Improving Ready-for-Pickup Times: Tips for Retailers

Amy
Amy
  • Updated

Fast and accurate “Ready-for-Pickup” times help create a smooth customer experience and drive repeat orders. Delays between order placement and pickup readiness can impact your shop’s reliability scores, conversion rates, and overall satisfaction. Follow the tips below to help your team process orders more efficiently.

 

 

Why Ready-for-Pickup Time Matters

When a customer places an online order, they expect confirmation and readiness within minutes — not hours. Long delays can cause:

  • Abandoned orders or customer cancellations

  • Negative feedback and lower fulfillment ratings

  • Reduced visibility on platforms that highlight speed and reliability

Goal: Aim for an average Ready-for-Pickup time under 10 minutes for orders.

 

Quick Checklist

Before marking orders “Ready for Pickup,” confirm:
✅ All items are in stock and correctly bagged
✅ Order matches the customer’s request
✅ Pickup confirmation is sent through POS or Leafly Biz Dashboard

 

Step 1: Streamline Your Notification Process

  • Enable Real-Time Alerts: When your Order Integration is enabled, make sure your POS and Leafly systems are synced so new orders trigger instant alerts for your staff.

  • Enable Printer Notifications: Make sure your POS and Leafly systems are synced so new orders automatically print in real time, ensuring staff are instantly alerted when a customer order comes through.

  • Designate Order Monitors: Assign a team member per shift to watch incoming orders and begin fulfillment immediately.

  • Use Mobile Alerts: If available, set up mobile notifications such as email or SMS so staff are notified even when away from a register. Learn more here: 

 

Step 2: Prioritize Fulfillment Workflow

  • Organize Your Storage Area: Clearly label products by category (flower, vapes, edibles) so orders can be pulled fast.

  • Pre-bag Common Orders: For high-volume items or daily deals, pre-pack typical combinations to save time.

 

Step 3: Align Staff Roles & Training

  • Cross-train Budtenders: Ensure all team members know how to process, confirm, and complete online orders on Leafly. 

  • Set Clear Responsibilities: Define who confirms orders, who bags, and who marks them ready for pickup.

  • Reinforce Speed + Accuracy: Remind staff that fast is good, but accuracy is key to maintaining customer trust.

 

Step 4: Review POS & Leafly Integration Settings

  • Confirm your POS is syncing with Leafly in real-time. You can review your POS best practices by locating our guides: Point of Sale Guides

  • Check that inventory is accurate and if products are frequently “out of stock” after orders come in, customers will experience delays. Adjust your inventory stock levels so inventory stays up to date on Leafly. Learn more: Setting inventory thresholds

  • Ensure all order statuses is automatically updated from your POS to Leafly when orders are marked complete.

 

 Step 5: Monitor and Improve

  • Use your Leafly Retailer Dashboard to track order completion times week over week. Learn more about what reporting you have availble at your fingertips: Learn More - Biz Dashboard, Sessions, and Orders Reporting

  • Identify trends (slower times during certain hours or shifts).

  • Celebrate quick turnaround improvements and share best practices with the team.