How to Generate Custom Order Numbers in WooCommerce?

To generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce, you need to use a plugin that replaces the default WordPress post ID with a custom order number sequence. With a plugin like WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers, you can create sequential WooCommerce custom order numbers, set a starting number, add prefixes or dates, and define a consistent numbering format for all orders.

After installing the plugin, you can configure the order number format, starting value, and numbering length from the WooCommerce settings. This allows you to generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce that are sequential and easier to track.

Here, you’ll learn how to generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce step by step using the WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers plugin.

Ready to generate custom WooCommerce order numbers for your store?

WooCommerce doesn’t generate a custom order number sequence out of the box. Instead, it uses the WordPress post ID system to assign order numbers.

That’s because WordPress identifies every element, such as posts, pages, attributes, categories, tags, etc., as ‘posts’ and assigns them a post ID. Elements related to WooCommerce, like products, orders, etc., are also considered post types and are given unique post IDs. Therefore, in case of order numbers, the order ID is the same as its post ID.

Example: Let’s say you have two orders, Order A and Order B. The order ID for order 1 is 1000. After you receive Order A, you create a blog post on your website. Then the Order B is placed. So Order A will have the post ID 1000, the following post which is the blog will have the post ID 1002, and Order B will have the post ID 1003. Thus breaking up the sequence of the order numbers.

Note: A missed sequence of orders is not necessarily missing orders or orders that went unrecorded in your system. This happens because of how WordPress records orders in the database.

That’s why many choose to generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce using a plugin-based solution. A custom numbering system creates a dedicated sequence for orders, making tracking, reporting, and invoicing easier.

Sequential order numbers are important for a store for many reasons. They are important for inventory management, important for invoice management and will also ensure no order has gone missing.

Since WooCommerce uses WordPress post IDs, the default order numbers may not follow a clean sequence. To generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce, you need a plugin that creates a dedicated numbering system for orders.

The best (and cheapest) way to do this is the WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce plugin. It allows you to define a custom order number format with prefixes, dates, and starting numbers.

Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce is a free plugin that helps you create WooCommerce custom order numbers in a structured sequence. You can set up the custom numbering system in three simple steps.

Step 1: Install WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce

From your WordPress dashboard, go to the plugin installer and search for ‘Sequential order numbers for WooCommerce’.

Once you find the WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce plugin, click on Install Now and then activate the plugin.

Step 2: Configure Custom Order Number Settings in WooCommerce

After you install the plugin, go to the plugin setting page from WooCommerce > Settings > Sequential Order. By default, the starting order number is set as 1.

• Let’s set the starting number for the order as 2000. Any new order after adding the plugin will have the order number starting from 2000, increasing in sequential order for the subsequent orders.

If these settings are sufficient for you, then save the changes, and you need not make any further changes. And then, you will have the order numbers sorted in that custom order.

Step 3: Define the Custom Order Number Format

You can create your custom order number sequence in four different formats using the free version of the plugin.

1. [Number] – For example with starting number 1000, you get the order numbers like – 1000, 1001, 1002,…
2. [Prefix][Number] – For example for starting number 1000 and prefix ON, you get the series of orders as – ON1000, ON1001, ON1002,…
3. [Date][Number] – For example for the date format with the current month the order sequence will become January1000, January1001, January1002,…
4. [Prefix][Date][Number] – For example with prefix as ON, date format as the current month, and starting number 1000, you will get the order sequence as ONJanuary1000, ONJanuary1001, ONJanuary1002,…

The plugin provides ten pre-defined date formats to be used to generate a custom order number sequence.

• Next, you have the option to set the order number length. This option lets you maintain a fixed length for the order number sequence.
• From the Start number field, you can start the order sequence from any number.
• If you’d like, you can change all the existing order numbers to follow the sequence, or you can get the next order to start with the new custom number sequence.

If your store processes free orders, you may want to separate them from paid orders. Free orders are orders with a zero subtotal, and keeping them in a different sequence can make revenue tracking and reporting easier.

The free version of the Sequential Order for WooCommerce plugin does not provide the option for creating a separate sequence for free orders. This option comes in the premium version of the WebToffee WooCommerce Sequential Order Numbers plugin plugin.

Once you purchase and install the plugin, follow the steps below to create a separate order number sequence for free WooCommerce orders.

Step 1: Set Custom Order Number Sequence for Paid Orders

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Sequential Orders. Activate the license for the plugin so that you will get notifications for all the updates. Configure the plugin to have a custom WooCommerce order IDs for the paid orders. Set the format that you want for the paid orders.

Step 2: Enable a Seperate Order Number Sequence for Free Orders

Enable the option for a Separate sequence for free orders. When you enable this option, two more fields will be available to you.

1 – Start number for free orders – You can select the number from which the sequence will start for free orders.

2 – Prefix – This option allows you to create a separate prefix for the free orders so that you can differentiate between free and paid orders separately.

For example, you can set the order number to start from 1000 and have the prefix ‘FREE’ so that the order numbers will be as FREE1000, FREE1001,… etc.

The WebToffee Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce premium plugin helps you generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce with flexible numbering formats. You can add prefixes, suffixes, and date formats to create a consistent order numbering structure for WooCommerce orders.

The plugin also allows you to automatically reset order numbers on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis.

Key features of the plugin

• Multiple order number formats to setup custom order numbers
• Auto-reset for custom order numbers at a set interval
• Custom increment for the custom order number sequences
• Dynamic preview of the custom order ID sequence
• Keep existing order numbers intact
• Easy order tracking for both store owners and customers
• Return to default WooCommerce order numbers

WooCommerce uses the WordPress post ID system to assign order numbers, which often leads to gaps in the order sequence. For many store owners, this can make order tracking, reporting, and invoice management more difficult.

If you want a cleaner and more structured numbering system, you can generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce using a plugin. A custom order number sequence allows you to define formats with prefixes, dates, and starting numbers so your orders follow a consistent pattern.

Plugins like Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce make it easy to set up and manage custom order numbers without modifying your store’s core settings. With the right configuration, you can maintain organized order records and simplify store operations.

We hope this guide helped you learn how to generate custom order numbers in WooCommerce. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.

Thanks for reading!