Big rush at one hour, then idle teams the rest of the day?
Delivery and pickup time slots for your Shopify store
Let your customers pick a delivery or pickup time slot, like 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Set a cap for each slot, and full slots hide on their own.
Generate Slots
Date & Time Range · Store pickup
Start Time
9:00 AM
End Time
5:00 PM
Interval
2 hours
Slots created
In the cart
Pickup time
Saturday, Oct 17
1:00 PM reached its cap, so customers don't see it.
What changes when you run delivery and pickup with time slots?
Your day fills in a controlled way
Set exact times or windows with caps, so demand spreads across the day instead of crashing one slot.
Customers only pick times you can still serve
Preparation time and cut-off rules keep unavailable slots out of view before orders are placed.
Your schedule stays clear across checkout and follow-up
The chosen slot appears through checkout paths and after checkout pages, so customers and staff stay aligned.
Bamboo Juices runs same-day and next-day scheduling with three daily cutoffs. Their time slots only show windows the team can actually fulfill.
What are time slots in Bird?
In Bird Pickup & Delivery, the Shopify app by BirdChime, a time slot is the exact time or time window your customers choose with their date, like 2:00 PM or 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. You set slots by location and method, by weekday if needed, and each slot can have its own order cap.
| At checkout | Shown inside checkout on Shopify Plus; shown in the rate name on other Shopify plans |
|---|---|
| Capacity | Set caps per slot and per day; full slots hide |
| Lead times | Set in days, hours, or minutes, with an optional cut-off |
| Scope | Slots control when your customers can book; preparation time, blockout dates, and inventory are set separately |
| Price | From $19.99 a month, billed through Shopify, with a 14-day free trial. Compare plans |
| Used by | 7,000+ Shopify stores in 60+ countries |
Everything you can set
What kinds of slots can I offer?
You get four options, set for each location and each method.
What kinds of slots can I offer?
You get four options, set for each location and each method.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Only date | Your customers pick a date and come or receive the order any time that day. | Example: A flower shop offers Saturday delivery by date only, with no specific hour selection. |
| Date & time | Your customers pick a set time, such as 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM. | Example: A bakery offers pickups at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM so ovens and staff stay on plan. |
| Date & time range | Your customers pick a window, such as 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. | Example: A grocery delivery store offers 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM windows. |
| No date & time | This turns the calendar off for stores that only need the method chosen. | Example: A gift card order flow keeps method selection but skips date and time selection completely. |
| By weekday | Give each day its own slots, for example closed Sundays and shorter Saturdays. | Example: Weekdays run 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM slots, while Saturday runs 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM only. |
| Many at once | Generate a run of slots from a start time, end time, and gap between slots instead of adding them one by one. | Example: Start 9:00 AM, end 5:00 PM, every 2 hours: Bird creates 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. |
Can I cap how many orders a slot takes?
Yes. Set a cap for each slot, each day, or both.
Can I cap how many orders a slot takes?
Yes. Set a cap for each slot, each day, or both.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Per slot | Give each slot its own maximum. Leave it blank for no limit. | Example: Set 2:00 PM to 5 orders and 4:00 PM to 8 orders based on team capacity. |
| Per day | Set a maximum for the whole day, across every slot. | Example: A store sets Monday to 25 total orders no matter how many slots remain open. |
| Whichever comes first | A full slot closes even if the day has room, and a full day closes every remaining slot. | Example: Daily cap 20, 2:00 PM cap 5. At 5 orders the 2:00 PM slot hides; at 20 the whole day closes. |
| What customers see | A full slot disappears from the widget. When every slot on a date is full, the date greys out. | Example: After the last 3:00 PM spot is taken, 3:00 PM vanishes and the customer picks 5:00 PM instead. |
| In-store orders too | Shopify POS checks slot capacity, so staff cannot book a slot that's already full. POS does not check delivery zones, though. | Example: A counter order cannot be set to a full 1:00 PM slot, so staff choose the next open time. |
Which slots do customers see today?
Your customers only see slots your preparation time and cut-off allow.
Which slots do customers see today?
Your customers only see slots your preparation time and cut-off allow.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Lead time units | Set preparation time in days, hours, or minutes. Hours hide earlier slots today; days block whole dates. | Example: With a 4-hour lead time, a customer looking at 2:00 PM Monday sees slots from 6:00 PM onwards. |
| Next-day | For next-day only, use 1 day rather than 24 hours. Days block today whatever the time; hours only hide today's earlier slots and do not roll over into tomorrow. | Example: At 9:00 AM, a 1-day lead time hides all of today and starts availability from tomorrow onward. |
| Cut-off | Orders placed after the cut-off get a longer lead time, which must be longer than the one before it. | Example: 1 day before 6:00 PM and 2 days after: at 3:00 PM Monday Tuesday is open; at 7:00 PM only Wednesday onwards. |
| By weekday | Use different lead times on different days, for example 4 hours on weekdays and 1 day at weekends. | Example: Weekdays use 4 hours for fast prep, while Sunday orders require 1 day notice. |
Can I charge more for busy slots?
Yes. Use time-based rates, or reward quieter slots with a discount.
Can I charge more for busy slots?
Yes. Use time-based rates, or reward quieter slots with a discount.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Time-based rates | Charge by the slot your customers pick, for example $8 for slots between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM and $5 between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM. | Example: Morning delivery is set to $8 and afternoon delivery to $5 to balance demand through the day. |
| Off-peak discounts | Limit a Bird discount to a time range, such as 10% off your quiet hours. | Example: A 10% discount on Tuesday 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM slots helps fill slower periods. |
Where do customers see their slot?
Your customers see the slot in the cart, at checkout, and after checkout.
Where do customers see their slot?
Your customers see the slot in the cart, at checkout, and after checkout.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Cart | Your customers pick their date and slot in the Bird widget on the cart page. | Example: Before checkout, a customer picks Friday with the 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM slot in the cart widget. |
| Shopify Plus checkout | On Shopify Plus, the Checkout Date Time Picker block shows the picker inside checkout. | Example: A Plus store shows the date picker in checkout step flow, so customers can adjust timing there too. |
| Other Shopify plans | Checkout cannot show an extra box for the slot, so add it to the rate name, for example Store Pickup ( 10 Dec, 2025 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ). | Example: The selected slot appears inside the shipping rate name, so the customer still confirms timing at checkout. |
| After checkout | The thank you and order status pages show the slot on any Shopify plan. | Example: After payment, the Thank You page repeats Saturday 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM with the selected method. |
| Confirmation email | Bird's code adds the date and time slot to Shopify's order confirmation email on any Shopify plan. | Example: Order confirmation email includes "Pickup: 14 Oct, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM" for customer reference. |
| Changing the slot | Your customers can move to another date or slot from those pages. They cannot change the method or location, and editing stops on the day itself or once the date is inside your lead time. | Example: A customer moves from Monday 10:00 AM to Tuesday 12:00 PM, but cannot switch pickup to delivery. |
Do time slots work with my other tools?
Yes. Staff can pick slots in POS and draft orders, and slot changes can start Shopify Flow workflows.
Do time slots work with my other tools?
Yes. Staff can pick slots in POS and draft orders, and slot changes can start Shopify Flow workflows.
| You can | What happens | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify POS | Staff pick a start and end time for in-store orders in the Bird: Order Details tile. | Example: At checkout counter, staff books an order for 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM directly from POS. |
| Draft orders | Create phone and custom orders with a date and time slot from Bird's Orders page. | Example: A phone order is created with Wednesday 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM during a support call. |
| Shopify Flow | When an order's time changes, Bird's Order updated step in Flow starts your workflow. | Example: When a slot moves to Friday, Flow tags the order for the Friday prep checklist automatically. |
| Your clock | Set a 12-hour or 24-hour clock and the date format for each language you sell in. | Example: English storefront shows 3:00 PM while French storefront shows 15:00 for the same slot. |
How do I set up time slots?
Choose a slot type for each location and method in Bird, add or generate your slots, and set caps and preparation times. The help center has a guide for each part.
FAQ
What else do merchants ask about time slots?
Can customers pick a slot that has already started?
Yes, if you turn on Extend Slot Visibility. It works for Date & time range slots and keeps them on offer until the end of their window.
What happens when a slot is full?
It disappears from the widget, while other slots that day stay available. When every slot on a date is full, the date greys out in the calendar.
Can each day have different slots?
Yes. Choose Customize availability by day and give each weekday its own slots and caps, or switch a day off entirely.
Can each store or method have its own slots?
Yes. Slots are set for each location, and separately for pickup, delivery, and shipping.
Can customers choose their time slot at checkout?
Your customers pick it in the cart widget. On Shopify Plus, the picker can also sit inside checkout itself. On other plans, add the {{selected_date}} and {{selected_time}} placeholders to the rate name so checkout shows the slot they chose.
Can I charge more for evening or morning slots?
Yes. A Time rate charges by the slot your customers pick, for example $8 for morning slots and $5 in the afternoon.
Do time slots work for shipping?
Yes. Shipping has its own availability settings, with the same four slot types and the same caps.
Does it work for Shopify stores outside the US?
You can set a 12-hour or 24-hour clock and the date format for each language you sell in, so slots read the way your customers expect.
Do I need a developer to set up time slots?
You set slots up yourself in Bird's availability settings, and use the widget preview to see them as your customers will.
How much do delivery and pickup time slots cost?
Paid plans start at $19.99 a month, billed through Shopify, with a 14-day free trial and 10% off annual billing. The pricing page shows what each plan includes.
Terms on this page
- Preparation time
- The minimum lead time before an order can be fulfilled, in days, hours, or minutes.
- Cut-off time
- The time of day after which a longer lead time applies to new orders.
Related features
Industry guides: restaurants, bakeries and meal kit services.
Comparing apps? Bird vs Zapiet, Pickeasy, Stellar and Flare, or the best Shopify pickup and delivery apps.
Spread orders across the day.
Try time slots free for 14 days. Generate your slots, set a cap, and check them in the widget preview before you pay.