1The challenge
Delivery promises are where trust is won or lost. Solo Solis faced two problems:
- Printed sunglasses take extra production time, but checkout showed the standard date.
- When a delivery date changed, customers had to be informed by hand.
- Carriers charge surcharges for remote areas, which the webshop didn’t pass on.
- Remote-area postcode lists change, and were hard to keep current.
Why delivery dates belong in checkout
Customers choose a shipping method, and often decide on the order, based on when it will arrive. A date in the checkout sets the right expectation. If that date is wrong, the cost comes later: questions to customer service, cancellations and poor reviews.
2Our approach
We started with an investigation and a proof of concept for the delivery date logic, then built two custom modules: one for delivery dates and one for remote-area rates.
ETA per shipping method
The expected delivery date is shown with each shipping method in checkout and on the order confirmation.
Production time included
When the cart contains custom-printed sunglasses, production time is added to the date automatically.
Change and notify
The team can change the delivery date per order in the admin, and the customer receives an update email automatically.
Remote-area surcharges
A custom module applies carrier surcharges for remote areas, based on postcode lists the team uploads as a file per carrier.
3The result
Solo Solis’ customers now see a realistic delivery date before they order, also for printed products, and hear about changes without anyone writing an email. Carrier surcharges for remote areas are charged in the checkout instead of absorbed by the business.
Also used for: the expected delivery date in the Wink & See checkout and confirmation emails, built on the same logic.
?Frequently asked questions about delivery dates in Magento
Can Magento show a delivery date in checkout?
Not out of the box. A custom module calculates the date per shipping method, based on carrier lead times and the products in the cart.
Can the delivery date depend on the product?
Yes. At Solo Solis, products that need printing get extra production time added automatically.
What are remote-area surcharges?
Carriers such as DHL and DPD charge extra for deliveries to certain postcodes, such as islands or remote regions. Without passing that on, the webshop pays it.
Can our team keep the postcode lists up to date?
Yes. The lists are uploaded as a file per carrier in the admin.
