Opening Hours
The Opening Hours and related settings allow you to define when your business is open for orders, as well as configure essential operational options such as delivery, collection, pre-orders and order handling rules. Managing these settings ensures that your customers only see valid ordering times, while giving you flexibility to pause services, accept pre-orders, or close temporarily.
To access these settings, log in to your Admin Panel and navigate to: Settings > Opening Hours
Close Business
This feature allows you to temporarily close your business at any time, regardless of your scheduled opening hours. Useful for emergencies, unexpected closures, or staff shortages.
User Registration Required
Enable this option if you want only registered users to be able to place an order. This helps build your customer database while providing a more personalised experience.
Enable Company Name
Adds a Company Name field to the checkout form, allowing business customers to register orders under their company.
Enable Company Registration Number
Displays a Company Registration Number field at checkout. This option requires the Company Name field to be enabled first.
Enable Pre-Orders
Allow customers to place orders in advance (e.g., for the next day or for special occasions). This feature works whether your store is currently open or closed.
Pre-Order Days
Set the number of days in advance that customers can place an order. For example, setting this to 3 will allow customers to order up to three days ahead.
Enable Delivery
Turn the delivery service on or off. When disabled, customers will not see delivery as an option at checkout.
Enable Collection
Turn the collection service on or off. When disabled, customers will not see collection as an option at checkout.
Accept Order Time (Minutes)
Defines how long an order remains in the New Order state before it is automatically marked as a Missed Order in the Merchant App. This helps you manage unattended or unaccepted orders.
Auto Cancellation Order Time (Minutes)
Specifies how long a Missed Order will remain in the system before being automatically marked as Cancelled in the Merchant App. This ensures the order lifecycle is managed without requiring manual intervention.
Time Zone
Set the time zone in which your ordering system operates. This is critical for ensuring accurate order times, scheduled openings and pre-orders.
Daily Schedule
The recommended option for setting precise opening times.
- Configure days and times when your business is available for deliveries / collections.
- For each day of the week, you can enable or disable availability.
- Define opening and closing times separately for each day.
- Customers will only see available time slots based on this schedule.
Global Schedule (Without Daily Schedule)
If you prefer, you can apply the same opening and closing times every day instead of managing them individually.
- You can still set independent times for Collection and Delivery services, even if using a global schedule.
Best Practices
- Always check your time zone settings to avoid incorrect order times.
- Use Daily Schedule for flexibility, especially if your hours vary during the week.
- If you offer both Delivery and Collection, consider setting slightly different schedules to manage workloads effectively.
- Enable Pre-Orders during holidays or busy seasons to capture sales in advance.
- Use the Close Business option only for unexpected closures — for planned breaks, configure Vacations or Holiday schedules.
Summary
The Opening Hours and Settings section provides full control over when and how your business accepts orders. From basic delivery and collection to advanced scheduling and pre-order management, these tools ensure your online ordering system operates smoothly, keeps customers informed and supports your team in managing workload effectively.