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Add a manual order

This guide walks you through adding a single delivery by hand in Routella, for the times an order didn't come in from one of your connected stores. By the end you'll have a delivery ready to route and assign to a driver.

What it is

"Add a manual order" is a simple form where you type in one delivery yourself, instead of it arriving automatically from a connected shop like Shopify or your restaurant platform. You fill in who it's going to, where, what's being delivered, and how it's paid for. Routella calls it a "manual delivery" because you're creating the delivery slip by hand. Once you save it, it shows up next to all your other orders, ready to be added to a route and given to a driver. It's great for phone orders, walk-ins, a quick favor for a regular customer, or anything that didn't come in through an integration.

Why it matters

Real businesses don't get every order through an app. A customer calls, someone walks in, or a regular texts you their usual. Adding a manual order means those deliveries don't get lost on a sticky note or forgotten in a group chat. They go into the same place as everything else, so your driver routes, your customer tracking links, and your delivery records all stay complete and accurate. In short: one tidy list of every delivery you owe, no matter how it came in.

Step by step

1
Open the new delivery form
Go to your main dashboard (your orders screen). Look for the orange button labeled "Manual delivery" with a plus sign next to it, and click it. A window titled "New Manual Delivery" opens on top of your screen. Everything you type stays inside this window until you save.
2
Fill in the customer (Section 01)
In the first box, type the customer's full name. As you type, Routella searches your past customers and shows matches below — if you pick one, it fills in their phone, email, and saved address for you automatically. If it's a new customer, just keep typing the name. Then add their phone number and email if you have them (these are optional, but the phone is what lets the customer get a tracking link and updates).
3
Enter the drop-off address (Section 02)
Start typing the street address in the address box. A list of real address suggestions drops down — click the correct one. A small checkmark appears to show the address is confirmed and placed on the map. If your address isn't in the list, that's fine: type it anyway, but you MUST then fill in the City box by hand, or Routella won't be able to save it. You can also add floor, apartment, building number, and pick a country if needed.
4
Add what's being delivered (Section 03)
In the item box, type the product name. If you've connected a Shopify store, matching products pop up with their price and weight — click one to fill it in. If not, just type the item name and set the price yourself. Use the minus and plus buttons to set how many. Click "Additional item" to add more lines. The order total fills in as you go, and you can type a Subtotal or a Discount by hand if you'd rather. This whole section is optional — you can save a delivery with no items at all if you only need the address.
5
Set payment, delivery method, and package count
Still in Section 03, choose how the customer pays from the dropdown: leave it blank, or pick Online Payment, Cash on Delivery, or Card on Delivery. If you pick Cash on Delivery, Routella treats the order total as cash the driver needs to collect. Pick a delivery method if you use them (you can add your own with "Add delivery method"). Use the Packages stepper to say how many boxes this delivery is — useful if it won't all fit in one bag.
6
Add notes and tags (Section 04, optional)
Use the notes box for anything the driver needs to know — gate codes, "leave at door," "call on arrival," parking tips. Add tags (short labels like "fragile" or "VIP") if you want to group or find orders later. None of this is required, but a good note saves the driver a phone call.
7
Check the slip and save
On a computer, a live "Delivery Slip" preview on the right shows exactly what you've entered — give it a quick look. When it's right, click the "Save Delivery" button at the bottom. The window closes and your new delivery appears at the top of your orders list, ready to be added to a route and assigned to a driver.

Tips

The two things you cannot skip are the customer name and a usable address. "Usable" means either you picked an address from the dropdown (the checkmark showed up) OR you typed the City by hand. If you see a red message about address or city when you try to save, that's why.
Picking the address from the dropdown is worth the extra second — it places the delivery accurately on the map so route planning and the customer's tracking link work correctly. A typed-only address with just a city is rougher.
Your work is auto-saved as a draft as you type. If you close the form by accident or step away, Routella offers to bring your half-finished delivery back the next time you open it — so you won't lose what you started. There's also a "Drafts" button if you keep several going.
Choose "Cash on Delivery" only when the driver really will collect cash, since Routella then tracks that amount as money to be collected on this order.

Common questions

Do I have to add the items and prices?

No. Only the customer name and the address are required. If you just need to get a delivery to an address, you can save it with no items at all. Add items when you want the price total, weight, or a product list on the delivery.

What happens right after I save?

The delivery shows up at the top of your normal orders list, mixed in with orders from your connected stores. From there you handle it like any other order: add it to a delivery route, pick the items, and assign it to a driver.

The address I need isn't in the suggestion list. Can I still add it?

Yes. Type the address in the box as best you can, then fill in the City box by hand. That lets the order save. Just know that without picking a suggested address, the exact map pin may be approximate, so double-check the location when you plan the route.