Delivery in an Online Store Script

Delivery in an online store script is calculated at checkout: method, zone, cost, and sometimes time. It affects conversion as much as payment; people leave when "delivery 900 RUB" suddenly appears on the last screen or pickup cannot be selected.

Payment and checkout: here, store overview: PHP store.

Minimum methods at launch

• Pickup: point address, schedule, zero or symbolic price.
• City courier: zone plus fixed price or thresholds by amount.
• Carrier / pickup point: at least manual selection of the carrier plus comment if auto-calculation is not ready.

Do not connect five services on opening day. Two clear methods are better than a matrix the manager cannot explain.

Zones and tariffs in admin

1. Zone "city" / "region" / "beyond", matching how you actually calculate.
2. Delivery price for the zone.
3. "Free from amount X" threshold.
4. Method restrictions: fragile or oversized items only pickup.
5. Address comment: apartment, intercom, "call one hour before".

If you calculate by postal code through a carrier API, add a timeout and fallback "manager will confirm"; otherwise checkout stops when the API is unavailable.

Checkout behavior

• Changing method immediately recalculates the total.
• Pickup hides address fields or makes them optional.
• Courier requires at least street and building.
• Free delivery threshold is honest: "350 RUB left until free delivery".
• A "free delivery" promo should not combine strangely with the threshold; define priority. Promo codes: article.

Warehouse, weight, variants

For most niches, fixed tariffs are enough at launch. If you sell furniture or equipment, product or SKU weight and dimensions are needed. Clothing sizes rarely change delivery; a 20 kg kit does. SKU: variants.

If stock is zero, there is no point calculating delivery: the product should not reach checkout.

Status after payment

Logistics in admin is separate from payment:

• new / confirmed;
• packing;
• handed to delivery;
• ready for pickup;
• delivered / issued;
• return/cancel.

The manager enters tracking number into the order; the buyer sees it in the account or email. Do not mix paid and "already with courier" in one flag.

Typical mistakes

1. Delivery 0 RUB for all regions left "temporarily".
2. Zone determined by city substring incorrectly.
3. Cash on delivery enabled while warehouse or courier cannot handle it.
4. Long address is truncated in the database and courier cannot find it.
5. Email total excludes delivery while account total includes it, causing distrust.

Test three methods, two cities/zones, orders below and above free threshold, with and without promo. Find orders in admin: shop checklist.

Connection with the storefront

The product card can show "delivery from ..." as guidance, but checkout is the source of truth. Catalog: catalog. Ecommerce on hosting: ecommerce.

Delivery in a store script means zones, methods, honest total recalculation, and post-payment statuses. Make pickup and one paid method transparent; add more when real orders arrive, not during a demo meeting.

Texts that reduce support questions

On the Delivery page, write:

• zones and times as they are, without "possibly faster";
• until what time same-day courier orders are packed;
• how many days pickup is stored and what happens after;
• who sends tracking and where to see it;
• what happens to delivery on return, at least in one paragraph.

In checkout, repeat the time next to the method price. People do not read informational pages during payment; they need the number and day near the radio button.

When to connect carrier APIs

API makes sense when manual "manager will confirm" slows the flow. Before that, fixed zones are more honest than a broken calculator. When connecting:

1. Cache responses briefly so API is not hit on every recalculation.
2. Add fallback and alert if the service is silent.
3. Save selected pickup-point code in the order.
4. Label printing is a separate stage, not a launch blocker.

Do not mix several carriers into one method without distinction; the manager will not know what to pack for. Better use three clearly named methods. Remember: delivery in the script is about money and expectations at checkout; courier back-office magic can live aside as long as status and amount match what the buyer hears.

Pickup as the highest-converting method

In local niches, pickup often converts better than courier because there are no delivery-price doubts. Show the point on a map, entrance photo, and how to call on arrival. Order status should include "ready for pickup", with a notification to the buyer. Do not keep packed orders forever; define storage time. Delivery in a store script starts with honest pickup, while courier and pickup points grow when the flow exists and fixed tariffs are no longer enough.

Before enabling paid delivery, run four orders: below free threshold, above it, another zone, and promo on delivery. Cart, order, and payment amounts must match. If not, fix before advertising. Buyers forgive modest design; they do not forgive a different number at checkout. Zones, methods, recalculation, statuses: your minimum logistics package on the site.

Exceptions and oversized items

Mark products that cannot be delivered by courier: pickup only or custom calculation. Delivery without exceptions eventually ships a sofa at a T-shirt tariff. In checkout, such items must block the method or show "manager will calculate" without creating an online payment for the wrong amount.

For fragile items, add a warning comment to the method. Update holiday delivery times in advance directly in the checkout method text, not only in news; buyers read it when something goes wrong. Website logistics are part of service. Keep zones, thresholds, and statuses in order, and the cashier stops arguing with the courier about every second order.

Every two weeks, compare site tariffs with what you actually pay the courier or carrier. During holidays, increase the checkout method time directly, not only in news. An outdated number either eats margin or explodes support.