Creating a Local Pick Up Fulfillment Option

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. 

To get started creating a pick up option, 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--including more than one pick up 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. 

• 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 in the Fees & Minimums box. By setting an order minimum, this pick up 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

pick up 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 scheduled pick up date has passed, that fulfillment option will automatically expire. 

Pick Up Reminders

You can 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 pick up 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. 

If you have any more questions about fulfillments, check out the article Everything to Know About Fulfillments