Control whether customers pick a "date needed" when placing an order, and set lead time rules so you never get a last-minute request you can't fill.

Overview

Some orders need to be ready by a specific date — a birthday cake for Saturday, cookies for a school bake sale next Friday. The due date setting adds a date picker to your checkout (or inquiry form) so customers can tell you exactly when they need their order. You can also set lead time rules to make sure nobody books something for tomorrow when you need at least three days.

Steps

1. Go to Checkout Settings

Direct link: Open this page

From the left sidebar, click Order Settings under Your Shop, then click Checkout Settings. You'll see two cards — one for Cart Orders and one for Product Inquiries. Each shows its current "Date needed" setting at a glance.

2. Open the setup wizard

Click Setup Cart Orders (or Setup Inquiries for custom orders). This opens a step-by-step wizard. The due date setting is Step 3 — click Continue to move past Steps 1 and 2.

3. Choose your due date setting

On Step 3, you'll see the question: "Ask customers when they need their order?" You have three options:

• No — Don't ask — Customers won't see a date picker at all. Choose this if you handle timing through messages or if your items don't need a specific pickup date.
• Yes — Optional (Recommended) — A date picker appears at checkout, but customers can skip it if they're flexible. This is the best choice for most bakers — you'll get a date when it matters, without forcing customers who are easy-going to pick one.
• Yes — Required — Customers must select a date to complete their order. Best for time-sensitive items like decorated cakes or event catering where you absolutely need to know the date upfront.

4. Set your lead time

When you choose either Yes — Optional or Yes — Required, a Lead Time section appears below with two fields:

• Minimum days notice — How many days ahead customers need to order. Set this to 0 for same-day orders, 1 for next-day, 3 if you need a few days to prep, etc. Customers won't be able to pick any date sooner than this.
• Maximum days out — How far into the future customers can book. The default is 90 days. Leave it empty for no limit. This keeps people from booking orders six months out if that doesn't work for your business.

The date picker customers see at checkout will only show dates that fall within your lead time window.

5. Finish the wizard

Click Continue to move to Step 4 (fulfillment settings), then click Save Settings to apply your changes.

6. Set due dates for product inquiries too

If you also handle product inquiries (custom orders from the "Contact for Info" button), go back to the Checkout Settings page and click Setup Inquiries. Step 3 works the same way — you can choose whether to ask for a date and set your lead time.

7. View orders by due date

Once customers start selecting dates, you can view orders grouped by when they're needed. On the Orders page, click the Due tab to see all orders sorted by their due date. This makes it easy to plan your baking schedule for the week.

Tips

• "Yes — Optional" is the sweet spot for most bakers. Customers who need their order by a certain date will tell you, and flexible customers won't feel forced to guess.
• Set your minimum days notice to match your actual prep time. If a custom cake takes 3 days, set it to 3 so nobody can order one for tomorrow.
• You can set different due date rules for cart orders and product inquiries. For example, you might not need a date for simple cookie orders (cart) but always want one for custom cake requests (inquiries).
• Your current "Date needed" setting is always visible on the Checkout Settings page — no need to open the wizard just to check.
• If you change the setting from "Required" to "Don't ask," existing orders that already have due dates won't be affected.