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How to manage order sources

Order sources are the answers customers pick from under How did you hear about us? at checkout, and the ones your staff pick from on the order form. This tutorial shows how to trim the list to the channels you actually use, add your own, and put them in the order you want.

6 steps5 minBeginner

Before you start

  • You need an account with access to System Settings. Driver, operations and staff logins do not see it.
  • Every account starts with the same 16 standard sources, all turned on. You can hide them and reorder them, but not rename or delete them.
  • A custom source name cannot be changed once it is added, so decide on the wording first. Customers see it exactly as you type it.
Step 01

Open Order Sources in your Storefront settings

  1. Click your account name in the top right corner and choose System Settings.
  2. Click the Storefront card. It covers reservations, pricing display, delivery, coupons and checkout.
  3. In the list on the left, click Order Sources. The page scrolls to the section.
The Storefront page has one section list on the left. Order Sources sits just after Checkout Process.

Note: The browser address for this page ends in /settings/online-orders, but everywhere in the app it is called Storefront.

Step 02

Turn off the sources you do not use

A long list with Yahoo and Yellow Pages on it makes customers scroll past answers that no longer fit, and splits your report into slivers. Trim it to the channels you actually market on.

  1. Read down the Orders column. It shows how many orders have ever recorded each source.
  2. Click the Shown toggle on any source you want to stop offering. The name turns grey and an OFF label appears beside it.
  3. Check the line under the table, for example 12 of 16 shown to customers, to see how long the list will be at checkout.
The first seven of the sixteen standard sources. Flyer and Printed Ad are already off, and Other Social Network, with two orders ever, is next.

Tip: The lock on the right marks a standard source. Hover it in the app and it reminds you that the source can be turned off, but not renamed or deleted. Turning it off is always safe: past orders keep it.

Step 03

Add your own source

Add the channels the standard list does not cover: a neighborhood app, a school newsletter, a wedding expo, a partner venue.

  1. Click Add Source at the top right of the section.
  2. Type the name in Source name, up to 100 characters. Customers see it exactly as you type it.
  3. Click Add Source in the window, or press Enter. The new source joins the bottom of the list, turned on, with a green CUSTOM label.
The Add Source window. The note under the field is the one to take seriously: the name is final.

Heads up: A name already on the list is refused, whatever its capitals, so "google" cannot sit next to "Google". The window tells you when that happens.

Step 04

Drag the list into order

Customers read the dropdown from the top, so put your biggest channels there. The order here is the order at checkout and on the order form.

  1. Press and hold the three-line handle on the left of a row.
  2. Drag the row up or down and let go where you want it.

Sources that are turned off can stay anywhere. They do not appear at checkout, so their position does not matter until you turn them back on.

Grab the handle, not the name. Here the new Neighborhood App source moves up to third place.
Step 05

Remove a custom source

Custom sources have a red trash icon where standard ones have a lock. Remove one when the channel is gone for good, for example an expo you no longer attend.

  1. Click the trash icon on the right of the custom source.
  2. Read the message. It tells you how many orders already used the source, and that they keep it.
  3. Click Yes to remove it, or Cancel to keep it.
Removing a source never touches past orders. They keep it on their record and in your reports.

Tip: If you might use the channel again next season, turn it off with the Shown toggle instead. It stays on your list, ready to switch back on.

Step 06

Save your changes

Everything in Steps 02 to 05 happens on screen only. Nothing reaches checkout until you save the page.

  1. Click Save Changes in the bar at the top of the page. The bar stays in view while you scroll.
  2. Wait for the confirmation message. Your list is now live at checkout and on the order form.
One Save Changes covers the whole Storefront page, including every change to Order Sources.

Heads up: Clicking Cancel or Back to Settings before saving throws away every toggle, new source, reorder and removal you made. An added source you did not save never existed.

Order source questions

The things people ask after tidying their list the first time.

Why can I not rename a source?

Every order stores its source as text, and your dashboard chart and reports group orders on that text. Renaming a source would quietly change what hundreds of past orders say, so standard sources can only be turned off and custom sources can only be removed. To fix a typo in a custom source, remove it and add it again. Orders booked with the old spelling keep it.

What does the Orders column count?

Every order on your account that recorded that source, whatever its status and however old it is. It is the quickest way to see whether a source is worth keeping before you turn it off.

What happens to past orders when I turn off or remove a source?

Nothing. They keep the source they were booked with, it still counts in the Top Order Sources chart on your dashboard, and it stays selectable on that order's own page. Turning off or removing only stops it being offered on new orders.

Can I stop asking customers altogether?

Yes. In the Checkout Process section of the same page, turn on Hide sources on checkout. Online orders then record N/A, and the Source field also disappears from the new order form in your back office. You can still set a source on any order afterwards from the order page.

Does this change the list on my website?

Yes. The same list feeds checkout on your Party Rental Studio website, the checkout behind the WordPress plugin, and the order form your staff use, so one save updates all three.

What happens when Party Rental Studio adds a new standard source?

It appears at the bottom of your list, turned on, the next time you open the page. Turn it off or drag it into place like any other, then click Save Changes.