One of the local pickup shipping option features in the Multi Store Addons for WooCommerce is the “Lead Time”.
This article will explain what Lead Time means, how you can use it, and how it can benefit you.
What is Lead Time? #
The Lead Time feature is used with the local pickup shipping option.
Whenever your customer places an order for local pickup, there is no telling when they will show up at your store to collect their order. It could be the next day, within a couple of hours, or even after a few minutes. Moreover, no matter what time they arrive, you must keep their order ready to provide superior service quality.
The Lead Time feature allows you to set a minimum “processing” period for orders. This is done by restricting your customers from coming for product collection after a certain timeframe has passed. Furthermore, after you set the Lead Time, your customers will be able to select a date to collect their product after this period.
You can even set the “Time Interval” for your customer’s expected pickup date. This will further ensure you are ready with a customer’s order.
For example, you can set the Lead Time (processing time) to 2 days. This will ensure your customers come to the pickup location two days after placing their order.
The Lead Time can be set in terms of hours, days, or weeks.
The Lead Time feature in Multi Store Addons for WooCommerce will automatically generate time slots based on the store working hours that are set on the Agile Store Locator plugin. Moreover, the Lead Time slots for a store are created based on the country’s time zone where the store is located.
Benefits of Using Lead Time #
Setting a Lead Time will give you the time you need to prepare an order. Furthermore, the Lead Time is especially useful if you have to bring the ordered product from a location far away to the pickup point selected by the customer.
By using this feature, you will ensure your customers don’t come to the pickup location before their order is ready for collection.
Adding a processing time will ensure your customers always leave with their ordered product from your pickup point. And that they don’t leave frustrated and empty-handed.
Using the Lead Time feature will give you all the time you need to prepare the customers’ orders and then provide it to them whenever they arrive. This will leave a positive impression on your customers, who will be satisfied with your service quality.
On the other hand, not having an order ready in time for the customer will create a bad impression because the customer will feel frustrated and angry that their order was not even prepared.
How Can You Set The Lead Time? #
To set the Lead Time, please follow the below steps:
- Log in to your WordPress account
- Go to the Agile Store Locator Plugin, and select the “Woocomerce” sub-tab
- Go to the “Local Pickup” tab
- Turn on the “Enable Date Selection” option
- Enter a value in the “Lead Time Value” field; the value can be in either hours, days, or weeks from the drop-down menu
- Click on “Save Settings” once you are done.
Once you have set the Lead Time and Time Interval, your customer will be able to select a pickup date and time on the cart page based on the settings you made.