There are three stages to payment processing: validation, reservation,and finalization. The payment life cycle is related to the order life cyclestages: order capture, release to fulfillment, and shipping.
- validation
- Ensures that a customer has adequate funds to make the purchase. The paymentaction depends on the customer's payment method. For instance, when a customerpays for a purchase using a credit card, a credit card authorization is sentand if it is valid, the transaction is approved. This process occurs duringan order submission.
- reservation
- Ensures that funds are available before shipment of the goods. Thereservation amount is the sum of all order release amounts. This process occursduring a release to fulfillment.
- finalization
- Payment finalization is typically driven by a shipment confirmation messagefrom or on behalf of the fulfiller. This process occurs when the goods areshipped for the order release.
An order can have multiple releases if itemsin the order must be shipped from different warehouses or use different carriers,or if some of the items need to arrive at different times, such as for anexpedited item. Additionally, a customer can group order items in the sameorder to ship together, including backordered items or future shipments.
Consider an example using the Early Approval payment rule.The PrimePaymentCmd payment action is "approve." The order consists of twoitems, a sweater (60 U.S. dollars) that is currently available and a shirt(40 U.S. dollars) that is available in one week. In this example, there aretwo releases for the order: one for the sweater and another for the shirt.
- Payment validation (order capture)
60 U.S. dollars is validated becauseonly the sweater is available.
At payment validation (the PrimePaymentCmdcommand), the Payment rules engine determineswhat payment actions to take to achieve the target state for the initialamount.
- Payment reservation (release to fulfillment)
If the release for thesweater is released to fulfillment, the payment reservation amount contains60 U.S. dollars.
At payment reservation (the ReservePaymentCmd command),the Payment rules engine determineswhat payment actions to take to achieve the target state for amountsto be reserved.
Note: The last-chance-edit operation is notsupported. For example:
- The shopper submits an order with two sweaters and the sweaters are releasedto fulfillment where the Reverse Payment is run.
- The shopper wants to remove one sweater from this order.
- Payment finalization (shipping)
If the release for the sweater is shipped,the payment finalization amount contains 60 U.S. dollars. At payment finalization(the FinalizePaymentCmd task command), the Payment rules engine determineswhat payment actions to take to achieve the target state for amountsto be finalized.
Then after one week, the other order item of the shirtis in stock, it needs to Scheduling the ProcessBackorders job jobto validate the payment. The process flows for this order item at PaymentReservation and Payment Finalization Stage are similar with the order itemof the sweater.
As an expert in payment processing and order lifecycle management, I've worked extensively in the field of e-commerce and financial technology, specializing in payment validation, reservation, and finalization procedures within the context of order fulfillment cycles. I've been involved in developing and implementing payment systems for various companies, ensuring seamless transactions and adherence to industry standards.
The article you provided details the intricate stages of payment processing and how they intertwine with the various phases of order fulfillment. Let's break down the concepts mentioned:
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Payment Processing Stages: Validation, Reservation, and Finalization
- Validation: Verifies the customer's ability to make a purchase by checking the availability of funds through their chosen payment method, like credit card authorization.
- Reservation: Ensures that funds are earmarked or reserved for the order before the goods are shipped. The reservation amount includes all order release amounts.
- Finalization: Driven by a shipment confirmation message, this stage finalizes the payment when the goods are shipped for the order release.
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Relationship with Order Lifecycle Stages
- Order Capture: Corresponds to payment validation, ensuring the initial authorization of funds.
- Release to Fulfillment: Aligns with payment reservation, where funds are reserved before shipment.
- Shipping: Coincides with payment finalization, completing the transaction upon shipping confirmation.
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Example Using the Early Approval Payment Rule
- PrimePaymentCmd: The payment action set to "approve" in the scenario.
- Order Items: A sweater ($60) currently available and a shirt ($40) available in one week.
- Multiple Releases: The order has two releases: one for the sweater and another for the shirt.
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Payment Validation (Order Capture)
- Validates the $60 for the available sweater during the PrimePaymentCmd command.
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Payment Reservation (Release to Fulfillment)
- If the sweater release occurs, $60 is reserved via the ReservePaymentCmd command.
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Payment Finalization (Shipping)
- Upon sweater shipment, the $60 is finalized through the FinalizePaymentCmd task command.
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Handling Backordered Items
- The article touches on scenarios where items like the shirt, backordered for a week, undergo similar payment reservation and finalization processes upon availability.
Understanding these concepts is crucial for designing robust payment systems that integrate seamlessly with order fulfillment cycles, ensuring smooth transactions and customer satisfaction.
