About delivery dates

This article provides a conceptual explanation of the delivery date variables that you can configure under Warehouse > Delivery Date in the Paazl web app. These variables help determine the delivery dates that Paazl sends to your webshop for display.

These are not the only variables that influence the delivery date calculated by Paazl. The full set of variables, and where you can edit them, are explained in How Paazl calculates delivery dates.

Configuring delivery dates provides a worked example of how to configure the variables explained in this article.

About the "Delivery Date" page

The "Delivery Date" page has two separate sections: one for configuring your Warehouse's opening hours and cut-off times ("Warehouse business days"), and, below that, one for settings related to carrier pick-up days ("Carrier pick-up days").

Warehouse business days

This section of the page is where you tell Paazl which days of the week your warehouse is generally open for business. You can also include special days that deviate from the standard settings. The screenshot below explains the functionality available on this part of the page. Configuring delivery dates provides a realistic example of how to configure the warehouse business days.

Carrier pick-up days

In contracting the services of a particular carrier, you will have specified the days on which carriers pick up shipments from your warehouse. When a carrier offers a variety of shipping options, all sharing the same pick-up days and cut-off times, Paazl lets you create shipping option groups to manage them efficiently. The screenshot below explains the functionality available on this part of the page. Configuring delivery dates provides a realistic example of how to configure carrier pick-up days.

How Paazl calculates delivery dates

This article explains all the various factors that Paazl takes into account when working out the date a parcel is going to be delivered. It contains a flowchart to show how Paazl puts it all together. When there are different ways of configuring a given setting in several locations, we also tell you which setting has priority.

Formula variables

Based on the address details entered by your customer, and the time needed to get the product ordered ready for pick-up, Paazl first determines the earliest date the carrier concerned can pick up the shipment. It then adds the expected number of days needed to deliver the order and, once it has a definite delivery date, Paazl determines the time range delivery is expected on that day.

The time needed to get a shipment ready for pick-up depends on:

• The days of the week your warehouse is open ("Warehouse working day")
• The latest a customer can place an order on any given working day ("Cut-off time")
• The time needed for the warehouse to get the product concerned and prepare it for shipment ("Processing days")

The time needed to deliver a shipment depends on:

• When the carrier concerned can pick up the shipment ("Pick-up day")
• How long it it will take the carrier to physically transport the shipment ("Delivery days")
• What days of the week the carrier delivers shipments ("Delivery day")
• Whether the customer has requested morning, afternoon or evening delivery ("Delivery time range")

All of these variables can be configured in Paazl. They are used to explain the delivery date calculation logic in the flowchart below.

Flowchart

Paazl combines the various factors affecting the delivery date in the series of logical steps outlined in the diagram below. Each step has a number which corresponds to a number in the key at the end of this article. The key entries explain how to configure the delivery date variable concerned.

Flowchart key

The numbers in the table below refer to those used in the flowchart above.