COD Confirmation Code
A One-Time Code Before a Cash Order
A cash order costs the shopper nothing to place, which is why some are placed with a wrong number, as a joke, or by mistake. A 6-digit code to the shopper's phone stops those before they become a parcel that comes back.
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Kosha is a demo store on Mercayo. Its products, orders and customers are sample data.
In short
What It Does
With the code switched on, a shopper who chooses cash on delivery confirms the mobile number on the order before it is placed:
- A 6-digit code is sent to the number they typed.
- They type it and press VERIFY; checkout then shows "Mobile number confirmed" with the number.
- When they place the order, the confirmed code is used up in the same step that creates the order. It must belong to this bag and to the mobile number on the order, and have been confirmed in the last 15 minutes.
- A code lives 10 minutes and allows 5 tries. A phone can ask for at most 3 codes in 15 minutes; checkout says how long to wait.
- The code is checked against a salted fingerprint, never against a stored copy. The code itself stays only in the outgoing message until that message is sent, and is then wiped. A used code cannot be used again.
By default the code is asked for right under the mobile number, before the address ("Mobile code first"), so a shopper who cannot confirm the number finds out before typing everything else. You can move it to the payment step instead.
The code is for cash orders only. A shopper paying online needs no code: the payment itself shows the order is real.
The Message the Shopper Gets
The SMS reads, word for word: "482913 is your code to confirm your Cash on Delivery order at Your Store. Valid for 10 minutes. Do not share it." Your store's name goes inside it, so the shopper knows who is asking. In India every such SMS must follow a template registered with the telecom operators (DLT), which is why the words are fixed.
Every Order, or Only the Risky Ones
| You Switch On | Who Is Asked for a Code |
|---|---|
| Confirm COD orders by code | Every shopper who chooses cash on delivery |
| RTO Shield: Ask for the code | Only cash orders that score medium or high risk, as you choose |
| Neither | Nobody |
A store that already asks everyone is never asked twice: the shield adds nothing on top.
For your store
Why It Matters
Every COD order with a wrong number costs you twice: the courier charge out, and the return trip when nobody answers. A genuine buyer types a code in seconds. A wrong number never receives it, so that order never happens.
It also gives your team a number that is known to work. When you or the courier call before delivery, the call reaches the person who ordered.
The code is a switch, not a rule for everyone. Use it from your first day, or only when returned parcels start to hurt. With part payment and the confirmation call, you can add more protection for bigger orders without asking it of every shopper.
Many shoppers in smaller towns share a phone with family, or type a number in a hurry on a small screen. The code catches a mistyped digit at checkout, when it is easy to fix, instead of at the door, when the courier cannot reach anyone.
Step by step
How It Works
Switch the Code On
Open Settings → Checkout and COD and switch on Confirm COD orders by code in the COD Confirmation Code card. Codes go by SMS through Mercayo's sender; you do not need an SMS account of your own. Each code is paid from your store's message credit, like your other messages.
Choose Where It Is Asked
Mobile code first (on to start with) asks for the code right under the mobile number, before the address. Switch it off to ask at the payment step, just before the order is placed. Either way the shopper sees the code step only after choosing cash on delivery.
Decide on WhatsApp
Codes by WhatsApp too (off to start with) lets the shopper choose, under "Send the code by", between SMS and WhatsApp. The choice shows as soon as the switch is on; with it off, codes go by SMS.
The Shopper Asks for a Code
At checkout, the shopper types their 10-digit mobile number and sees "We'll text a 6-digit code to" that number. They press SEND CODE. A short wait (SEND CODE IN, with the seconds) stops repeated presses, and "Didn't get it? Send a new code" asks for another, within the limits above.
They Type It and Press VERIFY
The shopper types the 6 digits and presses VERIFY. A wrong code says so and the tries left go down; an expired code asks for a new one. Once it is right, checkout shows "Mobile number confirmed" and the number, and the order can be placed.
The Order Is Placed With the Code
On PLACE ORDER, the server checks once more that the confirmed code belongs to this bag and to the number on the order, and that it has not been used, then uses it up while it creates the order, all in one step. A shopper who changes the number after confirming needs a new code.
Your Team Sees a Confirmed Number
The order arrives in your admin with the number the shopper confirmed. If you also use the confirmation call, your team phones a number that is known to work.
Your shoppers
What Your Shoppers See
A shopper who picks cash on delivery sees one extra step: the 6-digit code sent to their mobile number, with a line that says why ("Confirm your mobile number with the code to place the order"). They press SEND CODE, type the code, press VERIFY, and see their number marked confirmed. If the code does not arrive they can ask for another after a short wait, and checkout says how long. When WhatsApp is set up and you allow it, they can choose to get the code on WhatsApp instead of SMS. Shoppers paying online never see it, and the policies Mercayo writes for your store tell shoppers never to share the code with anyone who calls them.
Settings
Settings You Control
Each one is in your admin. A new store starts with the value shown.
Mercayo
Mercayo's Controls
Mercayo's team can force the code on for a store (for example one with many refused parcels), or keep it off, with a reason your admin shows beside the locked switch; the same goes for the WhatsApp choice and "Mobile code first". Each change is kept in Mercayo's audit log. The limits on codes (10 minutes, 5 tries, 3 codes in 15 minutes) are the same for every store. Codes are checked against a salted fingerprint; the code itself is wiped from the outgoing message as soon as it is sent, so nobody, Mercayo's team included, can read old codes back.
Limits today
Good to Know Before You Start
- Codes go by SMS on Mercayo's registered (DLT) template, or on WhatsApp first when you allow it; the words are the registered template's and cannot be edited.
- The code is asked for on every cash order; there is no "remember this phone" for returning shoppers.
- The code confirms the number, not the address: a wrong address still needs the courier's failed-delivery steps.
- One connection can ask for at most 10 codes an hour, whatever the numbers, so a busy shared Wi-Fi may see a short wait.
Questions
About COD Confirmation Code
Do I need my own SMS account?
No. Codes go through Mercayo's SMS sender, and each one is paid from your store's message credit, like your other messages.
Will the code slow down my checkout?
A code is typed once. With "Mobile code first" it is asked before the address, so a shopper finds any problem with the number before filling in the rest.
What stops someone asking for codes again and again?
A phone can ask for at most 3 codes in 15 minutes, a code allows 5 tries, and it expires after 10 minutes. One connection can ask for at most 10 codes an hour. Checkout says how long to wait.
Is the code needed for UPI or card payments?
No. Online payments need no code. The code is only for cash on delivery orders.
Can I use the code and part payment together?
Yes. They are separate switches. With both on, the shopper confirms the number and pays a small part online; the rest is paid in cash.
Can I turn it on just for a sale?
Yes. It is a switch: turn it on when you expect a rush of orders and off again later. Orders already placed are not affected.
Can I ask only some shoppers for a code?
Yes, with RTO Shield. Leave Confirm COD orders by code off and set Ask for the code to high risk only, or to medium and high. Only cash orders that score that high are asked, and the rest place their order without a code. Until codes can be sent by SMS, such orders are held for your call instead.
What if the shopper types a different number after confirming?
The confirmed code belongs to the number it was sent to. If the mobile number on the order changes, the order cannot be placed with the old code, and the shopper confirms the new number with a new code. The same happens if more than 15 minutes pass between VERIFY and placing the order: checkout asks for a fresh code.
Related
Related Features
- Cash on DeliveryOffer cash on delivery with your own fee, a limit on the cash a courier collects, and the PIN codes and delivery options where it is not offered.
- Part Payment for CODCash on delivery shoppers pay a small COD charge or an advance online first and the rest in cash, so a refused parcel still covers its trip.
- COD Confirmation CallMark new cash on delivery orders Unconfirmed until your team has phoned the shopper, with a warning when the shopper has refused parcels before.
- SMSMercayo sends your store's SMS through its own DLT-registered sender and templates, so you need no SMS account, header or registration of your own.
- Quick Checkout for Returning ShoppersSigned-in shoppers find their details and saved addresses filled in, BUY NOW goes straight to checkout, and the mobile code can come first.
More in Cash on Delivery: Cash on Delivery · Part Payment for COD · COD Confirmation Call · Order Clean-Up · RTO Shield
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