The conversion problem: buyers are ready, finance is not.
A B2B customer may want to purchase today, but their finance team cannot approve payment without a clean invoice packet: company VAT details, PO/reference, bank-transfer instructions, payment terms, and a PDF they can route internally.
Lattice Invoices is being positioned around that gap: make the WooCommerce order approval-ready before the buyer asks, then keep the proforma, final invoice, credit notes, customer downloads, and accountant export aligned.
Invoice approval readiness checklist
B2B approval workflow map
| Stage | What the buyer needs | Invoice workflow requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Quote / cart | Buyer prepares a B2B order | Ask for company, VAT ID, PO/reference, and AP email before checkout is completed. |
| Checkout | Buyer chooses bank transfer or invoice payment | Store a proforma/payment-request state instead of treating the order as a fully invoiced sale too early. |
| Approval | Buyer routes the document internally | Show payment terms, due date, bank details, and buyer reference on the PDF and order emails. |
| Payment | Finance pays by bank transfer | Match bank transfer references to orders and keep the final invoice PDF ready for customer download. |
| Adjustments | VAT correction, refund, or line-item change | Issue a credit note tied to the original invoice rather than editing historical invoice data. |
Common approval blockers
Enterprise buyer needs a PO before paying
Problem: The customer wants to buy, but accounts payable refuses the invoice because there is no PO/reference or buyer department on the document.
Lattice path: Capture PO, AP email, buyer reference, and invoice approval state before the PDF goes out.
EU B2B order requires reverse charge
Problem: The order total is correct, but the invoice does not explain why VAT is 0%, so finance asks for a corrected invoice.
Lattice path: Keep VAT validation, exemption reason, and reverse-charge wording attached to the order and PDF.
Bank transfer is paid after internal approval
Problem: WooCommerce has an unpaid order, but the buyer has a proforma PDF in circulation and the store has no clean due-date reminder workflow.
Lattice path: Track proforma, due dates, payment reminders, final invoice release, and accountant export in one invoice workflow.
Early-access offer: €49 B2B invoice workflow review
Send your store URL, country, current invoice plugin, bank-transfer setup, VAT/BTW field status, PO/reference needs, proforma workflow, and accounts-payable email requirements. The goal is to turn those buyer objections into the next Lattice Invoices purchase-ready workflow.
Send my approval workflow requirementsFAQ
Can WooCommerce handle B2B invoice approval workflows by default?
WooCommerce can accept orders and bank transfers, but B2B invoice approval usually needs extra invoice metadata: VAT ID, company reference, PO number, proforma status, payment terms, due date, accounts-payable contact, PDF invoice access, and credit-note tracking.
Should I create the final invoice before or after buyer approval?
For many B2B workflows, a proforma or payment request is safer before payment/approval, then a final VAT invoice can be generated with stable numbering once the sale is confirmed. The exact workflow depends on local accounting rules and your store's process.
What fields should a WooCommerce invoice approval form collect?
Collect company name, VAT/BTW number, billing country, PO/reference, department or cost centre, accounts-payable email, invoice language, payment terms, and whether the buyer needs a proforma before the final invoice.
How does Lattice Invoices help with invoice approval?
The early-access direction is to make WooCommerce orders invoice-ready for EU B2B sales: VAT fields, proformas, sequential invoice numbers, due dates, PDF delivery, customer downloads, credit notes, and export-ready data for accounting handoff.