How to Offer Same-Day or Next-Day Shipping in WooCommerce?

how to offer same-day and next-day delivery in WooCommerce
Author Bartosz Gajewski
Updated:
2023-10-13
Reading time:
8 minutes read

Delivery time is one of the most essential elements regarding WooCommerce. It has especially gained importance in recent years and seems likely to become even more important shortly. With more and more consumers preferring quick gratification, the timely arrival of orders is crucial. In this article, I’ll show you how to offer the best quick shipping options, like Same-Day or Next Day Delivery in WooCommerce.

The Benefits of Offering Same-Day or Next-Day Shipping

Let’s start with why you should start using fast delivery in your store (if you aren’t already doing so, of course). Choosing to provide WooCommerce next-day delivery or same-day shipping is about more than just rapidity — it’s about delivering unparalleled value to your customers:

  • Increased customer satisfaction: Instant gratification is a powerful motivator. When customers receive their orders sooner than anticipated, the shopping experience becomes more memorable, leading to positive feedback and valuable word-of-mouth recommendations. This may translate into an increase in returning and new clients.
  • Competitive advantage: The e-commerce world is crowded. Offering features like fast shipping can make all the difference to stand out. It’s an edge that could propel you above competitors. Shortly, the lack of offering such services will become a distinct negative feature, which may discourage customers from purchasing and increase the abandoned cart rate in your store
  • Potential for higher sales: A customer on the fence might need that additional incentive. The guarantee of quick delivery can convince them to hit the ‘Buy Now’ button.

Across the globe, the demand for fast shipping is skyrocketing, reshaping the e-commerce landscape profoundly. The convenience of receiving products within a day or two has spurred a change in consumer behaviour, with many now expecting or demanding service like Same-Day or Next-Day delivery as a standard.

Global Rise in the Popularity of Fast Shipping

Across the globe, the demand for fast shipping is skyrocketing, reshaping the e-commerce landscape profoundly. The convenience of receiving products within a day or two has spurred a change in consumer behaviour, with many now expecting or demanding such rapid service as standard. This surge in preference is not confined to specific regions or demographics; it’s a worldwide phenomenon, a testament to modern commerce’s globalized, interconnected nature. Furthermore, this trend fosters innovation in logistics and supply chain management as businesses race to develop infrastructure and strategies capable of meeting these heightened expectations. Notably, it’s vital for WooCommerce store owners to keenly observe these global trends and adapt accordingly, ensuring they remain competitive and attuned to the evolving demands of customers from every corner of the world.

Implementing Fast Shipping

Before plunging into fast shipping, set the stage for success. It is crucial. The mere setup of appropriate shipping methods should be the final step to ensuring customers fast delivery.

  • Robust inventory management system: This is non-negotiable. Ensuring products are in stock and ready to ship avoids disappointing customers.
  • Partnerships with trusted shipping providers: Your delivery promise is only as strong as your weakest link. Collaborate with carriers that prioritize speed just as much as you do.
  • Efficient order processing: Rapid shipping requires a backend system to process and prepare orders for dispatch quickly.

To offer same-day delivery, you must ensure your store can process and dispatch orders almost immediately. This might involve streamlining your inventory and order management, setting cutoff times for same-day delivery, and partnering with carriers that offer express delivery services within your operating area. Next-day delivery requires a slightly different approach. Determine your cutoff times for orders to be dispatched the following day. Ensure that the shipping partners can guarantee next-day deliveries and set clear delivery expectations for your customers at checkout.

How to Offer Same-Day or Next-Day Shipping in WooCommerce?

There are plenty of ways to set up Same-day and Next-Day shipping in WooCommerce. However, not every will meet the basic requirements for such a shipment:
– it should have an appropriate cut-off time, i.e. a specific time after which it will not display
– it should display only on certain days since fast shipping on weekends is not usually available
– the dispatch must have a specific name together with a description, which will explain to users what principles this type of dispatch works

In addition, it would be good if you could set additional conditions for shipping, such as minimum price, maximum weight or free shipping threshold. A plugin that provides all of these functionalities is Flexible Shipping PRO.

Flexible Shipping PRO WooCommerce
99.00

The best Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce. Period. Create shipping rules based on weight, order totals or item count.

View Details or Add to cart
100,000+ Active Installations
30-day money back guarantee
Last Updated: 2024-12-09
Works with WooCommerce 9.1 - 9.5.x

Flexible Shipping PRO plugin is a powerful WooCommerce shipping plugin for shipping cost calculation. It allows you to set shipping cost based on weight, totals, product count and much more. All the features and additional information you’ll find in our WooCommerce shipping calculator guide.

How to Offer Same-Day Delivery in WooCommerce – step-by-step guide

You can add a same-day delivery shipping method in just a few simple steps:

Step 1. Add a Flexible Shipping method to your WooCommerce Shipping Zone
Step 2. Configure the shipping method’s name and description
Step 3. Set the shipping cost and additional conditions
Step 4. Set the cut-off time and inactive days

Step 1. Add a Flexible Shipping method to your WooCommerce Shipping Zone

With the Flexible Shipping PRO plugin installed and activated, you can cut to step one, adding a shipping method in WooCommerce. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping. There, edit the shipping zone in which you want to free shipping bar. Next, click on Add shipping method button.

Add Flexible Shipping method

Then, select the type of your shipping method. Pick the Flexible Shipping.

new Flexible shipping method

Having the Flexible Shipping method added, it’s time to manage WooCommerce shipping method.

Step 2. Configure the shipping method’s name and description

Proper customer communication is one of the most straightforward yet important elements that will help configure an effective same-day shipping operation. The Flexible Shipping plugin allows you to add not only the shipping name but also the description. 

After adding a new shipping method from the previous plugin, go to the main method settings and complete the Method Title and Description fields. The description field supports the HTML tags, so you can add the detailed price list overview link using the <a></a> tags.

UPS Shipping method with Icon

Step 3. Set the shipping cost and additional conditions

Now, go to the Shipping Cost Calculation Rules table, which is the most important part of the shipping method configuration that allows you to configure almost any shipping scenario. 

To set the shipping cost, set an Always in the condition field and enter the shipping amount in the rule cost field. 

regular shipping cost
If you want to add some conditions for a particular shipping method, you can use the conditions available in the plugin. Let’s assume that Same-Day Delivery should only be available from $50. 

To set this up, all you need to do is, in the first rule, change the condition to Price and in the minimum value, enter $50. 

same day shipping available from $50
With this configuration, your shipping method will only display for orders over $50. 

Another popular solution is to offer free shipping once the order value is reached. You can configure this simply by entering the appropriate value in the Free Shipping threshold field. 

free shippig for the same-day delivery

If you want to learn more about the Free Shipping in WooCommerce, check our detailed guide.

Step 4. Set the cut-off time and inactive days

After configuring the price, there is still one more item to set: the method’s availability time. 

Let’s first deal with the availability time during the day, setting the cut-off time. Cut-off time is the final hour within a day when a customer can place an order and still expect it to be delivered on the same day. The most common solution is to set a time when the courier picks up packages at your warehouse. Assume that it is 1PM.

To hide the shipping method after 1PM, add a new rule using the New rule button. In the new rule, set the condition as Time of the Day

Time of the day condition in Flexible Shipping PRO

Next, set the time that you want to hide your shipping method. To hide it after 1PM, set the between field as 1PM, and field leave as 12AM. 

Set the cut-off time

Lastly, set the Special action field as Hide

hide shiping method on time of the day

This will set your shipping method to be hidden within the time range you specify. 

Another thing to set is inactive days when the shipping method should not display. Due to its nature, Same-Day delivery is unavailable on weekends, so it is best to turn it off on those days simply. To do this, add another rule and set it as Day of the week

inactive days for shipping

At the very end, as in the previous case, set the Special action field as Hide

The entire Same-Day delivery method setup looks like this: 

same day delivery configuration

Of course, you can modify it in any way you like, according to your needs. I hope this explanation is sufficient for you. If you need additional information check out our guide on how to set WooCommerce Shipping Based on Time of the Order.

How to Offer Next-Day Delivery in WooCommerce – step-by-step guide

You can add a next-day delivery shipping method in just few simple steps:

Step 1. Add a Flexible Shipping method to your WooCommerce Shipping Zone

Step 2. Configure the shipping method’s name and description

Step 3. Set the shipping cost and additional conditions

Step 4. Set inactive days

Step 1. Add a Flexible Shipping method to your WooCommerce Shipping Zone

With the Flexible Shipping PRO plugin installed and activated, you can cut to step one, adding a shipping method in WooCommerce. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping. There, edit the shipping zone in which you want to free shipping bar. Next, click on Add shipping method button.

Add Flexible Shipping method

Then, select the type of your shipping method. Pick the Flexible Shipping.

new Flexible shipping method

Having the Flexible Shipping method added, it’s time to manage WooCommerce shipping method.

Step 2. Configure the shipping method’s name and description

Proper customer communication is one of the most straightforward yet important elements that will help configure an effective same-day shipping operation. The Flexible Shipping plugin allows you to add not only the shipping name but also the description. 

After adding a new shipping method from the previous plugin, go to the main method settings and complete the Method Title and Description fields. The description field supports the HTML tags, so you can add the detailed price list overview link using the <a></a> tags.

UPS Shipping method with Icon

Step 3. Set the shipping cost and additional conditions

Now, go to the Shipping Cost Calculation Rules table, which is the most important part of the shipping method configuration that allows you to configure almost any shipping scenario. 

To set the shipping cost, set an Always in the condition field and enter the shipping amount in the rule cost field. 

regular shipping cost
If you want to add some conditions for a particular shipping method, you can use the conditions available in the plugin. Let’s assume that Next-Day Delivery should only be available from $50. 

To set this up, all you need to do is, in the first rule, change the condition to Price and in the minimum value, enter $50. 

same day shipping available from $50
With this configuration, your shipping method will only display for orders over $50. 

Another popular solution is to offer free shipping once the order value is reached. You can configure this simply by entering the appropriate value in the Free Shipping threshold field. 

free shippig for the same-day delivery

If you want to learn more about the Free Shipping in WooCommerce, check our detailed guide.

Step 4. Set inactive days

Due to its nature, Next-Day delivery should not be active every day of the week. The most common solution is to deactivate this method on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

To do this, simply add a new Rule using the New Rule button. In the new rule, set the condition as Day of the week. Next, select the days on which the shipping method should be ineffective.

inactive days for shipping

The entire Next-Day delivery method setup looks like this:

Next-Day delivery method setup

Of course, you can modify it in any way you like, according to your needs. I hope this explanation is sufficient for you. If you need additional information check out our guide on how to set WooCommerce Shipping Based on Time of the Order.

Tips for Successful Implementation

As you may have guessed, setting up shipping methods in WooCommerce is not enough. Remember, it’s also essential to ensure that shipments reach your store’s customers when they expect them to. 

Accuracy is paramount: Avoid over-promising. Ensure your delivery times align with your logistical capacities to prevent disappointment.

Transparency is the best policy: Offer order tracking options so customers can monitor their packages in real-time.

Keep lines of communication open: If there are any delays or issues, notify your customers immediately. Keeping them informed builds trust and understanding.

FAQs

Which courier does same-day delivery in the U.S.?

Most popular courier companies like UPS, DHL and FedEx offer same-day shipping.

Does 1-day delivery mean the next day?

Yes, “1-day delivery” typically means that the goods will be delivered the next day, assuming they are ordered within a specified cut-off time and are readily available for dispatch.

What is the meaning of same day delivery?

When an order is delivered the same day it is placed, it is referred to as same-day delivery. Frequently, for this to apply, the order must be placed before a specific time of day, such as before noon.

Conclusion

Empowering your WooCommerce store with same-day or next-day shipping can remarkably enhance your customer’s shopping experience and set your brand apart in the crowded WooCommerce space. Navigating through the logistics, technology, and customer service aspects might be challenging, but with the right strategy and powerful integrations like Flexible Shipping PRO, it’s definitely achievable.

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