How to Enable Orders Throttling for Products That Require Preparation Time (Retail e-Commerce)

If you're selling products that require advance preparation time—like custom items, perishable goods, or services—you can manage customer expectations and operations more efficiently by enabling Orders Throttling. This feature allows you to limit when certain products can be ordered based on quantity and preparation time.

Follow the steps below to set it up:

Step 1: Navigate to Your e-Commerce Settings

1. Go to Settings >> e-Commerce (direct link here)
   
   
   

Step 2: Access Store Configuration​​​​

1. Find the needed store name in the list.

2. Click on store name to open the editing pop-up window.
   
   
   
   

Step 3: Enable Orders Throttling

1. Scroll down to the Orders Throttling section.

2. Toggle on the Enable Orders Throttling switch.
   
   
   
   

3. For the Default preparation time (minutes) and Lead time (minutes) set some arbitrary value as 10 minutes if you are not using Kitchen Display.
   
   

Step 4: Set Conditional Preparation Time Tiers

This section allows you to define how long in advance an order must be placed depending on the quantity.

1. Click + Add new record under Conditional Orders Preparation Time Tiers.

2. Fill in the fields:

   • Items qty (from): Minimum number of items for the rule to apply.

   • Items qty (to): Maximum number of items for the rule to apply.

   • Preparation time period: Choose Days.

   • Preparation time: Input the required number of days. (For example, "1" means the item must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.)

   • Categories: Select which product categories the throttling rule will apply to.
     
     
     
     
     

Final Step: Save Changes

Once you've added all necessary preparation time tiers, don’t forget to save your changes.

With orders throttling in place, your customers will only be able to place orders for selected items within a timeframe that gives your team adequate time to prepare them. This helps streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction.

Example: Store Pickup dates for an item that requires a 2-days preparation window (date of screenshot 4/15/2025) start from Friday the 18th of April