Why teams use this automation
Customers choose a delivery date for birthdays, events and fresh deliveries. If the order goes out with today's dispatch, it arrives early and the date you promised is broken. Holding these orders by hand means someone has to remember to release each one. Zenstores holds them as they're imported and releases them on the right day, so your team packs them with the rest of that day's orders.
Who's this automation for?
This automation suits any brand that lets customers choose a delivery date, especially:
- Food and drink brands shipping fresh or chilled products
- Gift and flower brands delivering for a specific occasion
- Brands offering named day delivery at checkout
- Teams that currently hold and release dated orders by hand
How this automation works
- The order is imported
A new order is imported to Zenstores from your connected store with the delivery date the customer chose at checkout.
- Zenstores moves it to the On Hold tab
Orders with a nominated delivery date move to the On Hold tab with a Nominated date tag. They stay out of today's pick list, and your team can see every dated order in one place.
- Zenstores releases it on dispatch day
On the working day before the nominated date, Zenstores releases the order to Ready to ship. It's picked, packed and labelled with that day's orders on a next-day service, so it arrives on the date the customer chose.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a nominated delivery date?
It's a specific day the customer chooses for their order to arrive, usually picked at checkout. It's common for gifts, events and fresh food.
How do I stop nominated date orders from shipping early?
Set up an Automation that moves orders with a nominated delivery date to the On Hold tab. They stay out of the pick list until the release rule moves them back to Ready to ship on the right dispatch day.
Where does Zenstores get the delivery date from?
From the order imported from Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce or Magento Open Source. Delivery date apps such as Zapiet, Flare and Kite work out of the box. If another app saves the date on the order, Zenstores can map it too.
Can I change how many days before the date an order is released?
Yes. Set the wait to match your carrier's service. Use 1 working day for a next-day service, or longer for a 48-hour service.
Can my team release an order early?
Yes. Any order in the On Hold tab can be released by hand, for example if the customer asks for it to be sent sooner.
