Click & Collect only works if orders are ready when customers arrive, and customers arrive when you can serve them. Time slots are how you make both happen.
Slot length
| Business | Slot | Preparation time |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery, food shop | 15 to 30 min | 1 to 12 hours |
| Restaurant takeaway | 15 min | 30 to 60 min |
| Gift shop, bookshop | 1 hour | 2 hours |
| Garden centre, DIY | 1 to 2 hours | 4 to 24 hours |
Capacity
How many orders can one person hand over in a slot, while serving walk-in customers? Start low (3 to 5 per hour), watch the first weeks, then adjust. On busy days, a lower capacity spreads customers across the day.
Fewer forgotten collections
- Repeat the slot and the address in the confirmation email.
- Show the pickup time in the customer account.
- Send a “your order is ready” email on the day.
- Keep uncollected orders a set number of days, and say so.
Seasonal peaks
Before Christmas, add a second location or extend hours, close full days in advance and set a last order date. See our Christmas deadlines guide.
Pickly handles slot length, preparation time, capacity, closed days and several locations, and shows the pickup in the order, emails and My account. Try the picker on the demo and read the setup guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a pickup slot be?
15 to 30 minutes for food, 1 hour for most shops, longer for bulky items.
How many orders per slot?
Start with 3 to 5 per hour and adjust after a few weeks.
How do I reduce no-shows?
Repeat the time slot in every email and send a reminder when the order is ready.