Articles on: Calendar & Time

How to Configure Order Preparation Time

Control when customers can select delivery slots based on your store's processing schedule.


Order preparation times align with your processing capabilities.



Access Preparation Time Settings


Navigate to your preparation time settings based on your store setup.


  • If you manage a single schedule for all locations, go to Bird App Settings > Pickup & Delivery and access the delivery method settings.
  • If you have selected "I have different schedule for different store locations", navigate to Bird App Settings > Configure Locations > Select a Location, then access the delivery method settings for that specific location.


Enable Preparation Time Feature


  1. Toggle Enable Preparation Time to activate the feature.


Shows the preparation time toggle switch in the Bird app settings interface


Choose Preparation Time Configuration


Select one of two options:


  • Same Preparation Time for All Days: Use when your processing time remains consistent throughout the week.
  • Customize Preparation Time by Day: Use when you need different processing times for specific days.


Displays the two preparation time configuration options - uniform vs. customized by day


Set Lead Time


Lead time is the minimum time required before an order can be fulfilled.


Lead Time Examples


4 Hours Lead Time:

  • Order placed at 10:00 AM Monday
  • Earliest available slot: 2:00 PM Monday


1 Day Lead Time (Next-Day Fulfillment):

  • Order placed Monday at 11:00 AM
  • Available slots: Tuesday onwards


2 Days Lead Time:

  • Order placed Monday
  • Available slots: Wednesday onwards


Block Same-Day Delivery and Pickup


Set lead time to 1 day to block same-day fulfillment. Orders placed today become available for next-day fulfillment only.


Example:

  • Order placed Monday at 2:00 PM
  • Same-day slots blocked
  • Earliest available slot: Tuesday onwards


Understanding Day Boundaries


The system respects day boundaries when calculating lead times. This prevents orders from rolling over to early morning hours.


Example with 4-hour lead time:

  • Order placed at 2:00 PM Monday > Earliest slot: 6:00 PM Monday
  • Order placed at 7:00 PM Monday > Earliest slot: 11:00 PM Monday
  • Order placed at 11:00 PM Monday > Earliest slot: 12:00 AM Tuesday (next day)


Shows the lead time configuration interface with time input fields


Configure Cut-Off Time


Cut-off time is optional. You can use lead time alone without a cut-off time. If you enable cut-off time, you must define both lead times. The lead time after cut-off must be longer than the lead time before cut-off.


Cut-Off Time Logic


Set your cut-off time and configure lead times for both periods.


Example Configuration:

  • Cut-off time: 6:00 PM
  • Lead time before cut-off: 1 day
  • Lead time after cut-off: 2 days


Result:

  • Orders placed before 6:00 PM use 1 day lead time
  • Customers can select next-day delivery or next-day pickup slots
  • Orders placed after 6:00 PM use 2 days lead time
  • Customers can only select slots starting two days from then


Real-world example:

  • Order placed Sunday at 5:00 PM (before cut-off): Next-day slots available (Monday)
  • Order placed Sunday at 7:00 PM (after cut-off): Earliest available slot is Tuesday


Illustrates the cut-off time configuration with before/after lead time settings


Configure preparation times for all 7 days when using the "Customize by Day" option.


Shows the complete preparation time configuration with all settings applied


Troubleshooting: Customers Can Still Order Next-Day After Cut-Off


First, verify your preparation time settings are correct. Check that your cut-off time and lead times are properly configured. If your settings are correct but customers can still order for next-day pickup/delivery after your cut-off time, they likely selected the time before the cut-off and took too long to checkout. Enable selection expiry to prevent this.


Example Scenario:

  • Cut-off time: 4:00 PM
  • Lead time before 4:00 PM: 1 day (next-day available)
  • Lead time after 4:00 PM: 2 days (next-day blocked)


What happens:

  1. Customer adds items to cart at 3:30 PM and selects next-day pickup (valid at that time)
  2. Customer takes 45 minutes to complete checkout
  3. Order is placed at 4:15 PM (after cut-off)
  4. Without selection expiry: System may still allow the next-day pickup selection
  5. With selection expiry: System expires the old selection and requires re-selection with 2-day lead time


Enable Selection Expiry


  1. Go to Bird App Settings > Validations > Cart and Checkout Validation
  2. Check "Enable selections expiry"
  3. Select your preferred expiry time limit


Selection expiry ensures that if a customer selects a time before your cut-off, but places the order after your cut-off, the system applies the correct lead time rules for the actual order time.


For detailed instructions, see Validate and Expire Stale Delivery/Pickup Time Selections.


Preview Your Widget Configuration


Verify your settings work correctly by previewing the widget.


  1. Click Widget Preview in the top right corner of the Bird App
  2. Simulate any date and time to check your advanced rules


Shows the widget preview option in the settings interface for testing configurations



Updated on: 01/05/2026

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