Everything to Know About Fulfillments

Fulfillments are the methods by which your customers will receive their orders. Castiron supports three different types of fulfillment: local pick-up, local delivery, and shipping. 

You can choose which of these methods you will use for your shop and for individual products. With Castiron, your customers will always be required to select a fulfillment option prior to paying and completing an order. For this reason, it's critical to understand how to set up fulfillment methods within your shop that work best for you!

This article will cover:

• How to create your local pick-up, local delivery, and shipping options.
• How lead time works in Castiron.
• How fulfillment works for instant check-out products versus custom orders versus presales
• How to customize fulfillment for specific products.

To get started, on the left-hand side of your navigation panel click on the Fulfillments tab:

This will take you to your fulfillment home screen, where you can edit, delete, and add fulfillment methods to your store. Click on the "Add An Option" button at the top right to create a new option for your customers. Later you will be able to connect these to the products of your choice. 

Once you click Add An Option you will be given three fulfillment options to choose from: 

If you plan to offer more than one option, you will need to create them individually so you’ll set up one, then come back to Add An Option and set up the next one. In the article we will go over how to set up each type of fulfillment. 

Creating a Local Pick Up Fulfillment Option

• Let's start by adding a local pick-up fulfillment. Click on the Local Pick Up option and start by giving your Local Pick Up option a title, such as "Local Pick-Up in (Your Area)".

• If you want this fulfillment option to be available to your customers as soon as your shop is live (or the new fulfillment is saved), keep it set to Active. You can set it to Inactive and your customers will not have it as an option until you go back and change it to Active. 
• Next, select your Lead Time for this fulfillment option: How far ahead your customer must place the order to get access to that fulfillment. Lead time can be set in hours or days (leave as 0 if you want customers to be able to place an order and pick up right away). *The dates, times, and frequency of your fulfillments will be set further down in the process. 

For example, if I need at least 5 days to prep for any local pick-up orders, then my lead time would be 5 days and the customer cannot choose a pick up option for a date in less than a week away. If my pick up days are set as every Friday, they will not be able to place an order on Wednesday for the same Friday, but will be able to schedule it for the following Friday.  

*A note about lead time: Lead time calculates based on the actual clock time. Ex: If you set your lead time as 2 days (=48 hours) and your pick ups are Saturdays at 12-2pm, a customer will not be able to order after 12pm on Thursday. 

• Next, set your pick up schedule! You can provide your customers with specific dates and times to choose from, helping you set boundaries and manage your own schedule efficiently, or you can choose to "remain flexible" which means you are open to fulfilling orders as they come in. 

   

Setting Specific Fulfillment Dates

If you choose to create a fulfillment schedule, select "Specific Date(s)" and enter your applicable pick-up dates and times. You will need to create an option for each date or day of the week. 

For example if you want pick up options for Jan 3-5, you will need to create three (Jan 3, Jan 4, Jan 5). If you want options for every Wednesday and Friday, create one for Wednesday and one for Friday and pick the dates you want to start each of these. 

If you want recurring pick-up options, such as every Wednesday and Friday, check "Repeat this option every week" to have this fulfillment option available each week, at the timeframes you set. 

Next, add your Pick Up Details, including your neighborhood, borough, or zip code, and your pickup details. You can input all service area zip codes you want to serve in Settings>Business Details.

Lastly, if you would like to apply any fees or minimums to your Pick Up option, do so under the "Fees & Minimums". By setting an order minimum, this fulfillment option will not be available to any customer who has a cart value of below the minimum you've set.

Press "Save" to finalize your Pick Up fulfillment option.

When your customers add instant check-out products to their cart, they'll be required to select a fulfillment option from the types you've created:

When selecting Local Pick Up, your customer will be able to view the date and time slots you've created. In this case, the weekly Saturday pick-up presents itself to the customer. 

Of note: *Once a fulfillment scheduled date has passed, that fulfillment option will automatically expire. 

Pick Up Reminders

You can now schedule pick up reminders to be automatically sent to your customer via email and/or SMS/text 24 hours before their scheduled pick up time. Simply check the box next to "Automated Reminders".

*Please note a specific pick up date must be indicated for this to be active for the order.

Setting Flexible Fulfillment Dates

If you do not have a set fulfillment schedule, choose "I'm Flexible" instead.

You can provide any notes on your availability or preferences in the box. You will not be able to set a lead time for the flexible option, so we recommend adding it to your fulfillment description (Ex: “Orders are usually filled within 1-3 days of order based on stock availability and bakery schedule” or “Orders are typically shipped within 5 business days of confirmation). 

Customers have the option to pick a preferred delivery date, but you can also add it to the order after the fact if they did not or you need to adjust it. This will add a date to your Orders page in the Due Date column. 

Creating a Delivery Fulfillment Option

Creating a Delivery option is very similar to creating a local Pick Up option as outlined above. You can set your fulfillment schedule, your lead-time, set your delivery details, etc.

• From the Fulfillment tab> Add An Option button, select Local Delivery. 

• Then name your delivery (ex: “Local Delivery-Indianapolis”, “Local Delivery-Option B”, “Saint Margaret’s School Delivery”).

• If you want this fulfillment option to be available to your customers as soon as your shop is live (or the new fulfillment is saved), keep it set to Active. You can set it to Inactive and your customers will not have it as an option until you go back and change it to Active. 
• Next, select your Lead Time for this fulfillment option: How far ahead your customer must place the order to get access to that fulfillment. Lead time can be set in hours or days (leave as 0 if you want customers to be able to place an order and pick up right away). *The dates, times, and frequency of your fulfillments will be set further down in the process (see the Pick Up section above for additional details about Lead Time)

Unlike local Pick Up, however, you will want to identify where exactly you’re willing and able to deliver. 

• Add details, including the neighborhoods, boroughs, or zip codes you will deliver to and press "Save". Your local delivery options will appear under the available fulfillments upon check-out and any delivery fees will be automatically applied to your customer's cart.

Ex: Delivery A: 0-3 miles from zip code xxxxx $5 

Delivery B: 3-5 miles from zip code xxxxx $10

Delivery C: 5-10 miles from zip code xxxxx $15

If necessary, create multiple delivery options if you plan on charging varied rates depending on a customer's zip code. You can input all service area zip codes for customer reference in Settings>Business Details. 

• Lastly, be sure you are charging for delivery! You can set your fees and minimums. Orders that do not meet your minimum delivery amount will not be able to select delivery as a fulfillment option.

• Next, set your delivery schedule. You can provide your customers with specific dates and times to choose from, helping you set boundaries and manage your own schedule efficiently, or you can choose to "remain flexible" which means you are open to fulfilling orders as they come in. 

   

Setting Specific Fulfillment Dates

If you choose to create a fulfillment schedule, select "Specific Date(s)" and enter your applicable delivery dates and times. You will need to create an option for each date or day of the week you plan to offer delivery. 

For example if you want delivery options for Jan 3-5, you will need to create three (Jan 3, Jan 4, Jan 5). If you want options for every Wednesday and Friday, create one for Wednesday and one for Friday and pick the dates you want to start each of these. 

If you want a recurring Delivery option, such as every Wednesday and Friday, check "Repeat this option every week" to have this fulfillment option available each week, at the timeframes you set. 

Of note: *Once a fulfillment scheduled date has passed, that fulfillment option will automatically expire. 

Setting Flexible Fulfillment Dates

If you do not have a set delivery schedule in mind, choose "I'm Flexible" instead.

You can provide any notes on your availability or preferences in the box. You will not be able to set a lead time for the flexible option, so we recommend adding it to your fulfillment description (Ex: “Orders are usually delivered within 1-3 days of order based on stock availability and bakery schedule” or “Orders are typically delivered within 5 business days of confirmation). 

Customers have the option to pick a preferred delivery date, but you can also add it to the order after the fact if they did not or you need to adjust it. This will add a date to your Orders page in the Due Date column.

Here is what Delivery options with weekly recurring dates will look like to your customers at check out:

Note: Your customers will be prompted to enter the delivery address upon check-out, in case it is different from their home address.

Creating a Shipping Fulfillment Option

Many states allow in-state shipping and several allow shipping to other states (check your state’s cottage food regulations as they are updated regularly). 

• To add a Shipping fulfillment option, from the Fulfillments tab, Add An Option, and select Shipping. 

• Title your Shipping option (ex: Nationwide Shipping, New York In-State Shipping Only, Overnight Shipping, etc.) 

• If you want this fulfillment option to be available to your customers as soon as your shop is live (or the new fulfillment is saved), keep it set to Active. You can set it to Inactive and your customers will not have it as an option until you go back and change it to Active. 
• Next, add your Shipping Details, including your standard processing time, and any details your customers may need to know below.
  • Standard Processing time: How much time the customer should expect between order and shipping. Lead time can be set in hours or days (leave as 0 if you want customers to be able to place an order and you plan to ship it right away). 

What Do I charge for Shipping?

• Remember to account for packaging (including shipping boxes, filler, shipping labels, etc.) 
• Consider an order minimum: While it's not always necessary to set an order minimum, sometimes it's helpful to only offer shipping when the price of the product makes it long worth your while! 
• Sign Up with a discount shipper: At this time, flat shipping rates are the only fulfillment option in Castiron. We recommend researching packaging and the cost to ship your goods and use a discount shipping program like Pirateship or GoShippo. 
• Consider varying shipping cost by product: You can create multiple options for different types of orders. For example “Shipping for a Dozen Cookies” (at one $rate) and “Shipping for 2-3 dozen Cookies” (and a different $rate). You know your customers best and what they tend to order. You can also create a custom Order Form for any type of order and add the shipping charge you want per order when you review the quote. 

More About Lead Time in Castiron

For Local Pick Up and Local Delivery, you are able to set your "lead time" for certain orders. This means that your fulfillment option will only appear to customers when the date the order is placed aligns with the lead-time you've set.

Let's look at an example:

I have set my local pick-up to have a lead time of 6 hours. I had created a local pick-up fulfillment option for 9/21 from 11 am - 2 pm and 9/22 from 1 pm - 3 pm.

Today it is 9/21 at 10:30 am as I am attempting to check-out on this website. As the customer, when I attempt to check-out, I am unable to see 9/21 from 11 am - 2 pm as an option because I am outside of the 6-hour lead time window. I can only see pick-up for 9/22 because that applies to the lead-time rules I have set within my shop. Please note, the lead time calculates days as hours (2 days=48 hours). 

Shipping options will show “Processing time” so that customers know how much time to expect between placing the order and it being shipped. When marking a shipped order as “Fulfilled” from the Order screen, you will be given the option to send an email to the customer with the tracking number. 

Instant Check-Out vs. Custom Order vs. Presale Fulfillments

The fulfillment options you create will show across your entire shop (the one exception is for Presales–we’ll get to that). This prevents a customer from placing one order with multiple fulfillment options at once (so you don't get one order with multiple different pick up/delivery times). 

That said, there are some slight nuances on how fulfillment is handled between custom orders and instant check-out (regular shop) and presale products. 

Instant Checkout Products

Instant check-out products allow customers to add a product from your shop to their cart, select a fulfillment option that you've created, enter their card info, and pay— all at once! They can pick from whatever you have set up, as long as they have placed the order within the lead time you set. 

Custom Orders

When a customer submits a custom order form, they are only requesting a quote for the products they want–and the fulfillment option. They will be asked their preferred fulfillment method and date up front and you will decide if you can accommodate their request. 

Presales

When you set up a Presale in your Castiron shop, you can create a custom fulfillment specifically for the Presale (in addition to your regular options). 

How to Individually Assign Fulfillment for Instant Check-Out Products

Don't want to offer shipping for your cakes, but you do want to offer shipping for your cookies? Only willing to deliver some of your products? Look no further! You can actually customize what fulfillment types are available for each product.

• First, navigate to your Products tab and select the product you'd like to edit fulfillments for.

• Next, go to the Fulfillment Methods in the bottom right corner of that product, just beneath Insights. Toggle on or off (if it shows as blue it is On) the fulfillment options you would like to be available to your customers for that specific product. Any "blue" fulfillment option will be available for your customers to select upon checkout and click the Save button.

The fulfillment options for that instant check out product are now set. 

How to Customize Fulfillment for Custom Order Forms

As noted, when a customer submits a custom order form, they are only requesting a quote for the products they want–and the fulfillment option. The Fulfillment section on a custom order form generally looks like this:

When you receive your customer's custom order request, you have the option to evaluate the fulfillment request, apply delivery fees, etc. 

Also, for custom Order Form fulfillment you can add to or remove any of your usual fulfillment options for a custom order (Ex: You typically ship products, but remove that as an option for custom cake requests). 

Scroll to the right-hand side of your order form and locate "Fulfillment Methods". Toggle your preferred fulfillment options on or off. 

In this example, local pickup and shipping options have been selected, meaning that only local pickup and shipping options will be visible on this particular custom order form.

This is how that will appear on the custom order form. Now only local pickup and shipping are available to the customer.

Another major difference for Custom Order requests, once your customer selects a fulfillment date, it will show them if you have availability on the date based on your Castiron Calendar (to adjust the dates to match your availability go to the Calendar tab on your shop admin and use the “Update Availability” button). 

If you do have the date available, it encourages your customers to fill out the request quickly as your calendar fills up fast:

If you do not have availability on a date, the customer will be unable to choose those dates for a custom order on the pop up calendar (they appear grayed out): 

Reviewing the Custom Order Request

When you receive the custom order Quote request (via email) from a customer, this is how the fulfillment section of the Quote Request will look to you:

It will show you what the customer requested and you can “apply” it or adjust as needed (we recommend first sending a message to your customer if you want to adjust their request and you do not know if they are flexible). 

You also have the option to add a Fulfillment fee: You set the price for the Pick Up/Delivery/Shipping for the quote and that will be added to the total amount of the Quote sent back to the customer for review. 

How to Customize Fulfillment for Presales

Castiron is amazing for running your presales when you want to gather orders ahead of time for a holiday, event, or occasion. For presales you can create a fulfillment option specifically for the Presale, if you’d like. 

You do have the option of including regular (active) fulfillment options for your Presale. You do not need to create a new one specifically for Presales, but it can help you manage your availability. 

• To create a Presale fulfillment, you go through the same process as regular ones: From the Fulfillments tab click Add An Option button.
• Then you name the fulfillment: We recommend giving Presale fulfillments a very specific title, such as "Halloween Cookie Presale Pickup" or “Mother’s Day Dessert Delivery” or “Sunday Sourdough Pickup”. It helps you manage the fulfillment and makes it clear to your customers. 

• Next, create the unique date and time slots for every pick-up option that you'll be offering during this Presale (see sections above for pick up/delivery for more details). 

**Most importantly: Leave all fulfillments you want to use only for a Presale as Inactive. When building your Presale, you will be able to select it as a fulfillment option. Keeping it Inactive keeps that fulfillment option is unavailable for regular instant checkout from your shop. 

We have provided a lot of information about fulfillments! If you ever need any assistance, please reach out to [e-mail] and let us know how we can help!