---
title: What is a standing order in wholesale?
Metadescription: A standing order in wholesale is a repeating delivery on a set schedule, billed to a trade account. How they work and why suppliers offer them.
Display description: A standing order in wholesale is a repeating delivery on a set schedule - the same products, the same day, billed to the customer's account, without anyone placing the order each time. It's not the bank term most people picture.
author: Dan Edwards
author_role: Founder
author_url: https://danedwardsdeveloper.com
author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-edwards-developer
published: 2026-05-30
---

# What is a standing order in wholesale?

By **[Dan Edwards](https://wholesalehandler.com/about)**, Founder.

A standing order in wholesale is a repeating delivery on a set schedule. A trade customer gets the same products on the same day - 40 sourdough loaves every Tuesday, say - without placing the order each time, billed to their account. It's the opposite of the bank term most people picture: not a fixed payment leaving an account, but goods arriving on a rhythm.

You'll also hear it called a recurring order, a repeat order, or a permanent order. They describe the same arrangement. "Standing order" is the British term; in the US "recurring order" is more common, and a bare "standing order" there reads as a purchasing term rather than a delivery.

## How a standing order works

The arrangement fixes a few things - the products and quantities, the day of the week, and the cadence (weekly, fortnightly, or longer). From there, each delivery's order is created on its own, on schedule, without the customer signing in to repeat last week.

Once it exists, the order behaves like any other - same cutoff, same packing slip, same invoice. The only difference is that nobody had to place it.

## Who sets up a standing order?

Both sides, in practice. The customer says what they want every week - their usual - and the supplier sets it up and runs production and delivery against it. The supplier holds the arrangement, because they're the one making and shipping the goods.

A good system lets the customer see and adjust it too, so a café can drop its Tuesday pastry count for a quiet week without phoning anyone.

## Standing order vs recurring order vs blanket order

These terms overlap, and people use them loosely, so the boundaries aren't firm. Roughly:

-   **Recurring order**
    
    The same thing, and the term most software uses. Each cycle generates a fresh order you can review.
    
-   **Permanent order**
    
    A UK bakery synonym for a standing order.
    
-   **Blanket order, or blanket PO**
    
    Broader: an agreement to buy up to a certain amount over a period at agreed prices, drawn down whenever, rather than a fixed delivery on a fixed day.
    
-   **Standing purchase order**
    
    The same idea written as a formal purchasing document, common in procurement departments.
    
-   **Subscription**
    
    Consumer-flavoured, and usually takes payment automatically on a fixed plan.
    

The distinction that matters for a supplier is concreteness. A standing order is specific - these items, this day, every week - not an open framework to draw against.

## Why suppliers offer standing orders

A standing order turns a guess into a plan. Part of the week's production is known before any orders come in, which makes baking, picking, and buying ingredients easier to size.

It also removes the weekly admin of chasing the same customers for the same order. And a customer on a standing arrangement tends not to drift - the order is the default, so they keep buying without having to decide to each week.

## How Wholesale Handler does standing orders

Wholesale Handler runs standing orders for you. Either you or the customer sets one up - weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly, or four-weekly - and it generates each upcoming order a few days ahead.

The customer gets a preview email at current prices with a one-click link to skip that delivery, and the order locks at your usual cutoff if they do nothing. Each generated order lands in your normal Orders list, so it flows into the same packing slips and invoices as everything else.

You can also create, skip, pause, or cancel a customer's standing order on their behalf when they call. [How standing orders work on Wholesale Handler](/articles/how-standing-orders-work-on-wholesale-handler) covers the mechanics.

## Q&A

**Q: Is a standing order the same as a bank standing order?**
A: No. A bank standing order is a fixed payment your bank sends on a schedule. A wholesale standing order is a repeating delivery of goods on a schedule, billed to the customer's trade account. Same name, different thing.

**Q: Who sets up a standing order, the supplier or the customer?**
A: Either. The customer usually says what they want each week, and the supplier sets it up and delivers against it. Most systems let both sides view and adjust the arrangement.

**Q: What's the difference between a standing order and a subscription?**
A: They're close. A subscription is consumer-flavoured and normally takes payment automatically on a fixed plan. A wholesale standing order bills to a trade account and leaves the buyer more control over what's in each delivery.

**Q: Can a standing order be changed or skipped?**
A: Yes. The products and quantities can change for all future deliveries, and a single delivery can be skipped without ending the arrangement - useful for a holiday or a quiet week.