Update Guest Order Tool for BigCommerce
🔧 Quick Info: Update Guest Orders finds guest orders in a selected date range and links them to existing BigCommerce customer accounts when the billing email address matches.
What It Does
When a shopper checks out as a guest, their order is not connected to a registered customer account. This remains true even if the shopper already had an account or creates one later using the same email address.
Update Guest Orders searches for those unlinked guest orders and connects them to matching customer accounts in your BigCommerce store.
The matching process works as follows:
- The tool searches only for guest orders that do not already have a customer account attached.
- Only orders within the date range you select are processed.
- The billing email address on each guest order is compared with the email addresses of registered customers.
- Email matching is not case-sensitive.
- When a matching customer is found, the order is assigned to that customer account.
- When no matching customer exists, the order remains unchanged and the reason is included in the results file.
Email Matching Example: The addresses Jane@example.com and jane@example.com are treated as the same email address.
The process runs as a background job, so you can close the page after starting it. When the run is complete, you’ll receive an email with a results file showing every guest order examined and whether it was successfully linked.
When Should You Use This?
- A customer created an account after placing one or more guest orders.
- A registered customer wants older guest purchases to appear in their order history.
- You imported or migrated customer accounts and need to connect older guest orders.
- You want customer order history and reporting to be more complete.
- You want to reduce the number of orders that are separated from their correct customer records.
- You want to run the tool periodically so newly registered customers pick up earlier guest orders.
- You need a report showing which guest orders were linked and which could not be matched.
Before You Get Started
- The customer account must already exist in BigCommerce.
- The billing email address on the guest order must match the email address on the customer account.
- The tool does not create new customer accounts.
- Decide which order date range you want to process.
- If your store has multiple storefronts or channels, decide whether to limit the run to one of them.
- Choose whether you want the results file in CSV or Excel format.
- Your BigCommerce connection must have permission to read and update orders.
Existing Accounts Only: A guest order whose billing email does not match an existing customer account remains unchanged. Register or import the customer first, then run Update Guest Orders again.
Review Connected Services: This tool updates existing orders, including older orders. Before running it, consider whether any apps, integrations, automations, or notification services react when an order is changed.
Subscription Required: Update Guest Orders is a paid add-on. If it is not active for your store, you’ll be prompted to subscribe before starting a run.
How to Use It
1 Open the Tool
Open Update Guest Orders from your BigCommerce tools dashboard.
2 Choose the Order Date Range
On the Select Orders step, use Process Orders Starting From and and Ending On to choose the orders you want to process.
Use a focused date range when possible. Leaving the date fields open allows the tool to search a wider range of guest orders.
3 Choose a Storefront or Channel
If your BigCommerce store has multiple storefronts or channels, you can optionally limit the run to a specific one.
Leave this selection open if you want to process matching guest orders across all available storefronts or channels.
4 Review the Order Update Notice
Review the on-screen reminder explaining that the tool updates existing orders.
Confirm that re-linking older orders will not trigger unwanted activity in any connected apps, services, or integrations before continuing.
5 Enter the Results Filename
On the Export Options step, enter the filename you want to use for the completed results file.
6 Choose the File Format
Choose the format for the results:
- CSV – A simple file compatible with most spreadsheet and database applications.
- Excel – An
.xlsxworkbook for Microsoft Excel and compatible applications.
7 Confirm Email Delivery
Continue to the Email Delivery step and confirm the address that should receive the completion notice. Your account email is filled in by default, but you can change it.
8 Start the Run
Start the process. Update Guest Orders runs as a background job, so you do not need to keep the page open.
9 Review the Results
When the process is complete, check your email and download the results file.
The file lists every guest order examined and indicates whether the order was linked to a customer account or left unchanged.
How Orders Are Matched
The tool uses the billing email address on each guest order to search for a registered customer account.
| Match Result | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Matching customer email found | The guest order is linked to the matching customer account. |
| No matching customer email found | The order remains unchanged and the results file explains that the email address was not found. |
| Order already belongs to a customer | The order is not treated as a guest order and is not processed. |
| Order falls outside the date range | The order is not included in the run. |
The Email Address Must Match: Capitalization does not matter, but the actual email address must be the same. An order placed with jane@example.com will not match an account registered as jane.smith@example.com.
Results File Reference
You do not upload a file for this tool. Update Guest Orders creates a results file containing one row for each guest order it examined.
| Column | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Order Number | The BigCommerce order ID. |
| Order Date | The date the guest order was placed. |
| Customer Name | The billing name recorded on the order. |
| The billing email address used to search for a matching customer account. | |
| Order Status | The current BigCommerce status of the order. |
| Error / Process Message | The result of the matching attempt. |
Possible Process Messages
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
Order Linked to Customer |
A matching registered customer was found and the order was assigned to that account. |
Unable to link order, email address not found in store |
No registered customer account was found with the guest order’s billing email address. |
File Format Options
| Format | Best For |
|---|---|
| CSV | A simple, widely compatible format supported by spreadsheet, database, reporting, and automation tools. |
| Excel | A native .xlsx workbook for Microsoft Excel and compatible applications. |
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Some orders say “email address not found in store”
No registered customer account exists with the billing email address from that guest order. The order remains unchanged.
This is expected when the shopper never created an account or registered using a different email address.
Will the tool create accounts for guest shoppers?
No. Update Guest Orders only links orders to customer accounts that already exist. Register or import the customer account first, then run the tool again.
A customer registered, but their older orders were not linked
Compare the billing email address on the guest order with the email address on the customer account. Capitalization does not matter, but the complete address must match.
Also confirm that the older orders fall within the date range and storefront or channel selected for the run.
An order was placed with a different email address
The order will not be linked automatically because matching is based only on the billing email address. The tool does not attempt to match customers using names, addresses, phone numbers, or other information.
Nothing happened after I started the run
The process runs as a background job. You do not need to keep the page open. Give it time to finish, then check the inbox and spam folder for the email address shown on the Email Delivery step.
I am concerned about updating older orders
Review any connected apps, webhooks, automations, reporting systems, or notification services before starting the run. Some integrations may react when an existing order is updated.
Where are the results?
When the background job is complete, you’ll receive an email with access to the results file. The file lists every guest order examined and the result of the linking attempt.