How to set up Expected Delivery Date

"Hello store owners! This article will guide you through setting up an expected delivery date and explaining how each option affects the Shopify fulfillment status.

The ""Expected Delivery Date"" feature allows you to define when you plan to ship the pre-order item. It ensures clarity for your customers and seamless coordination with Shopify's fulfillment process. Below, we will explain each delivery date option and its effect on your Shopify fulfillment status.

Introduction to Expected Delivery Date Options

On a Specific Date: Select this option if you know the exact date the item will be shipped. You'll need to specify the date in the calendar field provided. Example: "2025-01-09"

Dynamic Date: With this option, you can set a fixed shipping lead time (e.g., 21 days), and the system will automatically calculate the estimated shipping date based on the date of the order.
- How it works: If a customer places an order on January 1, they will see the shipping date as January 22 (21 days later). If they order on January 2, the date will adjust to January 23, and so on.
- This ensures that customers always see an up-to-date shipping timeline while you only need to set up the lead time once.

As Soon As Possible: Choose this if you're committed to shipping the product immediately when it's ready. This conveys urgency to the customer without promising a specific date.

Unknown: This option is for situations where the shipping date is currently uncertain. It keeps the item available for purchase while informing customers that shipping details will be updated later.

How do these options affect the Shopify fulfillment status

On a specific date: Shopify will mark the order as "Scheduled", showing the fixed shipping date in the system. When the specified date arrives, Shopify will automatically update the status to "Unfulfilled", signaling that the item is ready to be processed for shipment.

Dynamic Date: Since no fixed date is sent to Shopify, the order status will be set to "Unfulfilled" immediately. This approach is useful for campaigns or products with flexible shipping windows.

As Soon As Possible: Similar to "Dynamic Date", the order will be marked as "Unfulfilled" in Shopify from the moment it is placed. This ensures you can prioritize fulfillment without being tied to a specific shipping date.

Unknown The order will remain in "On Hold" status within Shopify because the shipping date is not yet defined. When you're ready to fulfill the order, you'll need to manually release it by clicking the "Release hold" button in Shopify.