Differentiating Backend vs. Frontend Purchases in Magento

Question

Is there a way to tell if an order was placed through the frontend of the web site or entered through the administrative panel?

Answer 1

By default, Magento only stores the remote_ip in table sales_flat_order for an order that is place by customer (while admin order is set to null).

So try this:

if(!empty($order->getRemoteIp()){
  //place online
}
else{
  // place by admin
}

See Programmatically differentiate between admin & customer-placed orders