customers' ability to split order when checking out based on product lead times

[Samarslan2]

Hi Everyone,

We're facing a challenge with our order process involving two product types:

• Product A: In-stock items
• Product B: Make-to-order items (currently displayed as "Delivery in 2 weeks")

Problem: When customers add both products to their cart, they encounter a situation where the order involves multiple shipments.

Desired Behavior:

1. Clear Product Differentiation:
• Product A should be displayed as a standard product with an "Add to Cart" button.
• Product B should display a clear message stating "Delivery in 2 weeks" without a "Pre-Order" button.
2. Cart Warning:
• When both product types are in the cart, a prominent warning message should appear, informing the customer about the different shipping times.
3. Order Splitting Option:
• Provide customers with two clear options:
• Option 1: Receive the entire order in one shipment based on the latest delivery time.
• Option 2: Split the order into two separate shipments for faster delivery of in-stock items.
4. Order Processing:
• If the customer chooses Option 1, create a single order with a combined shipping cost.
• If the customer chooses Option 2, create two orders with individual shipping costs and send separate confirmation emails for each order.

Goal: To provide customers with a seamless and transparent shopping experience while optimizing order fulfillment for our business.

Please advise on the best approach to implement this functionality.

[Jo_EarlyBird]

Hi Sam,

Shopify is gradually rolling out their new Split Shipping at Checkout feature to all merchants starting from mid-August. Check it out here.

It will split a mixed cart order into separate shipments automatically if they have different fulfilment dates (e.g. in-stock item + pre-order item) or when shipping from different locations.

This new feature will also help you send separate confirmation emails for each fulfilment. However, it won't support combining multiple fulfilment into one order.

So to tick off your list of desired behaviors:

1. Clear Product Differentiation (our Early Bird app can help with Product B)
2. You won't need mixed cart warning anymore as the new feature will help you inform the customer of their different shipping times
3. Order Splitting Option 1 won't be supported yet
4. Order Splitting Option 2 will supported by the new feature
5. Order Processing Option 1 won't be supported yet
6. Order Processing Option 2 will be supported by the new feature

We've already gotten in touch with Shopify to see what are the alternatives for your Order Splitting & Processing Option 1. If I hear back from them, I'll let you know as well.