WooCommerce stores that show estimated delivery date on WooCommerce checkout make it easier for customers to place their orders with confidence. When customers can see exactly when their order is expected to arrive before they buy, they’re more likely to complete the purchase instead of hesitating or leaving the cart.
In this article, you’ll see how the WooCommerce Estimated Delivery Date plugin helps your WooCommerce store display clear delivery timelines during checkout, tailored to your business hours, shipping zones, holidays, and more.
Table of Contents
- Why Show Delivery Dates at Checkout?
- Add Estimated Delivery Date to WooCommerce Checkout
- How Delivery Estimates Change Based on Customization
- Enhance Transparency with Carrier Plugins
- Real-World Use Case
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
Why Show Delivery Dates at Checkout?
When customers are ready to place an order, they want clarity on one simple thing:
“If I order today, when will it arrive?”
If your WooCommerce store doesn’t answer that upfront during checkout, it creates uncertainty. That often leads to hesitation, abandoned carts, or extra customer support queries.
Showing an estimated delivery date at checkout solves this instantly. It helps your store:
- Set clear expectations
- Build trust at the point of purchase
- Reduce confusion after the order
- Encourage faster decision-making
For example:
Express Shipping – Estimated Delivery by July 2
Free Shipping – Estimated Delivery by July 5
Just a simple line like this gives customers the confidence to complete their purchase without second-guessing.
Add Estimated Delivery Date on WooCommerce Checkout
WooCommerce doesn’t show estimated delivery timelines by default. But with WooCommerce Estimated Delivery Date plugin, you can easily display them on the cart and checkout pages right next to each shipping method.
Note: Before you begin, make sure the plugin is installed and activated on your WooCommerce store. Then, follow the setup guide to configure the basic settings.
Once that’s done, make sure the display option is turned on in the plugin. This will let your store display estimated delivery dates next to each shipping method on the cart and checkout pages, giving your customers a clear idea of when their order will arrive before they place it.
Adjust Delivery Dates Based on How Your Store Operates
The plugin gives you full control over how delivery dates are calculated, so they match your store’s real-world operations.
You can configure:
Working days – Exclude weekends or specific days your business doesn’t ship
Cut-off time – Set a daily deadline for order processing (orders after the cut-off are treated as next-day orders)
Holidays – Skip certain days like national or regional holidays, so delivery dates don’t fall on unavailable days.
Shipping classes – Add extra buffer days for specific product types like custom-made, fragile, or bulk items.
Shipping zones – Show different delivery timelines based on the customer’s location,~ such as urban vs. rural regions, or domestic vs. international orders.
Woo Shipping methods – Assign different delivery speeds to each method. For example, Free Shipping might take longer than Flat Rate.
These flexible settings allow you to reflect real delivery conditions and set clear expectations for customers at checkout.
How Delivery Estimates Change Based on Customizations
The delivery date shown to your customer isn’t fixed. It changes based on what they’re ordering, where they’re located, and how you’ve configured the plugin.
Here are a few everyday scenarios where the plugin adapts the delivery timeline:
Holidays Are Skipped
If the minimum delivery time is set to 2 days and a customer orders on June 26th, the estimated delivery might normally be July 1st (excluding weekends). But if June 27th is a holiday, that day is skipped, pushing the estimate to July 2nd.
Different Products Show Different Dates
Suppose a customer orders two items:
- A ready-to-ship mug
- A handmade ceramic bowl (with 2 extra days added through its shipping class)
At checkout, the mug might show delivery by July 2nd, while the bowl shows July 4th, depending on holidays and working days.
This way, each product shows its realistic timeline at checkout – no confusion, no unrealistic promises.
Customer Location Adds Time
Let’s say you’ve added 2 extra days for orders going to Europe. A customer in Europe might see delivery by July 4th, while someone in your local region might see July 2nd, based on the same product.
Delivery Times Vary by Shipping Option
Different shipping methods come with different timelines. For example, if Free Shipping takes a bit longer and you’ve added 3 extra days to it, while Express Delivery has no extra days, the delivery estimates will reflect that difference.
At checkout, your customer might see:
- Express Delivery: Estimated delivery July 2
- Free Shipping: Estimated delivery July 7
This gives customers a clear idea of when their order will arrive, based on the method they choose.
These examples show how the plugin updates the estimated delivery date in real time based on your store settings, so your customers always see a realistic timeline that matches your operations.
Enhance Transparency with Carrier Plugins
If your WooCommerce store ships with carriers like FedEx, UPS, or DHL, pairing those plugins with the WooCommerce Delivery Date plugin gives customers a complete view of their order delivery.
The estimated delivery date appears at checkout, while the carrier plugin handles:
- Live shipping rates and timelines
- Automatic tracking numbers
- Real-time shipment updates via email
This combination keeps customers informed from checkout to delivery, reducing confusion and support queries.
It’s especially useful for time-sensitive orders, where knowing both the estimated date and live tracking helps build confidence.
Real-World Use Case: Managing Furniture Deliveries Across Multiple Zones in India
Let’s say you run a WooCommerce store based in Pune that sells handcrafted furniture, including coffee tables, bookshelves, and TV units. Your products are bulky and take longer to ship, and your deliveries span across major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, each with different courier timelines.
The Challenges You Will Fac:
- Delivery timelines vary drastically across zones. Local deliveries may take 2 days, while interstate orders take 5–7 days.
- Heavy furniture items often require additional handling time or special freight services.
- Customers expect transparency at checkout, especially for big-ticket items with long delivery windows.
- Without clear delivery estimates, many customers abandon their carts or flood your inbox with questions like:
“If I order today, when will it reach Bangalore?” - During peak seasons, weekends, and holidays delay shipping leading to missed expectations if not properly communicated.
How It Can Be Solved:
Using the Estimated Delivery Date Plugin for WooCommerce, you can:
- Set up shipping zones with custom delivery timelines:
- Pune (Local): 2–3 working days
- Mumbai/Bangalore: 5–7 working days
- Remote areas: 7–10 working days
- Exclude Sundays and national holidays from delivery calculations to avoid false promises.
- Add buffer days for furniture items using shipping classes (e.g., +2 days for heavy items).
- Configure cut-off times (e.g., orders after 2 PM are processed the next day) to set realistic expectations.
- Show clear delivery timelines at checkout like:“Standard Shipping – Estimated Delivery by July 5–8”
This transparency builds trust and reliability, especially for high-value furniture orders where delivery timing can influence purchase decisions.
Conclusion
Giving customers a clear delivery timeline right at checkout builds trust and reduces uncertainty. The PH Estimated Delivery Date plugin helps WooCommerce stores show accurate, reliable delivery dates tailored to real business operations. From processing rules to shipping methods, it keeps everything aligned, so your customers always know when to expect their order.
Need help configuring delivery estimates on your WooCommerce store? Reach out to PluginHive Support for assistance.
FAQs
1. Can I show a range of delivery dates in my WooCommerce store instead of a single date?
Yes. The PluginHive Estimated Delivery Date plugin for WooCommerce supports multiple formats – single date, fixed date range, or a “± X days” window to manage expectations.
2. Can I use this WooCommerce plugin to track shipments after dispatch?
No. This plugin only displays estimated delivery timelines before purchase in WooCommerce. To track shipments after dispatch, you’ll need a dedicated WooCommerce shipment tracking plugin.
3. Does this plugin support different delivery dates for different WooCommerce products?
Yes. With WooCommerce shipping classes, you can assign extra delivery days for specific products. Each item in the cart will then show its own estimated delivery date at checkout.
4. How do I show WooCommerce delivery dates based on a customer’s city or state?
You can configure WooCommerce shipping zones (like city, state, or country) and assign different delivery days for each zone to show accurate location-based delivery estimates.
9. Can the plugin show the exact delivery date from carriers like FedEx or UPS?
No. The plugin provides an estimated delivery date based on your configurations, not the real-time data from a carrier. For exact dates, you’d need to use it alongside carrier plugins.
6. Can I set a cut-off time for same-day or next-day WooCommerce orders?
Yes. The plugin lets you define a daily cut-off time in your WooCommerce store. Orders placed after that time are automatically considered next-day for delivery estimates.
7. Is the plugin compatible with multilingual WooCommerce stores?
Yes. The PluginHive Estimated Delivery Date plugin is WPML-compatible, ensuring delivery dates display correctly in multiple languages
