Customers can order from your store two ways: as a guest, or with an account. Both place real, paid orders that land in your Orders list the same way. The difference is mostly about what happens after, and whether their orders are tied to a profile. This article explains how each looks in the admin.
Guest checkout
A guest orders without creating an account. It's the quickest path for the customer, which is why a lot of first-time orders come in this way. You still capture what you need to fulfil the order: their name, email, phone and (for delivery) their address all sit on the order itself.
What you don't get is a profile. Each guest order stands on its own, so two orders from the same guest aren't linked together. If a guest didn't give a name, the order simply shows a dash where the name would be, with the email still present.
Registered customers
A registered customer has an account with your store. Their orders are tied to that account, which means you can see their full history in one place, and they can log in to reorder. Registered customers appear on the Customers page; guests don't.
What's the same for both
- Both kinds of order appear in your Orders list and open the same detail page.
- Both customers get the same confirmation and status emails, sent to the email on the order.
- Both can be cancelled and refunded the same way. See Cancel and refund an order.
So for day-to-day order handling, you treat a guest order exactly like a registered one.
What differs
- History: a registered customer's orders are grouped under their profile; guest orders aren't grouped at all.
- The Customers page: lists registered customers only. A guest who never made an account won't show there, even though their orders are in Orders.
You don't choose which path a customer takes; they decide at checkout. Offering guest checkout keeps that first order quick, while an account rewards regulars with faster reordering.
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Need a hand?
Looking for a customer on the Customers page and they're not there? They probably checked out as a guest, so search Orders by their email instead. Still stuck? Email support@menudock.co.uk with your store name and the customer's email.