01
Order sync + courier history
New Shopify orders arrive in the internal dashboard with the customer courier history the team needs before making a COD decision.
Shopify operations / Custom integration
FioraCOD Operations System.
A lightweight internal workflow connecting Shopify, courier operations and customer SMS so the team can process COD orders without repeating the same system-to-system work.
- Client
- Fiora
- Year
- 2026
- Role
- System design · Development · Integrations
- Delivered through
- Brandylane
- Type
- Shopify operations / Automation
Internal operations dashboard
Shopify / Courier API / SMS
Project context
Fiora is a Bangladesh-based Shopify store where cash on delivery is a normal part of day-to-day ecommerce operations. This case study focuses on the internal workflow I built around order review, courier submission, status synchronization and customer notification. Customer information shown in the visuals has been anonymized.
01 / The challenge
The order was already in Shopify. The work around it was still manual.
For a typical COD order, the team had to review the Shopify order, call the customer, open the courier portal, check previous delivery history, decide whether the order looked safe, create the parcel, return to Shopify and fulfill it.
After the courier started processing the parcel, delivery and return updates created another round of checking. The business could handle the process, but the same operational steps were being repeated across multiple systems every day.
Systems involvedShopify + courier portal
Human decisionConfirm or cancel COD order
Repeated workHistory check + parcel entry
After dispatchDelivery / return status follow-up
Before
Repeated system hops
02 / The solution
Collapse the routine into one controlled operational surface.
I built a small private dashboard around the exact sequence the team already followed. Shopify remains the commerce source, the courier company remains the delivery provider, and the new system sits between them to remove repeated data entry and status checking.
The goal was not to replace people with automation. The team still makes the decisions that need judgement — such as confirming a COD order — while the software handles the mechanical work between systems.
Operational flow
Review / Submit / Sync / Notify
03 / What the system handles
Automate the system work. Keep the human decision points visible.
02
COD confirmation
The team can confirm or cancel a COD order directly in the dashboard without moving through multiple systems.
03
Courier submission
Once approved, the order can be created with the courier company through the API instead of entering the parcel manually.
04
Custom documents
Invoice and packing-slip actions were kept inside the workflow because those print formats were specific operational requirements.
05
Webhook + Shopify status sync
Courier webhooks bring shipment changes back into the system and keep the relevant Shopify order state aligned without repeated manual checking.
06
Customer notifications
Relevant status changes trigger SMS through a local Bangladesh gateway, avoiding the cost and complexity of routing local notifications through an international number.
04 / Why custom
An existing app was not automatically the better answer.
- 01
Reliability mattered more than app count
The client had already used courier-integration apps and experienced downtime. Adding another generic tool did not solve the reliability problem they actually cared about.
- 02
Customer data needed to stay controlled
The client was not comfortable sending more customer and order data through an additional third-party SaaS layer when a direct integration could keep the workflow in their own environment.
- 03
The workflow had client-specific steps
Courier-history review, COD confirmation, custom invoice and packing-slip actions, courier creation and status updates all needed to sit in one sequence that matched how the team already worked.
- 04
Existing hosting was enough
The business already had Hostinger hosting, so a focused PHP and MySQL application could solve the operational problem without introducing unnecessary infrastructure or recurring platform overhead.
Decision
Reliability / Data control / Workflow fit
05 / Technical implementation
Intentionally small infrastructure around the systems the business already used.
Shopify custom app
The dashboard connects directly to Shopify for order data and operational state rather than relying on a separate SaaS layer to mirror the store.
PHP + PDO + MySQL
The application uses a straightforward server-rendered PHP stack with PDO and MySQL — appropriate for the size of the workflow and easy to run on the hosting the client already had.
Courier API + webhooks
Steadfast is the courier provider in this implementation. API calls handle history and parcel creation, while webhooks bring shipment updates back into the dashboard.
Local SMS gateway
A Bangladesh SMS provider handles customer notifications, keeping local delivery costs practical instead of routing messages through an international virtual number.
- Commerce
- Shopify Admin API
- Application
- PHP · PDO · MySQL
- Delivery
- Courier API · Webhooks
- Notifications
- Local SMS gateway
06 / Delivered outcome
One place to run the order lifecycle instead of repeatedly moving between systems.
The delivered workflow gives the operations team a single surface for the order lifecycle: review the customer context, make the COD decision, submit the parcel, print what is needed and let integrations carry the routine updates forward.
I am not attaching a fabricated time-saved or conversion-lift number to the project. The verified result is the shipped operational system and the manual steps it now handles programmatically.
- 01Private operations dashboard connected to Shopify through a custom app
- 02Courier-history lookup before COD confirmation
- 03One-click confirm / cancel decision inside the dashboard
- 04Courier parcel creation through API
- 05Custom invoice and packing-slip actions
- 06Webhook handling for courier-status changes
- 07Shopify order-state synchronization
- 08Automated SMS notifications through a local gateway
08 / Start a conversation
Have an operational workflow that should not still be manual?
I can help map the process, identify where automation actually makes sense and build the integration around the systems your business already depends on.