With Lightspeed Purchase, you can create and send purchase orders to suppliers and mark them as received once deliveries are made. Stock counts are automatically updated once items are received. 

To manage purchase orders and deliveries, you must have Lightspeed Purchase enabled and your supplier details added in Back Office.

What’s in this guide?

Understanding purchase order statuses
Creating a purchase order
Receiving deliveries
Accessing the purchase report
Frequently asked questions

Understanding purchase order statuses

Purchase orders progress through different statuses as they move from creation to completion. Below is an overview of each status, including its meaning and impact on your inventory and accounting. 

• Draft: The order has been saved as a draft and is ready for review before sending to the supplier. 
• Placed: The order has been reviewed and sent to the supplier. 
• Delivered: The order has arrived on site but has not yet been checked or stored. 
• Received: The order has been checked for discrepancies. Once marked as received, it automatically syncs with your accounting package, if this feature is enabled. 
• Cancelled: The order has been cancelled by either you or the supplier after it was initially placed or accepted. 
• Rejected: The order has been immediately rejected by the supplier. 
  

Creating a purchase order

Before creating a purchase order, ensure that your suppliers are added in Back Office and that cost pricing and inventory settings are configured so that accurate details appear on the purchase order. 

To create a purchase order: 

1. Log in to Lightspeed Purchase using your Back Office credentials. 
   
2. From the navigation menu, select Purchase orders. 
3. Click New order. 
   
4. Select the supplier you'd like to order from. 
   
5. If products are assigned to the selected supplier, all stock items are displayed automatically for you to select. Otherwise, you can search by product category by clicking the magnifying glass icon to search and view items assigned to that category. 
6. Click the quantity field next to the product to edit it.
7. (Optional) Alternatively, you can also click the item to move it over to the right. Then select the item to access the Edit item section, where you can update the quantity, tax, unit price, total price, and add a product note. 
   
8. On the same page, you can view and edit additional details about your purchase order. 
   • STOCK and PAR: The current stock and par levels display beneath each item. Stock levels update based on your inventory settings, while par levels display only after you've set a quantity for each item. 
   • Order Number: This is the purchase order number, which is automatically generated by Lightspeed. 
   • Delivery date: The default date is the day after the order is placed. You can change the date by selecting the Delivery date field and choosing a new date from the calendar. 
   • Delivery note: Here you can add additional specifications or instructions for the order. Notes for individual products can be added by selecting the item to access the Edit item section, then entering text in the Product note field.
9. (Optional) To review a PDF version of the purchase order, click the menu icon (three dots) in the upper-right corner of the screen, then select View as PDF. 
10. Once you're done, click Review Order.
11. After reviewing the order and confirming all details are correct, click Place order. 
12. (Optional) Check that the supplier's email address is correct before sending an email. You can also add any additional recipients in the Cc or Bcc fields if needed, then click Send email. 
    
    Emailing the supplier is optional. For purchase orders created solely to track inventory for stock you've already received, click the x in the email popup to skip sending it to your supplier.

Receiving deliveries

Marking an order as received automatically updates your stock levels. If your accounting platform is connected and purchase order syncing is enabled, the purchase details are also synced to your integrated accounting system. 

To receive deliveries:

1. Navigate to Lightspeed Purchase. 
2. From the navigation menu, select Purchase orders. 
3. Select the order you're receiving from the list. 
4. Click Start receiving. 
   
5. In the Invoice no. field, enter the invoice number from your supplier. 
   
6. (Optional) If the delivered quantity or price differs from the original order, select the item to access the Edit item section to update these changes. You can also use the search bar at the top to add any additional items that were delivered but not included in the original order, then click Apply Changes.
7. (Optional) You can attach packing slips, invoices, or photos of the order by clicking Add PDF/Image. This feature is available under the Purchase Advanced plan.
8. Click Receive order. 

Accessing the purchase report

The purchase report gives you a quick overview of your purchasing activity, including total spend, orders placed, and top products or suppliers. This helps you track costs and monitor how frequently items are ordered.

To access the purchase report:

1. Log in to Lightspeed Purchase using your Back Office credentials. 
2. From the navigation menu, select Report. 
3. Select the date or time range you want to review. You can choose from the predefined periods such as Today, Yesterday, Past 7 days, Past 30 days, or specify a custom date range. 
4. Click Apply. Here, you can see the following: 
   • Total order value: The total amount spent on all purchase orders that were marked as Received within the selected time range. 
   • Orders placed: The total number of purchase orders sent to suppliers including order that were later cancelled. 
   • Orders received: The total number of purchase orders that were marked as Received within the selected time range. 
   • Top 5 Products: The top five products with the highest total purchase spend during the selected time range. 
   • Top 5 Suppliers: The top five suppliers from whom you placed the most orders during the selected time frame. 
     

Frequently asked questions

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