E-commerce invoice is perhaps one of the most crucial accounting documents, without which you cannot quote the cost of your services for your client. Typically, an invoice is a formal document that carries the supplier’s name, contact details, item quantity/service rendered, date of service, and payment due. Well, the e-commerce invoice is no different.

Although, an invoice is different from a purchase order in the sense that a purchase order is created at the time of placing the initial order, and the invoice is issued to the customer to relay the payment details.

Essential information to include in an invoice

Some fundamental things to include in an invoice are –

1) The word “invoice” and invoice number – That’s a no-brainer to include the word “invoice” at the top of the document to indicate its purpose. Then, of course, is the invoice number as per a naming convention of your choice. To make it a best practice, include a numerical value in chronological order as a suffix so that you can track them easily.

2) All about the customer – Include all details about the customer like the business name, address details, phone details, email address, as well as the billing address in order to maintain the customer relationship.

3) All about the supplier – Include all information of the supplier, ideally, in the same format as the customer details. The billing address should also be included in the template in case it is different from the current address.

4) Invoice date – A pivotal feature to add in the template since it helps to reference the data for accounting purposes and to settle past due bills.

5) Payment details – Payment details like checks, cash, or bank transfers need to be included in the invoice to answer all frequently asked questions about the mode of payment. You could also include a drop-dead date to make the payment and penalty in case of non-payment. An excellent way to encourage a customer to make timely payments will be to add an attractive discount percent on the total bill if the payment is made earlier than expected.

6) Services rendered – Make sure that you include the item name, quantity, unit price, as well as the line total (the final cost of all items).

7) Shipping Terms and tax, if any – As a thumb rule, ensure that you include a field for shipping charges in case they are to be paid extra by the customer. This would prevent any nasty surprises in terms of the final payment due. Also, remember to include any state tax, if applicable.

How do you create an e-commerce invoice template?

Coming to the real deal – how do you create an e-commerce invoice template? While there are a plethora of online resources for you to find the invoice templates best suited for your needs, we recommend the following options for your e-commerce needs –

Invoice generator

Used by perhaps one of the most extensive bases of customers worldwide, Invoice Generator lets you create an invoice directly from the web browser without the hassle of signing up or anything. A completely free tool to use, this tool enables you to work on a pre-designed invoice template. All you need to enter are the brand logo, customer, client info, and the necessary item details plus the due payment data.

Pros: 

  • You can choose to send the invoice via email or as a PDF document through the mail. 
  • You can create templates as many as you want with no capped limits.

Cons:

  • The template is too simple. 
  • Might not match up with your brand or website design.
  • Doesn’t support complex invoicing.
  • Cannot add more columns if needed.

Shopify Invoice Generator

This e-commerce invoice generator is straight from one of the biggest e-commerce platforms. Free, easy-to-use, hassle-free, the Shopify Invoice Generator lets you create an e-commerce invoice template in minutes. All you need to do is to enter the necessary basic details like the client data, supplier details, item details, and the final payment due.

Pros:

  • You have the liberty of saving the invoice or printing it out to send it physically across or better still share it via an email. 
  • There’s no need to sign up or anything; you can directly access it on your web browser and start creating the template. 
  • The website also houses some great online resources like blogs and FAQs to help you with your accounting and other useful general inquiries

Cons:

  • It’s a two step process to generate the invoice for your customer. Firstly, you have to create the invoice through the template and email it to your website email. Secondly, you need to click on the link received in the email to download the email to send it to your customer.
  • Time-consuming for e-commerce companies that cater to a lot of customers everyday.

Zoho Invoice

When it comes to features, this one takes the cake. Built especially for small businesses, to help them bill their customers better and faster, Zoho Invoice is one of the best eCommerce invoice template makers for freelancers and small business owners. 

Pros:

  • Customizable online through Zoho sheets and downloadable
  • Alternatively downloadable in .xlsx format from the website
  • Watermark-free invoices can be made

Cons:

  • Many customers have shared concerns about the free plan of accommodating only up to 50 users.
  • Might seem difficult in navigating through the tool for a new user. 

Invoiceto.me

A free tool to use, Invoiceto.me is specially tailored for small-time e-commerce businesses. You can create a professional-looking e-commerce invoice template within seconds for unlimited times. The tool lets you customize the template by adding or deleting rows in the item description. You can also easily change the customer detail sections. You need to enter the relevant information, and the system already does the rest of the work for you – calculating taxes and the final payment due!

Pros:

  • Easy to use and edit the template.
  • Generate PDF instantly of your invoice with one click upon invoice customization without any sign ups.

Cons:

  • Doesn’t let you change background colours unless signed-up.
  • Downloaded invoices bear the watermark of the website.
  • Can only add or delete rows but not columns.

FreshBooks Invoice Generator

Quick and easy – that’s FreshBooks Invoice Generator for you. The free-to-use tool lets you create not just a custom eCommerce invoice template but to customize by changing the template, changing the color, and added/deleting text and fields. It offers multilingual and multi-currency support and allows credit card payment and even pre-deposit for auto-payment. The process from creating an estimate to an invoice is smoother with FreshBooks Invoice Generator. You can create an invoice in Word as well as Excel format.

Pros:

  • Simple and straightforward to use
  • Can quickly fill up the details to email or print to the customers
  • Can customize fields and add personalized details to make accurate bills

Cons:

  • Word format is a little tough to function with and also bears watermarks on each of your invoices.
  • Cannot support more complex invoicing if required as compared to its competitors.

So, what are you waiting for? These are some of the most practical and useful e-commerce templates that we found online for you. Stash away those paper invoices and save the earth. Also, get to make your e-commerce business look professional with these invoice templates. Get more organized with some of these e-commerce invoice billings with these e-commerce invoice templates and invoice generators!