Order Confirmation
When should I confirm a COD order?
Direct answer
Within minutes of checkout. That is when the customer is still holding their phone, still excited, and most likely to reply. Every hour of delay lowers response rates and gives impulse regret time to set in. Confirmation the next morning is better than nothing, but instant confirmation is the standard to aim for.
Why timing dominates everything else
- Attention decays fast. Right after ordering, your store is the most interesting thing on the customer's phone. A day later you are one of thirty unread chats.
- Impulse regret grows overnight. Confirming instantly locks in the decision while enthusiasm is high.
- Competitors are racing you. Customers in the region often order the same product from two stores; the first store to confirm and ship wins.
- Same-day shipping depends on it. An order confirmed in five minutes can leave with today's courier pickup. One confirmed tomorrow ships a day late, and slower delivery itself raises refusals.
The practical schedule
- Confirmation message: within minutes of checkout, at any hour.
- First reminder: a few hours later if there is no reply.
- Second reminder: the next day, mentioning the order will be held.
- No reply after that: do not ship. An unanswered order is exactly the kind that comes back.
Hitting "within minutes" around the clock is not realistic for a human team, which is why stores automate this step. ReplAi sends the confirmation immediately after checkout, 24/7, and replies to the customer's answer in under 14 seconds.
Last updated 2026-07-09