivered” when it arrives. Leave the payment as “Pending” until you receive the money from the courier, then change it to “Received”.
Give your Instagram customers a product link
Start with the shirt people ask about most. Add its photo, price and available sizes to Bizwebpack and put the product link in your Instagram bio. Your buyer can choose a size and enter a delivery address, and the order appears in your shop ready for you to pack.
How to enter an order with two items
A buyer in Bitola confirms the beige shirt, then adds a black belt in the same conversation. If you give the belt a new order number, you will have two parcels on paper and only one on the packing bench. Give the whole order a reference, such as IG-014. In the notes, list each item with its colour, size, quantity and price. If you prefer a separate sheet with one line for each item, repeat IG-014 on both lines and record delivery just once in the order summary.
At 1,490 MKD for the shirt and 390 MKD for the belt, the goods come to 1,880 MKD. With 150 MKD delivery, the courier should collect 2,030 MKD. Read out the two items at the packing bench, check that both made it into the box and compare the collection amount on the label with your total. If the buyer cancels the belt before dispatch, change the item list, amend shipping if necessary, and send the corrected confirmation.
Why keep a delivery date and a separate payout date?
The courier delivers the parcel on Tuesday and sends you a single transfer for several parcels on Friday. Tuesday’s status tells you the customer received the shirt. To close out Friday’s payment you also need the courier statement. Look up the parcel reference on that statement and use it to find IG-014 in your sheet. Record the payout date and mark the payment as received once you can connect it to the corresponding transfer.
When the bank amount is smaller than the collections, look for a fee the courier retained under your agreement. For example, a collection of 2,030 MKD with a 40 MKD fee leaves 1,990 MKD transferred. Keep the collection amount and the fee visible separately. If the statement does not explain the difference, flag the parcel reference for follow-up with the courier. You can return to that exact discrepancy without searching a week of messages.
What should I check at the end of the day?
First filter for confirmed orders with no parcel reference and compare the list with the boxes actually waiting for collection. Next check the parcels in transit that buyers are asking about. Finally look at delivered orders with an empty payout date. Those lists give you three different tasks for tomorrow. A note such as “Ask courier about parcel 014 on Wednesday” leaves a clear next action for whoever opens the sheet next.
When two people start editing the same order at once, agree on one place where an order becomes confirmed. In an online shop the customer selects a variant and enters an address, and you can use the confirmation number at the packing bench. The spreadsheet can still be useful for matching courier payouts. Move a frequently ordered item first and compare a week of real orders with the old process.