This tutorial will cover how to configure quotes on your UltraCart account, allow customers to request a quote, and sending out quotes.

Using Quotes Tutorial

Quote Request System

Introduction

UltraCart's Quote Request system allows your customers to request a price quotation for items in their cart instead of immediately completing a purchase. This is particularly useful for B2B transactions, custom orders, or scenarios where pricing requires negotiation or approval. As a merchant, you can review, adjust, and approve these requests, sending the customer a link to complete the purchase at the agreed-upon price.

This guide details how to enable, configure, and manage quote requests within your UltraCart store.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Quote Request system, ensure you have:

• Understanding of your customer profiles and pricing tiers if you plan to restrict quote requests to approved customers.

Configuring Quote Requests

The first step to using the quote request feature is to enable it in your store's payment configurations.

Enabling Quote Requests

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Configuration > Payments.

2. Scroll down and check the Quote Request toggle.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

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Limiting to Approved Customers Only

You can restrict who can submit quote requests. If you want to accept quote requests only from pre-approved customers:

1. On the Payments Configuration screen click on the Settings option for Quote Request.

2. If this box is selected, customers can be approved in one of two ways:

   • Through their individual Customer Profile.

   • By being assigned a specific Pricing Tier.

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Approving Customers via Customer Profile

To allow a specific customer profile to submit quote requests:

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Operations > Customer Profiles > Manage > Edit (for the desired customer).

2. Navigate to the Billing Tab, then scroll down to Checkout & Payments Section.

3. Check the Allow Quote Request box within the customer's profile.

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Approving Customers via Pricing Tier

To enable all customers assigned to a specific pricing tier to submit quote requests:

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Operations > Customer Profiles > Pricing Tiers > Edit (for the desired pricing tier).

2. Within the pricing tier settings, check the Allow Quote Request box.

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Customer Experience: Requesting a Quote

The process for a customer requesting a quote is similar to placing a standard order, with a key difference at checkout.

During Checkout

1. Customers add items to their cart as usual.

2. During the checkout process, they will select Quote Request as one of their payment options.

3. Once the quote request is placed, the customer will receive an email confirmation of their request.

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Permissions and Notifications

To manage quote requests, relevant users in your UltraCart account need specific permissions and can opt-in for email notifications.

Granting User Permissions

The quotation feature introduces a new permission. To grant a user access to quote requests:

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Configuration > Users > Edit (for the desired user).

2. Under the "Permissions" section, check the Access Quotations box.

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Configuring Email Notifications for Users

To receive email notifications when a new quote request comes in:

1. On the same user editing screen (Main Menu > Configuration > Users > Edit), locate the "Notifications" section.

2. Check the Quotation Request box.

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You can also include Order Details and have the quote sent to the user as a BCC, if you would like.

Processing a Quote Request

Once a customer submits a quote request, merchants can review, adjust, and approve it.

Accessing Quote Requests

Quote requests appear in a new section within the order management menu:

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Operations > Order Management > Quote Requests.

2. A list of pending quote requests will be displayed. Click on the Quote Request ID to view and process a specific request.

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Reviewing and Adjusting a Quote

The quote request screen provides all necessary details to manage the quote:

• At the top of the page, you will see the Quote ID and the time the quote was requested.

• Use the Edit Customer and Edit Items buttons at the top to adjust pricing, add discounts, or modify items within the quote.

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Approving and Sending the Quote

After adjusting the quote:

• Send the Finalized Quote: Click the Send button. You can optionally set an Expiration date for the pricing in the field provided, restricting how long the quoted price is valid. This action sends the "Approved Quote" email notification to the customer.

• Convert to Purchase Order: If the customer has already provided a purchase order number for the quote, enter it into the field and click the Convert button to immediately turn the quote into a completed purchase order.

• Reject the Quote: Click the Reject button if you do not wish to respond to the quote request.

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Quote Request vs. Approved Quote Email Notifications

It's important to distinguish between the two types of email notifications:

• Initial Quote Email Notification: Sent to the customer immediately after they submit a quote request. This is a confirmation of the request and does not contain a purchase link.

• Approved Quote Email Notification: Sent to the customer after the merchant processes the quote request and clicks the Send button. This email contains the "purchase link" for the customer to return and complete payment for the purchase.

Configuring Email Notifications

You can customize the email templates sent to customers regarding their quote requests and approved quotes.

Storefronts Checkout Email Notifications

For newer UltraCart Storefronts, customize emails here:

1. Navigate to Main Menu > Storefronts > (Select your Storefront) > Communications > Transactional Emails.

2. On the list of email notifications, scroll down and select the relevant Quote templates (e.g., "Quote Request Confirmation," "Approved Quote").

3. The template editor will appear, allowing you to customize the content.

Customer's Purchase Experience

Once you send an approved quote, the customer receives an email with a link to complete their purchase.

Email Received by Customer

The email received by the customer will contain a link to complete the purchase.

Back-End Order Entry (BEOE) Support

The Back-End Order Entry (BEOE) application also supports generating and sending quotes to customers.

1. At the bottom of the BEOE screen, click on the Quote tab.

2. You can set a Quote Expiration Date and check the Send Quote Immediately box if desired, given that BEOE allows for arbitrary edits to price and shipping costs.

3. Click the Process Quote button. The customer will receive their quote email and can complete the purchase within minutes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The following FAQs address common questions about how the Quote Request system behaves in UltraCart, based on real merchant usage and expectations.

Inventory Behavior

Q: Does sending a quote reserve or reduce inventory?

A: No. Sending or approving a quote does not reserve or deduct inventory.

Quotes are treated as non-binding requests until the customer completes the purchase. Inventory is only validated and deducted at the time of order placement (checkout/payment).

Important: If inventory levels change between the time a quote is sent and when the customer attempts to purchase, the order may fail due to insufficient stock.

What to expect:

• Quote created → No inventory impact

• Quote approved/sent → No inventory impact

• Customer completes purchase → Inventory is validated and deducted

Recommendation:

• If inventory is limited, consider:

  • Monitoring stock levels before sending quotes

  • Setting shorter quote expiration dates

  • Communicating availability expectations to customers

Quote vs Order Numbering

Q: Why does the quote have one number, but the final order has a different number?

A: This is expected behavior. Quotes and orders are separate entities in UltraCart and use different numbering sequences.

• The Quote Request ID:

  • Represents the quote record

  • Is used during the review and approval process

• The Order ID:

  • Is generated only when the customer completes checkout

  • Represents the finalized transaction

Note: The quote does not convert into an order until payment is completed (or manually converted in specific workflows like purchase orders).

Q: Can the quote number and order number be the same?

A: No. UltraCart intentionally keeps these separate for tracking and audit purposes.

This separation allows you to:

• Track quote activity independently from completed sales

• Maintain a clear audit trail of pricing negotiations and approvals

• Distinguish between pending quotes and completed orders

Q: How should I reference quotes when communicating with customers?

A: Use the Quote ID during the quoting process, and the Order ID after the purchase is completed.

Best practice:

• Before purchase: reference the Quote ID

• After purchase: reference the Order ID

• Optionally include both in internal notes for traceability

Quote Management

Q: Is there a way to resend or retrieve a quote link after it has been sent?

A: Yes. You can resend the quote email (which includes the purchase link) from the Quote Requests area.

Steps:

1. Navigate to Main Menu → Operations → Order Management → Quote Requests

2. Click the Recent Quotes Sent column

3. Select the desired quote

4. From the Actions menu, mouse over Payments

5. Click Resend Quote

You can also access this option from the View Orders search results.

Q: Can quotes be tied to their final orders after purchase?

A: Quotes and orders are not directly merged into a single record, but the quote is retained for reference.

• The quote remains in the system as part of the audit trail

• The completed purchase generates a new Order ID

If needed, you may manually reference both records for internal tracking.

Q: Can I delete a quote after it has been created or completed?

A: Yes, quotes can be deleted if desired.

Prerequisite: Your user account must have the Delete Order permission enabled.

Without this permission, the quote will remain in the system for audit purposes.

Quote Expiration

Q: Why was a quote still usable even after its expiration date passed?

A: The expiration date does not prevent checkout.

Instead, it controls whether special pricing applied during the quote is still valid.

• If the quote included discounted or modified pricing:

  • The expiration date determines how long that pricing is honored

• After expiration:

  • The system may revert to standard pricing, depending on configuration

Q: Can I automatically set an expiration date for all quotes?

A: No. UltraCart does not currently support automatic expiration dates for quotes.

• The expiration date must be manually set when sending or creating the quote

• There are no global settings to enforce automatic expiration

Tip: Establish an internal process to ensure consistent expiration dates (e.g., always set 7-day validity when sending quotes)

Additional Context

Tip: When a quote is approved and sent, the customer receives a purchase link via email. The order is only created once they complete that checkout flow.

Summary

• Quotes do not reserve inventory

• Inventory is enforced only at checkout

• Quotes and orders use different IDs by design

• Quotes remain in the system for audit tracking

• Expiration dates apply to pricing, not purchase availability