'Ordered before 5 PM, delivered tomorrow': what that promise entails for you
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
A delivery time promise is not marketing copy but an operational agreement. Calculate it back from your drop-off moment, and publish on your website the time you can actually achieve in November.
On your shipping page, it states "ordered before 5 PM, delivered tomorrow." In September, that's accurate. In the second week of November, four more orders come in at 4:52 PM, you run out of letterbox boxes, and the parcel point closes at 5:30 PM. Then, that same sentence is no longer a service, but a promise you can't keep.
A delivery time promise is not marketing copy. It's an operational agreement with yourself: about your inventory, your packaging materials, your packing time, and your drop-off time. This article breaks down that promise into practice, so you know which sentence to keep on your site before the busy months.
What you legally promise when you make a promise
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is clear: products must be delivered within 30 days, unless you agree on a different delivery time. If you do agree on something specific — "ordered today, delivered tomorrow" — then that commitment must genuinely be achievable, otherwise it's misleading. If your customer doesn't receive their order on time when they previously indicated that timing was essential, or if you give them a second chance that you miss again, you must issue a refund. You can read the full explanation at the ACM (Delivery and Shipping).
The practical conclusion: a broader promise that you always keep is better than a strict promise that you miss three times a week in November. Especially around the holidays, when customers more often indicate that a date is important.
Calculate backward from the moment your package needs to leave
Don't start at the order moment, but at the end: the time your package physically needs to be at the drop-off point or in the locker. From there, you count backward. A realistic calculation for a small webshop:
Step
Time per package
Where it goes wrong
Check and pick order
1 to 3 minutes
Item not in its usual place
Pack and seal
2 to 4 minutes
Wrong box size, searching for extra padding
Create and apply label
1 minute
Printer, address errors
Drive to drop-off point
15 to 30 minutes
Departure time not fixed
Ten packages can easily take an hour, plus the drive. If your drop-off point closes at 5:30 PM and you have a twenty-minute drive, your real cut-off is not 5:00 PM but rather 3:30 PM. Put that on your site, and you'll meet it every day.
The three things that break your promise
1. Stock. An item listed as "in stock" but at the bottom of a box costs you five minutes per order. Count your stock before the peak and place your bestsellers at eye level.
3. Time. Not the time per package, but the time between orders. Customer queries, returns, a supplier on the phone. Add at least an extra third to your estimated packing time.
Furthermore: padding and protection, because that runs out faster than you think. A bubble wrap roll of 500 mm x 500 m (€ 12.95) lasts a long time, and for small flat shipments, bubble envelopes of 22 x 17 cm (€ 0.90) are a quick solution without packing work. If you send something you want to be able to see if it has been opened en route, then VOID security seals, 60 pieces (€ 9.95) do the job.
Set your cut-off at a time you can meet
Three ways to formulate your promise, from strict to safe:
"Ordered before 3:30 PM, shipped the same day." You promise your own action, not the delivery. This is the most honest option: you are in control of whether you meet it.
"Ordered before 3:30 PM, usually delivered the next business day." Clear, with room for the carrier. Note the word "usually" — that's allowed, as long as it's true.
"Shipping within 1 to 2 business days." The safest option during peak times. You'll almost always meet it, and customers who need something quickly know what to expect.
What to avoid: a promise that depends on something you have no influence over and yet present as a certainty. And don't forget to mention your exceptions: days you don't ship, and the last order day before the holidays.
What to do if it still goes wrong
There will be a day when you don't make it. What works then:
Email the same day, not the day after. A message before the expected delivery is understood; a message after feels like an excuse.
Name a new date that you are sure to meet. One postponement is annoying, two will cost you the customer — and according to the ACM, gives them a stronger position to request a refund.
Place a temporary notification on your site. Two sentences at the top of your shipping page save dozens of emails.
Note why it went wrong. Material ran out, wrong item picked, dropped off too late. After three weeks, you'll see the pattern and know what to order differently next year.
Checklist for the weeks before the peak
Measure your actual packing time per package for one day, including interruptions.
Determine your drop-off time and count back from there to your cut-off.
Order boxes, tape, film, and seals for four to six weeks in advance.
Place your bestsellers in one fixed, accessible spot.
Adjust the text on your shipping page to the time you actually meet.
Put your closing days and your last order day in your calendar and on your site.
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