# Orders

> Let customers browse, order, and pay inside the conversation on every channel your agent runs on.

Source: https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/orders

Orders turns your agent into a storefront using the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP): customers browse your products, place an order, and pay without leaving the conversation. Use it when you sell products and want customers to buy where they already talk to you, with no links or checkout pages.

It works across every channel: web chat, WhatsApp, SMS, Instagram, Messenger, and voice.

## How it works

| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| **1. Browse** | The customer asks about your products. Your agent shows the catalog with prices, images, and availability. |
| **2. Select** | The customer picks what they want. The agent builds the order and checks stock in real time. |
| **3. Review** | The customer reviews the order (items, subtotal, tax, shipping, and total) before committing. |
| **4. Checkout** | The agent collects name, email, and delivery preference. It knows your fulfillment options (pickup, shipping) and asks the right questions. |
| **5. Confirm** | The customer confirms and the order is placed. Inventory updates automatically. |
| **6. Pay** | With Stripe, a payment link is sent by email and SMS. With manual checkout, the customer pays at pickup or delivery. |
| **7. Done** | The customer gets a confirmation with the order details, and you get a notification. |

### After the order

- When payment is received, the order status updates automatically.
- Customers can ask your agent to check order status or view past orders at any time.
- You update order status from the dashboard as you fulfill orders.

**Note: Pricing is always accurate**
Your agent never calculates prices on its own. Link AI's commerce engine computes every total (subtotal, tax, shipping) from the settings you configure, so customers always see the right number.

## Set up Orders

### Enable Orders
Turn on Orders from your agent's settings in the dashboard.

### Add your products
Add products manually, import them via CSV, or sync them from [Shopify](https://docs.getlinkai.com/integrations/shopify). Each product supports:

- Title, price, and description
- Product image
- Categories
- Stock tracking (or unlimited)
- Active/inactive toggle to control availability

To use your Shopify catalog, connect Shopify from **Integrations**, then click **Sync products**. Webhooks keep create, update, delete, and inventory changes in sync. Customers can also look up a guest Shopify order with an order number and email.

### Configure your store
Set how your store operates. See [Store settings](#store-settings) for each field.

### Connect Stripe (optional)
To accept payments automatically, connect your [Stripe](https://docs.getlinkai.com/integrations/stripe) account. When an order is placed, a hosted payment link is generated and sent to the customer by email and SMS. Once paid, the order status updates on its own.

You should now see your agent take orders on every channel it is deployed to.

### Store settings

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Store name and address** | Shown on orders and shared with your agent |
| **Store hours** | Set a schedule or mark as **Always Open** |
| **Notification email** | Get alerted when new orders come in |
| **Tax rate** | A store-level rate applied at checkout |
| **Fulfillment methods** | **In-Store Pickup**, **Shipping** (with a flat rate), or both |
| **Preparation time** | Optional estimate for when an order will be ready (5 min to 2 hours) |
| **Checkout method** | **Manual** (pay at pickup/delivery) or **Stripe** (automatic payment links) |

## Works on every channel

| Channel | How it works |
|---|---|
| **Web Chat** | Product cards with images, full cart, inline confirmation |
| **WhatsApp** | Product list with prices, payment link sent via message |
| **SMS** | Product list, payment link sent via SMS |
| **Instagram** | Product list with prices, payment link sent via DM |
| **Messenger** | Product list with prices, payment link sent via message |
| **Voice** | Agent reads products aloud, payment link sent via SMS or email |

## What your agent knows

When a customer starts a conversation, your agent already knows:

- What products you carry and which are in stock
- Your pickup and delivery options
- Your tax rate and shipping costs
- Whether checkout is manual or paid online
- Your store hours and address
- How long orders take to prepare

You configure it once, and every channel and conversation inherits it.

## Manage orders

Open **Orders** in the dashboard to view and manage every order:

- See all orders with status, customer info, and totals.
- Open any order to view full details and the conversation that created it.
- Update order status as you fulfill: **New → Confirmed → Processing → Ready → Completed**.
- Cancel orders from any active status.

Cancelled orders restore inventory automatically. Refunded Stripe payments do the same.

**Tip:**
Orders your agent creates can also land on a board item, next to the rest of your team's work. See [Boards](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/boards).

## Next steps

**[Shopify](https://docs.getlinkai.com/integrations/shopify)**:
Sync your catalog and inventory from Shopify.

**[Stripe](https://docs.getlinkai.com/integrations/stripe)**:
Send payment links and update orders when customers pay.

**[Boards](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/boards)**:
Track orders and other work with your team.

**[Channels](https://docs.getlinkai.com/agents/channels)**:
Deploy your agent where your customers already are.