Call them vendors or suppliers: matching OrderPilot to your store's words

In your store, the buyer says “the factory” or “the maker.” A new associate says “supplier.” Then a screen says “Vendor,” and a simple training question becomes a discussion about whether everyone means the same company.

OrderPilot lets you keep Vendor or choose a custom term for its Admin screens. Make that small choice deliberately, then use a short glossary for the distinctions the software label cannot settle. Familiar language helps staff follow the job without translating every instruction as they go.

Choose a word that covers the actual purchasing relationship

Use a term broad enough for the businesses the store buys from. “Manufacturer” may suit a store that buys directly from makers, while “Supplier” can also cover a distributor or another purchasing source.

Discuss the word with the person who does the buying. A familiar expression can still be too narrow for the whole catalog. Calling every source “the mill” makes sense until the next PO is for a dining table.

In Settings › Purchasing & accounting › Vendors, use the Vendor wording card to keep the default or set the custom label. Review its preview before saving. A simple singular term such as Supplier, Maker, or Manufacturer works better than a phrase or an irregular plural. Make this part of the first-week setup, so training starts with the agreed word rather than changing halfway through the first demonstration.

Understand where the custom word appears

The setting changes the label across OrderPilot's Admin screens, including the purchasing workbench and vendor selectors. It does not change the underlying purchasing relationship or create a different kind of vendor record. The POS register keeps Vendor. Teach that difference directly: the same source can be called Supplier at the desk and Vendor on the iPad. A glossary entry handles the translation without pretending the register has changed.

Do not expect this setting to rewrite vendor-facing PDFs or email bodies. Review the actual PO and message separately when deciding what the vendor receives. The Admin label helps your team navigate; the vendor still needs a clear specification and the correct company details.

Keep company names and option names consistent too

A consistent label cannot repair inconsistent records beneath it. Vendor names come from Shopify, so review the names used on products and purchasing rather than treating the wording setting as a data-cleanup tool.

For an illustrative example, “Atelier Nord,” “A. Nord,” and “Nord factory” might all be staff shorthand for the same sample maker. Agree the record name the team should select and retain other references only where they serve a clear purpose. Otherwise, the label may say Supplier neatly while staff still choose different records.

The same principle applies to fabrics and finishes. Use the maker's identifying code with a clear description where the store needs both. “Oatmeal” alone is not a reliable way to distinguish several different weaves. The multi-vendor naming guide covers that catalog work in detail.

Adapt the other wording the product supports

Custom statuses and customer-facing groups can use the store's language. Built-in system statuses keep their names, so focus on the supported labels and descriptions rather than planning to rename the whole workflow. Email templates can also sound like the people who work in the showroom. Use familiar product terms and explain the next action plainly. Document terms and reference labels deserve the same review, within the available merchant controls.

Consistency is more useful than cleverness here. A customer-facing “In production” stage and an internal “Waiting for acknowledgment” step can both be appropriate because they serve different readers. Explain the distinction instead of forcing every surface to use an identical phrase.

Give new staff a glossary they can use during a sale

Keep the glossary short enough to consult at the desk. Build it from real points of confusion, with a screen or task beside each term.

Ask a long-serving buyer and a new associate to read the glossary together. The experienced-staff training guide helps bring established knowledge into the change, while the new-associate training plan gives that vocabulary a place in ongoing practice.

Next, review the catalog's option names. Once the team agrees what it calls the source, the fabric and finish choices should be just as clear.