Overview
Brand-Level ETA is now available to all Appliance.io clients. You can configure customized delivery estimates and freight rules for individual brands without requesting manual feature activation from Customer Support.
By defining vendor distribution locations and mileage-based freight tiers, your online storefront and Point of Sale (POS) can provide customers with clear and consistent delivery timelines.
Note: This rollout expands Brand-Level ETA to all accounts. The underlying calculation logic and any previously configured client rules remain unchanged.
How Delivery Timelines Are Calculated
Estimated delivery timelines are calculated using several operational factors:
Stock availability: Distinguishes between inventory currently on hand and products fulfilled by a vendor.
Vendor lead time: Includes the expected processing time provided by the manufacturer or supplier.
Freight delivery time: Accounts for additional transit time associated with regional or long-distance fulfillment.
Delivery zones: Considers whether the customer’s address is within a local or non-local delivery zone.
Vendor fulfillment settings also affect the calculation. When a vendor is configured to ship directly to the customer, warehouse handling time is excluded. If an item must first be delivered to your central warehouse, its inbound processing time is included in the estimated arrival date.
How Delivery Charges Are Calculated
Delivery charges are applied based on each order’s fulfillment requirements:
Standard delivery fees: Applied to local deliveries according to your configured delivery schedule.
Distance-based freight surcharges: Applied to eligible non-local deliveries or oversized items based on your configured mileage tiers.
Multi-product orders: When an order contains products with different vendors or fulfillment methods, the final delivery fee reflects the applicable fulfillment rules for those items.
The website checkout and in-store POS display the total delivery fee before the order is finalized.
Step 1: Configure Distribution Locations
Distribution Locations tell the system where products from a brand are shipped from, allowing it to calculate transit times accurately.
To add or update a distribution location:
Open the sidebar and select Settings.
Go to Accounting -> Vendor and open the vendor you want to configure.
Scroll to the Distribution Locations section.
Click Add Distribution Location.
Enter the facility details:
Location Name: Enter a clear internal name for the facility.
Processing Type: Select Business Days or Weekly Release Day.
ETA Processing / Inbound Lead Time: Enter the expected fulfillment or transit time.
Location Address: Enter the complete physical origin address used for distance calculations.
Click Save.
Step 2: Set Up Freight and Surcharge Rules
If products require freight transportation or incur additional handling costs over longer distances, you can configure mileage-based surcharge tiers.
To configure a freight and surcharge rule:
Go to Settings and select Delivery & Install Automation.
Open the Delivery Configuration tab.
Select Freight & Surcharge Rules from the left menu.
Click Add Freight ETA & Surcharge Rules.
Define the rule:
Minimum and Maximum Distance: Enter the mileage range covered by the rule.
ETA Delivery (Days): Enter the additional transit time required for this distance.
Surcharge ($): Enter the flat freight surcharge applied to qualifying orders within this range.
Click Save.
Consistency Across the Website, POS, and Reporting
Brand-Level ETA uses the configured delivery logic across supported channels:
Customer storefront: Shoppers can view delivery estimates and applicable shipping fees during checkout.
Point of Sale (POS): Sales representatives can view the corresponding delivery estimates and charges while preparing quotes or completing orders.
Reporting: Internal reports reflect the delivery fees and timeline information recorded when the order was created.
Important Operational Notes
Self-service onboarding: New client accounts can configure Brand-Level ETA during their initial system setup.
Reviewing calculations: The system displays the final calculated ETA and delivery fee rather than a step-by-step calculation. To review a specific result, check the vendor settings, distribution address, and applicable mileage tiers.
Unexpected results: If an order displays an unexpected delivery timeline or charge, confirm that the vendor fulfillment method, distribution location, and distance rules are fully configured. Contact Customer Support if further assistance is needed.