How do you tell customers your Diwali order cut-off?

Customers who order too late and get a parcel after the festival do not blame the courier first. They blame you. A clear cut-off message protects them and you, as long as it is honest and easy to find.

What a cut-off message must contain

Keep it to a few facts.

• The last date you will accept orders for delivery before the festival.
• Which parts of the country that date applies to, if it differs.
• What happens to orders placed after that date.
• Where to ask questions.

Do not promise delivery on a specific day, since couriers can run late in busy weeks. Promise your dispatch date and describe the delivery time as an estimate. Our post on communicating festival and weather delays deals with the follow-up if things do slip.

Work out the date honestly

Start from the festival day and count backwards. Subtract a buffer for courier delays. Subtract the usual transit time for your farthest customers. Subtract your own packing time when orders pile up. The result is your last order date. Choose an earlier date for faraway pincodes, and a later one for nearby customers.

I am not giving an exact calendar date here because festival dates change each year. Take it from a calendar, then set your own date from there.

Where to say it

Say it everywhere a customer might look.

• The store. In Varchas Stores you can edit the announcement bar text under Settings, which makes it a handy place for a short line such as "Last festive orders by the date shown, later orders ship after the festival". Keep it brief.
• WhatsApp. Put it in your status, your broadcast and your auto-reply if you use one.
• Instagram. Add it to your bio, a story highlight, and the caption of every festive post.
• Product pages. Mention it in descriptions of gift items.

Our post on how to announce festive shipping cut-off dates has more on the rollout.

Sample wording

Here are two ways to say it, which you can adapt.

"Diwali orders close on [date]. Anything placed by then is packed and shipped in time for the festival, with delivery estimates shown at checkout. Orders after that will ship once the festival rush is over. Message us if you are unsure."

A shorter version for a story: "Last day to order for Diwali delivery is [date]. After that we dispatch next week. Questions? DM us."

Remind people more than once

One announcement is not enough, because people scroll past things. Post it at the start of the season, a week before the close, and on the last two days. Mention how long is left.

Handle late orders kindly

Decide in advance what you will do when someone orders after the cut-off. You could ship normally after the festival, offer a gift note they can print themselves, or give a refund if they would rather cancel. Telling them the options in your reply, politely, keeps goodwill.

Do not overpromise

The worst message is one that sounds sure and turns out wrong. If you are not certain, say "estimated". A modest promise you keep is better than a bold one you break.