How are time slots used and what are its configurations?
The Time Slots feature allows customers to schedule their orders in advance by selecting a preferred date and time during checkout.
⚠️ Enterprise Plan only: This feature is not available in the Restaurant Alert + Deliver Shopify app listing.
How It Works
When a customer checks out, a date and time picker appears below the address fields. This allows the customer to choose from your store’s available time slots.
Once a time slot is selected:
- The order will reflect the chosen schedule in the In-Store Merchant App
- Your staff will be alerted to the new order either immediately or based on the lead time you’ve configured in the E-Store App settings
Configuring Time Slots
You can adjust the following settings via Apps > EStore Prod App > Settings in your Shopify Admin:
1. Enable/Disable Time Slots
Toggle the Time Slots feature on or off depending on your business needs. This lets customers plan ahead and helps manage store operations more efficiently.
2. Date Availability
Controls which days of the week customers can schedule orders for.
- Every Day of the Week: All days are available
- Specific Days of the Week: Select only certain days (e.g., Tue, Thu, Sat)
ℹ️ FAQ: Can each branch have different available days?
Yes. Date availability is configured per branch.
3. Time Slots
Controls which time ranges of the day are shown in the picker.
- Same Every Day: Applies a uniform set of time slots for all days
- Different Each Day: Lets you assign time slots for each day of the week
⚠️ Time slots must be entered as ranges (e.g., 12:00PM–1:00PM), not labels like “lunch” or “evening.”
ℹ️ FAQ: Can I assign time slots per day or per branch?
Yes. Time slots can differ by day and by location.
4. Future Orders
Set how many days in advance customers can schedule their orders.
Example:
If today is Jan 1 and your setting is 3 days, customers can choose Jan 1 to Jan 4.
5. Lead Time
Defines how far in advance an order must be placed for a particular time slot.
Example:
If the current time is 3:00PM and your lead time is 30 minutes, the earliest selectable slot would be 3:30PM.
6. Alert Settings
Controls when your store is notified of new orders in the In-Store Merchant App.
- Instant Alert: You receive the alert as soon as the customer checks out, even for advanced orders
- Scheduled Alert: You receive the alert minutes before the order's scheduled time slot (based on your defined buffer)
Example for Scheduled Alert:
If an order is placed at 3:00PM for a 7:00PM slot and your alert buffer is 60 minutes, the alert will come at 6:00PM.
