Set pickup and delivery windows for on demand orders

When you create an order for an on demand carrier like Uber Direct or DoorDash, you can set a pickup window and a delivery window. The carrier then collects and delivers within the times you choose, so the order arrives when you and your customer need it.

This article covers setting and changing pickup and delivery windows for on demand orders. For an overview of on demand delivery and the carriers that offer it, see the Understanding on demand delivery article.

Before you start

• Pickup and delivery windows are currently available with Uber Direct and DoorDash. For more about each carrier, see Get to know Uber Direct or Get to know DoorDash.

• Check that your store opening hours are correct in Settings → General → Store opening hours. Some of the times you set need to fall within these hours, so they need to be accurate.

Set a window when you create an order

Choosing pickup and delivery times

1. On the New Orders page, create a new order. Click Add order to book later, or Get quote and book to book now.

2. Add the delivery details for the order.

3. Select Uber Direct or DoorDash as the carrier to see the Pickup Window and Delivery Window options.

4. In the Pickup Window section, set when the carrier can collect the order:

   • Choose the date.

   • Choose the earliest pickup time, making sure it's within your store opening hours.

   • Optional: Choose the latest pickup time. Make sure this is later than the earliest pickup time.

5. In the Delivery Window section, set when the carrier can deliver the order:

   • Choose the date.

   • Choose the earliest delivery time. This needs to be within your store opening hours and later than the pickup time.

   • Optional: Choose the latest delivery time. This can be outside your store opening hours.

6. Create or book the order:

   1. Create without booking saves the order so you can book it later from the New Orders page.

   2. Book instantly books the order with the carrier straight away.

   3. Book & download label books the order with the carrier and downloads the shipping label.

Change a window after you create an order

Whether you can change an on demand order depends on your carrier settings. To check your settings:

• Go to Settings → Carriers

• Find the section called Priority & on demand services (and click&collect if applicable):

  • If it's set to As soon as the order is created, the order is labelled as soon as you create it, and you can't change it afterwards.

  • If it's set to Only when the order is labelled, the order stays editable until you label it.

To keep orders editable, or to save an order and book it later, make sure you choose Only when the order is labelled.

Changing a window

1. On the New Orders page, locate the order that you want to change.

2. Click the kebab menu on the far right side of the order, and select Modify order.

3. In the Pickup Window section, change when the carrier can collect the order:

   • Choose the date.

   • Choose the earliest pickup time, making sure it's within your store opening hours.

   • Optional: Choose the latest pickup time. Make sure this is later than the earliest pickup time.

4. In the Delivery Window section, change when the carrier can deliver the order:

   • Choose the date.

   • Choose the earliest delivery time. This needs to be within your store opening hours and later than the pickup time.

   • Optional: Choose the latest delivery time. This can be outside your store opening hours.

5. To save your changes, click the X at the top right of the order screen. If you want to label the order straightaway, click Download label. 

Troubleshooting

This section covers common issues with pickup and delivery windows. If you can't find an answer here, contact Shippit support.

The time I want to choose keeps erroring

A time can be rejected for a few reasons. Check that:

• Your earliest pickup time, latest pickup time, and earlier delivery time are within your store opening hours. Only the latest delivery time can be outside them. You can check your hours in Settings → General → Store opening hours.

• Your delivery time isn't the same as your pickup time.

• Each time is later than the one before it.

For example, if your store is open from 9 AM to 5 PM:

I can't save an order to book it later

Create without booking is only available if your orders are booked when they're labelled, not when they're created. To check your settings:

1. Go to Settings → Carriers

2. Find the section called Priority & on demand services (and click&collect if applicable).

3. If it's set to As soon as the order is created, orders are booked straight away, so you can't save one to book later. Change this setting to Only when the order is labelled.

My order has a pickup or delivery time I didn't choose

If you leave the times blank:

• If your account has default windows, the order goes into the next window whose cut-off time hasn't passed. A default window is a set of preset pickup and delivery times that the Shippit support team sets up on your carrier account, so orders can be grouped into one pickup. To set up a default window, contact Shippit support.

• If there's no default window, the pickup time is the current time plus your preparation time. You set this in the Preparation time section of Settings → Store → General.

My order won't label

Your order most likely won't label because its pickup time has passed. What happens next depends on where the time came from:

• A pick-up time you entered yourself: Change the pickup time to a later time, then label the order again. Shippit quotes the order again with the new time.

• A default window (see the question above for more information on how default windows work): Shippit moves it into the next default window and quotes the order again.