Same-Day Delivery

Overview

Same-day local delivery requires three things working together: a way for customers to select a delivery time slot at checkout, a way for you to dispatch orders to drivers, and a way to communicate delivery status back to customers. For most merchants, third-party last-mile services (DoorDash Drive, Uber Direct, Onfleet) are the fastest path to same-day delivery — they handle driver logistics so you focus on operations.

When to Use This Skill

When launching a same-day or next-hour delivery service in a defined geographic area
When allowing customers to select a preferred delivery window at checkout
When building a driver dispatch dashboard that shows outstanding orders and optimizes routes
When integrating with a third-party last-mile courier (DoorDash Drive, Uber Direct, Onfleet)
When managing capacity limits per time slot to prevent over-committing delivery resources

Core Instructions

Step 1: Determine your platform and delivery model

Platform	Recommended Tool	Why
Shopify	Local Delivery by Zapiet + DoorDash Drive or Uber Direct	Zapiet handles time-slot booking at checkout; DoorDash Drive / Uber Direct dispatch drivers automatically
WooCommerce	WooCommerce Local Pickup Plus + Onfleet or your own drivers	Local Pickup Plus handles zones and time slots; Onfleet provides driver dispatch and tracking
BigCommerce	Zapiet Delivery + Onfleet or Dispatch Science	Zapiet and similar apps add delivery scheduling; Dispatch Science optimizes routes
Custom / Headless	Build time-slot booking + integrate Onfleet/DoorDash Drive API for dispatch	Full control over zone management, slot capacity, and driver routing

Choose your delivery model first:

Your own drivers: You control quality and cost but must manage driver availability, vehicles, and routing. Best for: florists, grocery, restaurants with a regular local customer base.
On-demand couriers (DoorDash Drive, Uber Direct): Drivers appear on demand with no fixed cost. Best for: merchants who need occasional same-day delivery without committing to a driver fleet.
Hybrid: Your drivers for scheduled slots; on-demand couriers for rush orders.

Step 2: Set up delivery zones and time slot booking

Shopify

Using Zapiet — Pickup + Delivery (the most feature-complete app):

Install Zapiet — Pickup + Delivery from the Shopify App Store
In Zapiet, go to Delivery → Zones and define your delivery coverage area by:
- Postal/ZIP codes (simplest): list all ZIP codes you deliver to
- Radius from your store address
- Custom drawn polygon (requires higher Zapiet plan)
Set up time slots in Delivery → Time Slots:
- Define daily windows (e.g., 10am–12pm, 12pm–2pm, 2pm–4pm, 4pm–6pm)
- Set capacity per slot (e.g., max 20 orders per 2-hour window)
- Set the order cutoff time for each slot (e.g., orders for the 2pm–4pm slot must be placed by 12pm)
Set delivery fees per zone in Delivery → Rates (can be distance-based or flat)
Customers see available time slots during Shopify checkout after entering their address

Order management in Zapiet:

Go to Zapiet → Orders to see all delivery orders sorted by time slot
Export the pick list and manifest for your drivers from this view
Mark orders as "out for delivery" and "delivered" to update customers

WooCommerce

Using WooCommerce Local Pickup Plus (WooCommerce.com official extension):

Install Local Pickup Plus from WooCommerce.com
Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → Local Pickup Plus
Add pickup/delivery locations — for delivery, define your service area by postal code or radius
Enable "Delivery date & time selection" to let customers pick slots
Configure time slots and capacity in the plugin settings

For more advanced zone management: use the Flexible Shipping plugin or WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping to create delivery rates based on postal code matching.

For driver dispatch: use Onfleet (onfleet.com) which has a WooCommerce webhook integration — new delivery orders automatically appear in Onfleet for driver assignment.

BigCommerce

Using Zapiet on BigCommerce:

Install Zapiet from the BigCommerce App Marketplace
Same configuration as the Shopify workflow above — define zones, time slots, and capacity

Using ShipperHQ:

ShipperHQ has local delivery zones and time-window restrictions built in
Go to ShipperHQ → Carrier Manager → Add Local Delivery carrier and define your zone rules

Step 3: Connect to a driver dispatch platform

Using DoorDash Drive (on-demand, no fixed driver costs)

DoorDash Drive sends DoorDash gig-economy drivers to pick up and deliver your orders. Available in most major US cities.

Sign up at developer.doordash.com/portal for a DoorDash Drive API key
For Shopify: install DoorDash Drive from the Shopify App Store — it creates a DoorDash delivery automatically when you mark an order for dispatch
DoorDash notifies the customer with a real-time tracking link via SMS
You pay per delivery (typically $7–$15 depending on distance)

Using Uber Direct (on-demand)

Similar to DoorDash Drive — Uber Direct uses Uber drivers for local delivery.

Sign up at developer.uber.com/products/uber-direct
Install the Uber Direct app if available for your platform, or use the REST API
Create a delivery by sending the pickup address (your store) and drop-off address (customer) to the Uber Direct API

Using Onfleet (your own drivers + route optimization)

Best if you have your own delivery team and need route optimization and real-time tracking.

Sign up at onfleet.com (starts at $349/month for up to 3 drivers)
Install the WooCommerce webhook integration or use Zapier to connect your platform to Onfleet
New orders auto-create Onfleet tasks
Dispatchers assign tasks to drivers in the Onfleet web dashboard
Drivers get a mobile app with turn-by-turn navigation and proof-of-delivery photo capture
Customers receive an SMS with a real-time tracking link when the driver starts their route

Step 4: Handle edge cases

Slot fills up after customer views it:

Most apps (Zapiet, Onfleet scheduling) use real-time slot availability checks at checkout
Enable slot capacity enforcement in your app settings to prevent overbooking

Address outside delivery zone:

Zapiet checks the delivery zone before showing time slots — if the address is outside your zone, delivery options are hidden and only pickup/standard shipping shows
Test this thoroughly with addresses near your zone boundary before going live

Driver can't fulfill an order:

For DoorDash Drive / Uber Direct: the platform automatically reassigns to another driver
For your own drivers (Onfleet): the dispatcher must manually reassign in the dashboard; set up Onfleet alerts for unassigned tasks approaching their slot window

Cutoff time management:

Set your order cutoff 2–3 hours before the delivery window to give time for picking, packing, and loading
Zapiet automatically hides time slots that have passed their cutoff

Step 5: Custom / Headless Implementation

For headless stores that need full control over zone management and slot booking:

// Check if a customer address is in a delivery zone
async function checkDeliveryEligibility(params: {
  customerZip: string;
  deliveryZones: { name: string; zipCodes: string[]; deliveryFeeCents: number }[];
}): Promise<{ eligible: boolean; zone?: string; feeCents?: number }> {
  const zone = params.deliveryZones.find(z => z.zipCodes.includes(params.customerZip));
  if (!zone) return { eligible: false };
  return { eligible: true, zone: zone.name, feeCents: zone.deliveryFeeCents };
}

// Get available time slots for today (slots with remaining capacity)
async function getAvailableSlots(params: {
  date: Date;
  zone: string;
  slots: { id: string; label: string; capacity: number; booked: number; cutoffTime: Date }[];
}): Promise<{ id: string; label: string; spotsRemaining: number }[]> {
  const now = new Date();
  return params.slots
    .filter(slot => slot.cutoffTime > now && slot.booked < slot.capacity)
    .map(slot => ({
      id: slot.id,
      label: slot.label,
      spotsRemaining: slot.capacity - slot.booked,
    }));
}

// Dispatch a delivery via DoorDash Drive API
async function dispatchDoorDashDelivery(params: {
  externalDeliveryId: string;
  pickupAddress: Address;
  dropoffAddress: Address;
  customerPhone: string;
  pickupWindow: { startTime: string; endTime: string }; // ISO 8601
}): Promise<{ trackingUrl: string; fee: number }> {
  const response = await fetch('https://openapi.doordash.com/drive/v2/deliveries', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.DOORDASH_DRIVE_JWT}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      external_delivery_id: params.externalDeliveryId,
      pickup_address: `${params.pickupAddress.street1}, ${params.pickupAddress.city}, ${params.pickupAddress.state} ${params.pickupAddress.zip}`,
      dropoff_address: `${params.dropoffAddress.street1}, ${params.dropoffAddress.city}, ${params.dropoffAddress.state} ${params.dropoffAddress.zip}`,
      dropoff_phone_number: params.customerPhone,
      pickup_time: params.pickupWindow.startTime,
    }),
  });
  const data = await response.json();
  return { trackingUrl: data.tracking_url, fee: data.fee };
}

Best Practices

Start with ZIP code zones, not radius or polygon — ZIP-code-based zones are easier to manage, easier to communicate to customers ("We deliver to these zip codes"), and don't require geocoding
Set slot cutoff times generously — give your warehouse at least 2 hours between order cutoff and window start to pick, pack, and hand off to drivers
Generate delivery manifests before each slot window — print the manifest 30 minutes before your driver leaves; it should list each order with address, time slot, and special instructions
Send ETA push notifications as the driver approaches — customers with live ETAs submit far fewer "where is my delivery" support contacts; Onfleet and DoorDash Drive both handle this automatically
Monitor slot fill rates — if slots fill up consistently hours before the window, add capacity; if they're under 50% filled at cutoff, consolidate or reduce windows

Common Pitfalls

Problem	Solution
Two customers book the last spot in a slot simultaneously	Use atomic slot decrement with capacity check — Zapiet handles this; for custom builds use database-level locks or atomic updates
Customer enters an address outside the delivery zone but sees time slots	Validate zone eligibility server-side at checkout, not just client-side; Zapiet enforces this automatically
Cutoff time displayed in wrong timezone for customer	Always store and compare times in UTC; display to customers in their local timezone using the browser's `Intl` API
Driver assigned to more orders than they can fulfill in the window	Cap orders per driver per slot and enable route optimization in Onfleet; set realistic capacity limits when building your slot schedule

Related Skills

@order-fulfillment-workflow
@shipment-tracking
@order-management-system
@international-shipping
@dropshipping-integration

same-day-delivery