---
title: Setting the Cutoff Countdown
description: "Delivery Promise for WooCommerce can show an Amazon-style countdown message on product pages when same-day dispatch is still available. Example: ```php Order within 9 hrs 41 mins for dispatch today Estimated delivery: July 3 – July 5 ``` The countdown…"
url: "https://wpruby.com/knowledgebase/setting-the-cutoff-countdown/"
updated: "2026-07-01"
category: Delivery Promise for WooCommerce
---

# Setting the Cutoff Countdown

Delivery Promise for WooCommerce can show an Amazon-style countdown message on product pages when same-day dispatch is still available.

Example:

```php
Order within 9 hrs 41 mins for dispatch today
Estimated delivery: July 3 – July 5
```

The countdown helps customers understand how much time they have left to place an order if they want it dispatched today.

Table of Contents

 [Toggle](#)

- [What is the cutoff countdown?](#What_is_the_cutoff_countdown)
- [When the countdown appears](#When_the_countdown_appears)
- [Where to enable the countdown](#Where_to_enable_the_countdown)
- [Setting the cutoff time](#Setting_the_cutoff_time)
- [Countdown message template](#Countdown_message_template)
- [Expired cutoff message](#Expired_cutoff_message)
- [Countdown and working days](#Countdown_and_working_days)
- [Countdown and holidays](#Countdown_and_holidays)
- [Countdown and product lead times](#Countdown_and_product_lead_times)
- [Countdown and stock status](#Countdown_and_stock_status)
- [Countdown and delivery rules](#Countdown_and_delivery_rules)
- [Recommended setup](#Recommended_setup)
- [Example: Before cutoff](#Example_Before_cutoff)
- [Example: After cutoff](#Example_After_cutoff)
- [Example: Non-working day](#Example_Non-working_day)
- [Testing the countdown](#Testing_the_countdown)
- [Troubleshooting](#Troubleshooting)
  - [The countdown is not showing](#The_countdown_is_not_showing)
  - [The countdown disappeared](#The_countdown_disappeared)
  - [The countdown shows on the wrong day](#The_countdown_shows_on_the_wrong_day)
  - [The countdown shows for a product that should not dispatch today](#The_countdown_shows_for_a_product_that_should_not_dispatch_today)
  - [The countdown time looks incorrect](#The_countdown_time_looks_incorrect)
- [Best practices](#Best_practices)

## What is the cutoff countdown?

The cutoff countdown is a product page message that appears before your same-day dispatch cutoff time.

For example, if your cutoff time is **14:00** and the customer views the product page at **10:30**, the plugin can show:

```php
Order within 3 hrs 30 mins for dispatch today
```

After the cutoff time passes, the countdown is hidden or replaced with an alternative message, depending on your settings.

## When the countdown appears

The countdown only appears when same-day dispatch is actually possible.

The plugin checks:

- the current store time
- your cutoff time
- your working days
- your holiday and non-working dates
- the product stock status
- product-level lead time
- delivery rules
- whether same-day dispatch is allowed for the product

This helps avoid showing misleading urgency messages.

## Where to enable the countdown

To enable the product page countdown:

1. Go to **WooCommerce → Delivery Promise**.
2. Open the **Messages** tab.
3. Find the **Product Page Countdown** section.
4. Enable the cutoff countdown.
5. Set your countdown message.
6. Set your expired cutoff message if needed.
7. Save your changes.

## Setting the cutoff time

The countdown uses the cutoff time configured in your delivery settings.

To set the cutoff time:

1. Go to **WooCommerce → Delivery Promise**.
2. Open the **General** tab.
3. Find the **Cutoff and Working Days** section.
4. Enter your same-day dispatch cutoff time.
5. Save your changes.

Example:

```php
Cutoff time: 14:00
```

This means orders placed before 14:00 may still be eligible for same-day dispatch.

Orders placed after 14:00 will usually start from the next working day.

## Countdown message template

You can customize the countdown message shown to customers.

Default message:

```php
Order within {countdown} for dispatch today
```

Available placeholders may include:

```php
{countdown}
{cutoff_time}
{dispatch_date}
{dispatch_range}
{delivery_date}
{delivery_range}
```

Example message:

```php
Order within {countdown} for dispatch today
```

Customer sees:

```php
Order within 2 hrs 15 mins for dispatch today
```

## Expired cutoff message

You can also set a message for when the cutoff time has already passed.

Example:

```php
Order now for dispatch on {dispatch_date}
```

Customer sees:

```php
Order now for dispatch on July 3
```

If you prefer not to show a message after the cutoff, you can hide the countdown instead.

## Countdown and working days

The countdown only appears on working days.

Example setup:

```php
Working days: Monday–Friday
Cutoff time: 14:00
```

If a customer views a product on Wednesday at 11:00, the countdown can appear.

If a customer views a product on Sunday, the countdown will not appear because Sunday is not a working day.

## Countdown and holidays

The countdown does not appear on dates added as holidays or non-working dates.

Example:

```php
Holiday: 2026-12-25 — Christmas Day
```

If a customer views a product on Christmas Day, the plugin will not show:

```php
Order within 4 hrs 20 mins for dispatch today
```

because the store is not dispatching orders that day.

## Countdown and product lead times

The countdown only appears when the product can be dispatched today.

If a product has a custom lead time greater than 0 days, the countdown will not show.

Example:

```php
Product lead time: 5–10 working days
```

In this case, same-day dispatch is not possible, so the countdown is hidden.

This is useful for:

- handmade products
- made-to-order products
- preorder products
- backorder products
- bulky or freight items
- products that require special preparation

## Countdown and stock status

The countdown usually appears only for products that are in stock and eligible for same-day dispatch.

The countdown may be hidden if the product is:

- out of stock
- on backorder
- not purchasable
- using a delivery rule that requires extra processing time

This prevents customers from seeing a same-day dispatch message for products that cannot ship today.

## Countdown and delivery rules

Delivery rules can affect whether the countdown appears.

For example, a rule may set:

```php
Processing time: 2–3 working days
```

If that rule applies to the product, the countdown will not appear because same-day dispatch is not available.

A same-day dispatch rule usually needs:

```php
Minimum processing days: 0
```

If the minimum processing time is greater than 0, the countdown should not appear.

## Recommended setup

For stores that dispatch in-stock products on the same day, a good setup is:

```php
Working days: Monday–Friday
Cutoff time: 14:00
Processing time: 0–1 working days
Countdown message: Order within {countdown} for dispatch today
Expired message: Order now for dispatch on {dispatch_date}
```

This allows the plugin to show urgency before the cutoff while still using realistic delivery dates after the cutoff.

## Example: Before cutoff

Settings:

```php
Working days: Monday–Friday
Cutoff time: 14:00
Processing time: 0–1 days
Current time: Monday 10:00
Product: In stock
```

The product page can show:

```php
Order within 4 hrs for dispatch today
Estimated delivery: July 3 – July 5
```

## Example: After cutoff

Settings:

```php
Working days: Monday–Friday
Cutoff time: 14:00
Processing time: 0–1 days
Current time: Monday 16:00
Product: In stock
```

The product page may show:

```php
Order now for dispatch on July 2
Estimated delivery: July 4 – July 6
```

Or the countdown may be hidden, depending on your settings.

## Example: Non-working day

Settings:

```php
Working days: Monday–Friday
Current day: Sunday
```

The countdown will not appear because Sunday is not a working day.

The product page can still show the normal delivery estimate.

## Testing the countdown

Use the **Delivery Promise Tester** to check why the countdown appears or does not appear.

1. Go to **WooCommerce → Delivery Promise**.
2. Open the **Tester** tab.
3. Select a product.
4. Set the test date and time.
5. Choose a shipping method and destination if needed.
6. Run the test.

The tester can help confirm whether the countdown is affected by:

- cutoff time
- working days
- holidays
- stock status
- product lead time
- delivery rules

## Troubleshooting

### The countdown is not showing

Check:

- Product page display is enabled.
- Product page countdown is enabled.
- The current time is before the cutoff.
- Today is a working day.
- Today is not added as a holiday.
- The product is in stock.
- The product does not have a lead time greater than 0 days.
- No matching delivery rule adds extra processing time.

### The countdown disappeared

This usually happens when the cutoff time has passed.

If you want to show a message after the cutoff, configure the expired cutoff message.

### The countdown shows on the wrong day

Check your WordPress timezone.

Go to:

**Settings → General → Timezone**

Delivery Promise uses your store timezone when calculating cutoff times.

### The countdown shows for a product that should not dispatch today

Check whether the product has:

- custom lead time settings
- backorder settings
- matching delivery rules
- stock status set correctly

Also check whether same-day countdown is allowed for that product.

### The countdown time looks incorrect

Check:

- WordPress timezone
- cutoff time
- current server time
- caching settings
- whether frontend countdown JavaScript is enabled

If you use page caching, make sure dynamic countdown output is not being cached incorrectly.

## Best practices

Use the countdown only when same-day dispatch is realistic.

Avoid using urgency messages for products that need extra preparation time. It is better to hide the countdown than to promise dispatch today when your store cannot meet that promise.

A good countdown message should be clear, short, and honest:

```php
Order within {countdown} for dispatch today
```

Pair the countdown with the delivery estimate for the best customer experience:

```php
Order within 2 hrs 15 mins for dispatch today
Estimated delivery: July 3 – July 5
```