Estimated Delivery Dates at Checkout for Custom Shipping Options

Shopify Discussion
1

Hi Shopify Team and Fellow Merchants,

I’d like to request a feature that allows merchants to display estimated delivery dates at checkout for custom shipping options. Currently, Shopify only supports estimated delivery dates for built-in shipping options like Standard or Express. However, for merchants with custom shipping methods or made-to-order products, there’s no way to provide accurate delivery estimates at checkout.

Use Case:

Many merchants, including myself, sell a mix of in-stock and made-to-order products. For example:

  • In-stock items: These can ship immediately, and Shopify’s current system works well for displaying estimated delivery dates.
  • Made-to-order items: These require additional production time (e.g., 10-15 business days) before shipping, but Shopify doesn’t allow us to display accurate delivery dates for these products.

Currently, the only workaround is to add a custom message like “Ships in 7-10 business days.” However:

  • This message is static and doesn’t dynamically calculate or display delivery dates.
  • It can’t account for production time + shipping time.
  • It can’t be translated, which is a major issue for stores serving multilingual customers.

**Proposed Solution:**1. Custom Shipping Delay Settings:

  • Allow merchants to set custom shipping delays for specific products or shipping methods (e.g., “10-15 business days for production”).
  • Combine this delay with the shipping time to calculate and display an accurate estimated delivery date at checkout.

  1. Dynamic Delivery Date Display:

    • Show the estimated delivery date (e.g., “Arrives between Dec 20 and Dec 25”) for all shipping options, including custom ones.
    • Automatically adjust based on the customer’s location, selected shipping method, and product-specific delays.

  2. Multilingual Support:

    • Ensure that delivery date messages can be translated into multiple languages for stores serving international customers.

Business Impact:

This feature would:

  • Improve Customer Experience: Customers want clear and accurate delivery dates, especially for made-to-order or custom products. This builds trust and reduces confusion.
  • Streamline Operations: Merchants wouldn’t need to rely on static messages or third-party apps to communicate delivery timelines.
  • Increase Conversions: Accurate delivery dates at checkout can reduce cart abandonment, especially for high-ticket or custom products.
  • Support Multilingual Stores: Translating delivery date messages ensures a seamless experience for international customers.

**Why This Matters:**1. Custom Products Are Common: Many merchants sell made-to-order or custom products that require additional production time. Shopify’s current system doesn’t accommodate these workflows.

  1. Static Messages Are Limiting: Static messages like “Ships in 7-10 business days” are not dynamic, can’t calculate delivery dates, and don’t support translations.
  2. Competitive Edge: Other platforms offer more robust delivery date features, making Shopify less appealing for merchants with complex shipping needs.

Additional Arguments:- Universal Appeal: This feature benefits all merchants, from small businesses to enterprise-level stores, especially those selling custom or made-to-order products.

  • Scalability: As Shopify grows, supporting more complex shipping workflows will attract a wider range of merchants.
  • Customer Satisfaction: Accurate delivery dates reduce customer inquiries and complaints, improving the overall shopping experience.

If anyone else has faced similar challenges or would benefit from this feature, please share your thoughts or upvote this request! Let’s make Shopify even better for merchants with custom shipping needs.

Thank you for considering this enhancement!

2

Hey,

This is a quite a bit later than your original post, but it may help someone looking for something similar.

Order Deadline 2 can update shipping options displayed at checkout, by appending our calculated dates to each applicable shipping method via a checkout function. Some basic requirements must be met for this to work:

  1. The customer is delivering to a country within the shipping group our app matched them to on the front-end.
  2. You have enabled data logging within Order Deadline 2. Specifically, you must enable Cart Attributes and the JSON Data cart attribute. We log our calculated data to this cart attribute and use it within the checkout function.
  3. You have enabled our checkout function within Shopify settings. Our app registers the function but initially sets it to disabled. We show the status of the checkout function on the app’s dashboard page, and provide a link to the relevant Shopify settings so you can easily enable the function.
  4. Ensure the shipping options you configure within Order Deadline 2 have names that match the names of your Shopify shipping methods.

As long as the above conditions are true, our checkout function will append the calculated dates we logged via the storefront, to the relevant shipping method at load time, and any time the shipping options get refreshed. This should include all shipping options, even custom ones.

As a bonus you can also communicate delivery estimates with our stylish app widgets which have various customisation options to align the styling with your brand’s look and feel.

Many thanks

Mat