Pre-Orders and Scheduling

Pre-orders and scheduled time slots give customers flexibility to plan ahead. This guide explains how these features work, when to use them, and how they affect your storefront and operations.

Overview

Pre-Orders: Allow customers to place orders up to 48 hours in advance, even when you're closed.

Scheduled Orders: Let customers choose a specific delivery or pickup time in 15-minute increments.

Both features can be used together or independently to suit your business needs.

Pre-Orders

Pre-orders let customers book orders ahead of time, even outside your opening hours.

When to Use Pre-Orders

Great for:

Catering orders that require advance notice
Customers who want to secure popular items before a busy period
Morning orders placed the night before
Capturing demand outside operating hours

Example scenarios:

A customer orders a birthday cake on Monday for pickup on Wednesday
An office places a lunch order at 9 PM for delivery at 12:30 PM the next day
A regular customer orders Friday dinner on Wednesday evening

How to Enable Pre-Orders

Go to Settings → Order Fulfilment
Find the Pre-Orders toggle
Turn it on
Click Save Settings

Default: Pre-orders are off by default.

How Pre-Orders Work

When pre-orders are enabled:

Customers can place orders any time, even when you're closed
They must select a fulfilment time within your opening hours
Orders appear in your admin panel with the scheduled time clearly marked

How it affects your storefront: When you're closed, instead of "Closed", customers see: "We're closed now, but you can pre-order for later."

💡 Tip: Pre-orders are excellent for smoothing demand. Customers order ahead, and you can plan production accordingly.

Scheduled Orders

Scheduled orders let customers pick a precise delivery or pickup time instead of "as soon as possible."

When to Use Scheduled Orders

Great for:

Managing kitchen capacity during peak times
Giving customers certainty about when their order arrives
Reducing bunching of orders during busy periods
Planning deliveries more efficiently

Example scenarios:

A customer wants lunch delivered at exactly 1 PM
A family pre-books Friday dinner for 7:30 PM pickup
An event organiser schedules a catering order for 11 AM Saturday

How to Enable Scheduled Orders

Go to Settings → Order Fulfilment
Find the Scheduled Orders toggle
Turn it on
Click Save Settings

Default: Scheduled orders are on by default.

How Scheduled Orders Work

When scheduled orders are enabled:

Customers see a time slot picker at checkout
Time slots are generated in 15-minute increments
Only slots within your opening hours are available
Customers choose their preferred slot or select "As soon as possible"

How it affects your storefront: A time picker appears at checkout. Customers can choose a specific time or opt for immediate fulfilment.

💡 Tip: Scheduled orders reduce stress during busy periods by spreading demand throughout your operating hours.

Time Slot Generation

Ordery automatically generates available time slots based on your opening hours and preparation times.

How Time Slots are Calculated

Ordery checks your opening hours for the selected day
Adds your preparation time (from Order Fulfilment settings)
Generates slots in 15-minute increments
Excludes slots in the past or outside opening hours

Example:

You're open 12:00–22:00
Delivery prep time: 45 minutes
Current time: 11:30 AM
First available slot: 12:15 PM (current time + prep time, rounded to next slot)
Last available slot: 22:00 (your closing time)

How it affects your storefront: Customers see realistic time slots they can book. Slots appear as a dropdown or time picker.

Combining Pre-Orders and Scheduled Orders

When both are enabled, customers get maximum flexibility.

How it works:

Pre-orders let customers order outside opening hours
Scheduled orders let them pick a specific time within opening hours
Together, they unlock up to 48 hours of advance booking

Example flow:

Customer visits your closed storefront at 10 PM Monday
Sees "Pre-order for later"
Chooses delivery
Picks Tuesday at 6:30 PM from the time slots
Completes the order

How it affects your storefront: Customers can plan ahead, and you receive advance orders that help with preparation and staffing.

💡 Tip: Enable both features if you want to maximise customer convenience and capture off-hours demand.

Pre-Order Window

Customers can pre-order up to 48 hours in advance.

What this means:

At 12:00 PM Monday, customers can book slots up to 12:00 PM Wednesday
Slots beyond 48 hours are not available

Why 48 hours?

Balances customer convenience with operational flexibility
Prevents very distant bookings that may be forgotten or cancelled
Gives you control over near-term capacity

ℹ️ Note: The 48-hour limit is fixed and cannot be customised currently.

Managing Scheduled Orders

Scheduled orders appear in your admin panel with the selected time clearly displayed.

How to View Scheduled Orders

Go to Orders in your admin panel
Look for the Scheduled Time field on each order
Orders show as "Scheduled for [date] at [time]"

Preparing Scheduled Orders

Check scheduled orders at the start of each shift
Prepare them so they're ready at the requested time
Update order status as you work ("Preparing", "Ready", "Completed")

💡 Tip: Sort or filter orders by scheduled time to prioritise what needs to be prepared next.

How Scheduled Orders Affect Opening Hours

Scheduled orders respect your opening hours.

Rules:

Time slots are only offered during opening hours
If you're closed on a day, no slots are available for that day (unless pre-orders are on)
Slots are generated dynamically based on current opening hours

Example:

You change Tuesday hours from 12:00–22:00 to 12:00–20:00
Existing orders for 21:00 Tuesday are not affected
New orders can only book slots up to 20:00

⚠️ Warning: Changing opening hours doesn't cancel existing scheduled orders. Plan accordingly.

Best Practices

Use Pre-Orders for High-Demand Items

Birthday cakes, catering platters, or special menus
Let customers secure orders ahead of time
Reduces last-minute rushes

Encourage Scheduled Orders During Peak Times

Promote scheduled ordering on social media
Offer a small discount for advance bookings (via discount codes)
Spread demand to make service smoother

Monitor Scheduled Orders Daily

Check your order queue each morning
Plan staffing and ingredient prep based on upcoming orders
Contact customers if there's an issue (e.g., sold out items)

Set Realistic Prep Times

Ensure prep times account for peak periods
Don't offer slots you can't realistically fulfil
It's better to overestimate than disappoint customers

Communicate Clearly

Update order statuses so customers know progress
Send SMS notifications (if enabled) when orders are ready
Contact customers if delays occur

Common Questions

Q: Can I disable pre-orders but keep scheduled orders? Yes, they're independent toggles. You can enable scheduled orders without pre-orders. Customers can pick time slots during opening hours, but can't order when you're closed.

Q: What if I want to limit pre-orders to certain days or times? Not currently supported. Pre-orders apply to all days and times within your 48-hour window.

Q: Can I block specific time slots (e.g., during a private event)? Time slot blocking is not currently available. To manage capacity, temporarily adjust your opening hours or pause ordering if you reach capacity.

Q: What happens if a customer selects a time slot and I'm now fully booked? Accept the order and contact the customer to offer an alternative time, or prepare it as requested if possible. Managing capacity manually is recommended.

Q: Do scheduled orders cost extra? No, there's no additional fee for scheduled orders. They're included in all plans.

Q: Can customers cancel or reschedule after booking? Customers must contact you directly to reschedule. You can cancel and issue a refund, or adjust the time manually in your workflow.

Q: How do I see all orders scheduled for today? Filter your order queue by today's date or use the scheduled time column to identify them.

What's Next?

With pre-orders and scheduling configured, explore:

Opening Hours — Manage your weekly schedule
Managing Orders — Handle incoming scheduled orders
Best Practices — Tips for busy periods and advance bookings

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