By
·
5 minute read
Time-aware workflows bring the day and the time into your ecommerce fulfillment automation. Two new building blocks in ShippyPro Automation, the Time condition and the Wait action, let your workflows decide not only what happens to an order, but when it happens.
That matters because orders don't keep office hours. Around one in four online orders is placed on a Saturday or Sunday, according to an analysis of more than 65 million WooCommerce orders. With time-aware workflows, those orders can wait for Monday morning, or reach your customers before the weekend is over. Watch the two-minute demo above, then read on for both use cases and how to set them up on the ShippyPro shipping platform.
Key Takeaways
- Time-aware workflows add two building blocks to ShippyPro Automation: the Time condition and the Wait action.
- The Time condition checks the current day and time, in the timezone set for each workflow, before the workflow continues.
- The Wait action pauses a workflow for a set amount of time, or until a specific weekday and time such as Monday at 09:00.
- Use case 1: weekend orders wait until Monday morning, so labels are ready when your team starts. A ready-made template covers it.
- Use case 2: Thursday and Friday orders go to a carrier that delivers at the weekend, so they arrive sooner.
What are time-aware workflows in ecommerce fulfillment automation?
Every ShippyPro Automation workflow is built from the same parts: a trigger that starts it, optional conditions that decide whether it continues, and actions that do the work. The Automation glossary lists every trigger, condition and action available. Time-aware workflows add time to the automation rules you can build, and they work alongside the triggers and actions you already use.
The Time condition
The Time condition checks the current day and time when the workflow runs. If it matches what you've set, for example "Saturday or Sunday", the workflow carries on to the next step. Each workflow has its own timezone, so a team in Milan and a warehouse in London can each work to their local clock.
The Wait action
The Wait action pauses a workflow before the next action runs. You can wait for a set amount of time, or until a specific weekday and time, such as Monday at 09:00. When the wait is over, the workflow picks up where it left off.
| Building block | What it does | Settings | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time condition | Checks the current day and time before the workflow continues | Days of the week, time of day, workflow timezone | Is it Saturday or Sunday? |
| Wait action | Pauses the workflow before the next action | For a set duration, or until a weekday and time | Wait until Monday 09:00 |
Use case 1: weekend orders wait until Monday morning
Orders placed on a Saturday night don't need a label until someone is there to pack them. With a time-aware workflow, weekend orders wait. At 09:00 on Monday, their labels are created together, so your team starts the week printing and packing rather than sorting. Weekday orders aren't affected, and their labels are created straight away, as usual.
The workflow starts as soon as a new order arrives from your store or marketplace.
The workflow checks the day in your workflow's timezone. Weekend orders continue to the next step.
The order is held until your team's first shift of the week.
On Monday morning, the labels for every weekend order are created and ready to print.
There's a ready-made template for this exact workflow. Start from it, check the timezone, and adjust the Monday start time to your team's first shift. It takes a couple of minutes.
Product & Resources
ShippyPro Automation
Build workflows that create labels, assign carriers and fix order data for you.
Explore Automation →Shipping Platform
Manage orders, labels and carriers for every sales channel from one dashboard.
See the platform →Integrations
Connect your store, marketplaces and carriers so orders flow into your workflows.
Browse integrations →Put your fulfillment on your schedule
Try time-aware workflows and the rest of ShippyPro Automation free for 14 days.
Use case 2: Thursday and Friday orders, delivered at the weekend
Time-aware workflows can also speed orders up. An order placed on a Thursday or Friday can reach your customer over the weekend, as long as it ships with a carrier that delivers on Saturdays and Sundays. Amazon Shipping, for example, offers pickups and deliveries seven days a week in the US.
Here, the Time condition checks for Thursday or Friday, and the Pre-assign carrier action sends those orders to your weekend-delivery carrier. On any other day, your usual carrier rules apply. Your customers get their order sooner, and you don't have to change carriers by hand at the end of every week.
Weekend delivery depends on the carrier, the service and the destination. Confirm coverage for your markets before you build the workflow. If another workflow also pre-assigns a carrier, set priorities: higher numbers run first, and the last workflow to run decides the outcome.
Workflow automation examples: which time-aware workflow fits your store?
Both use cases start from the same trigger and use the Time condition. What changes is the goal: one holds orders back, the other moves them faster. Many stores run both as part of their automated order processing.
Use the Time condition and Wait action to hold weekend orders until your team's first shift. Labels are created together on Monday morning, ready to print.
Use the Time condition with Pre-assign carrier to send Thursday and Friday orders with a weekend-delivery carrier, so they arrive days sooner.
| Weekend orders wait | Weekend delivery | |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Order is imported | Order is imported |
| Time condition | Saturday or Sunday | Thursday or Friday |
| Action | Wait until Monday 09:00, then Create shipping label | Pre-assign carrier (weekend-delivery carrier) |
| Result | Labels ready when your team starts the week | Orders reach customers at the weekend |
How to set up time-aware ecommerce fulfillment automation
- Open Automation from the ShippyPro side menu and go to the Workflows tab.
- Click Create Workflow, or start from the ready-made weekend template.
- Select the trigger, then add the Time condition and set the days, times and timezone.
- Add your actions: the Wait action followed by Create shipping label, or Pre-assign carrier.
- Name the workflow and save it. You can check every run in the Logs tab.
Automations apply to orders imported after you create them, not to orders already in your account. For a full walkthrough of triggers, conditions and actions, see how ShippyPro Automation works.
What are time-aware workflows in ShippyPro?
They're ShippyPro Automation workflows that take the day and time into account. They use two building blocks, the Time condition and the Wait action, so your ecommerce fulfillment automation acts at the right moment.
What's the difference between the Time condition and the Wait action?
The Time condition checks the current day and time and decides whether the workflow continues. The Wait action pauses the workflow for a set time, or until a specific weekday and time.
Which timezone does the Time condition use?
Each workflow has its own timezone setting, so you can match it to the location of the team or warehouse that handles those orders.
Can the Wait action pause for a set amount of time?
Yes. You can wait for a set duration, or until a specific weekday and time such as Monday at 09:00.
Will a new time-aware workflow apply to orders I've already imported?
No. Automations apply only to orders imported after the workflow is created.
Related Articles
Shipping Automation: Stop Processing Orders Manually
How triggers, conditions and actions take repetitive fulfillment tasks off your team's plate.
Read more →Peak Season Shipping Guide 2026
Key dates, carrier cutoffs and how to prepare your operation for the holiday rush.
Read more →Explore more shipping guides
Browse every ShippyPro article on shipping, carriers and e-commerce operations.
Read more →Automation glossary
Every trigger, condition and action in ShippyPro Automation, explained.
Open the guide →Let your workflows handle the timing
Start your free 14-day trial and set up your first time-aware workflow in minutes.
ShippyPro is the complete shipping software for online and offline retail. With Label Creator, Track & Trace, Easy Return and Analytics features, our software simplifies your shipping operations. ShippyPro integrates with over 180 carriers and 80 sales channels, making it compatible with a wide range of products and use cases.