Delivery Date Picker

The delivery date is also a rate

Almost every shop treats the delivery date as a piece of data: the customer says when it suits them and you write it down. And it works, until you notice that not all dates cost you the same.

Delivering tomorrow means preparing today, sometimes out of hours. Delivering in two weeks lets you group shipments and choose the route. Those are two different services with two different costs, and most shops charge the same for both.

That is this plugin's premise, and it is what sets it apart: it does not just collect the date, it puts it inside the shipping pricing rules. Urgency gets charged and patience gets rewarded, automatically.

What it does

• Checkout calendar with the window you decide, for example the next seven or fourteen days.
• Available days, to mark which days you deliver on and which you do not.
• Lead time that pushes the earliest selectable date back by however many days you need.
• Cutoff time after which same day stops being offered.
• Holidays and closures, both public ones and your own, skipped automatically.
• Calendars per shipping method and zone, rather than one for the whole shop.
• The date as a rate condition inside Flexible Shipping, to charge more for urgent or discount for deferred.
• Date column in the orders list, sortable and filterable, plus the date in emails and on the thank you page.

It depends on Flexible Shipping, and that needs saying first

This is the first thing worth stating: this plugin does not work on its own. It needs Flexible Shipping installed, free or pro version, because it is built on top of its rules engine.

That is not a flaw, it is the whole point. Without that engine, the date would be one more field; with it, the date becomes a variable in the rate. But if you were expecting a standalone picker, this is not it.

If you already use Flexible Shipping, the fit is immediate and this is where it pays off most. If you do not, you are deciding on two plugins at once, and it is only fair to say so up front.

Charging for urgency changes customer behaviour

When delivering tomorrow costs a little more and delivering on Thursday is free, a share of your customers pick Thursday. Not out of sympathy: because they were not in a real hurry and nobody had given them a reason to say so.

That shift shows up in operations long before it shows up in revenue. Fewer peaks, fuller routes, and fewer last minute preparations. And for those who genuinely are in a hurry, the surcharge makes serving them worthwhile.

One practical tip: start with a small, visible difference. A steep surcharge from the outset reads as a punishment; a moderate one reads as an option.

Requirements and what it does not do

It needs WooCommerce with Flexible Shipping active, PHP 7.4 or higher, and it works with block checkout.

It does not manage capacity per time slot. This plugin works with days, not hourly capacity: if your problem is that you can only make eight deliveries on Tuesday morning, the right tool is another one and it is below.

It also does not replace a shipping method or create rules on its own. Without Flexible Shipping active, there is nothing to configure.

Alternatives in the catalogue

The piece this plugin needs is in the catalogue: Flexible Shipping Pro and also the Octolize version. Without one of them, this does not start.

If what you need is time slots with capacity rather than date based rates, look at WPC Delivery Date and Time Slots. For a picker with more years and options, Order Delivery Date Pro or the YITH one.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work without Flexible Shipping?
No. It is an extension of that plugin and needs it active, free or pro version.

Can I charge more for urgent delivery?
Yes, and that is its main purpose: the date enters as a condition in the rate rules.

Does it skip public holidays automatically?
Yes, both official ones and any closures you add yourself.

Can I have different calendars by zone?
Yes, per shipping method and per zone, which is sensible if you do not deliver the same everywhere.

Does it limit how many deliveries I accept per day?
It has no capacity limits. For that you need a time slot plugin with capacity.

Where do I see the date once the order is placed?
In its own column in the orders list, sortable and filterable, and in the customer emails.