Set up estimated delivery time

Estimated delivery time is important information for users evaluating a possible purchase. Therefore, you need to specify handling time and transit time.

Note: For Shopping Actions, handling time and transit time are required in Merchant Center, even when the handling time has been included in the feed using the max_handling_time attribute.

Handling time

Handling time refers to the time it takes you to make an order ready to ship. This includes the time to process the order, send it to the distribution center, and the time it takes for your shipping provider company to pick up the shipment.

Handling time can be added in Merchant Center for each shipping service, or added for individual items in the product feed. Handling time is added in the product feed using the max_handling_time, min_handling_time attributes. Learn more about the handling time attribute

To add handling time to a shipping service:

  1. Sign in to your Merchant Center account.
  2. From the page menu, click Shipping, which will take you to your “Services” page.
  3. Click the shipping service you’d like to edit, and scroll to “Delivery time."
  4. For "Handling time in business days," enter the minimum number of days required for processing an order, followed by the maximum number of days possible. 
Note: If you process items the same day they are ordered, your minimum handling time is considered “0”.

Transit time

Transit time refers to the time it takes the shipping company to deliver the product to your customer. Transit time is a configuration option in your shipping service.

To add transit time to a shipping service:

  • If you want the transit time to apply to the whole country and to all products eligible for this Shipping service, provide min and max transit time in business days.

or

  • If you want your transit time to apply to specific areas of the country or if you want to distinguish by certain product groups using transit_time_labels :
  1. Select More transit times.
  2. Use the "Add Destination" button to add destinations (US, France or Australia only).
    • Choose an entry from the available list of destinations (destinations can be configured on the delivery zones tab). A new row will appear at the top of the table and the "All locations" row will change to "All other locations". Learn more about setting up delivery zones
    • Enter values for min and max transit time for the new delivery zone.
    • To remove a row, click Remove next to the destination.
  3. Use the "Add transit time label" button to add a distinction by transit_time_label. 
    • Select or specify the transit_time_label attribute you used in your feed.
    • Enter the values for min and max transit time for this label.
    • To remove a row, click Remove next to the label.
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