The problem
Phone and message queries about whether and what you deliver add up. If a florist gets 25 'do you deliver to...' messages a week at 3 minutes each, that's 75 minutes a week, about 323 minutes, 5.4 hours a month (75 x 4.3).
What the AI does
Shopify's local delivery lets you offer delivery within a set distance or to certain postal codes, with up to 10 zones per location. Each zone has its own price (or free), a minimum order and up to 3 extra price rules by order value, and customers only see local delivery if their verified address falls in a zone. Customers can add delivery instructions and must give a phone number. The help page doesn't cover delivery date or time selection at checkout, or which plans include local delivery, so check in your own trial. Say your same-day cut-off and delivery days clearly on the product page.
A worked example
A florist in Cheltenham sells bouquets on Shopify Basic. She sets three zones by postcode with different fees and a minimum order for the furthest.
Before
About 25 queries a week at 3 minutes: 75 x 4.3 = 323 minutes, 5.4 hours a month
After
About 5 queries a week at 3 minutes: 15 x 4.3 = 65 minutes, 1.1 hours a month
What it's worth
About 4.3 hours a month saved (258 minutes), worth around £86 if your time is worth £20 an hour. Shopify Basic is £25 a month, or £19 a month billed yearly. Shopify's help page doesn't say which plans include local delivery, so confirm that in your account before you subscribe. Card processing fees are extra.
How to set it up
- Start a Shopify trial and add your bouquets with clear sizes, prices and photos of what you'd actually send.
- Set up local delivery zones by postcode or distance, with a fee and minimum order for each.
- Add your same-day cut-off, delivery days and what you do if no one is in to the product page.
- Place a test order from an address in each zone and one outside to check what customers see.
- Review your zones before Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas.
What goes wrong
- Delivery promises must be ones you can keep. Shopify's page doesn't cover date or time selection, so say plainly what you offer and don't promise a time you can't meet on a peak day.
- Local delivery doesn't work with accelerated checkouts such as Apple Pay and PayPal, according to Shopify, so some customers may not see it.
- A fee set too low for the furthest zone loses money on every order; work out your van or courier cost first.
- Describe flowers honestly: say 'seasonal mix' if stems vary, and don't overclaim freshness or lifespan.