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Desired windows

Desired windows are the time slots in which you want the order to be received by the customer. You can send Instacart the desired windows. Then, the Instacart fulfillment engine checks whether there’s capacity to fulfill the order in the desired window at the given location.

If you're integrating with multiple third-party fulfillment providers, you can send Instacart your desired windows. This enables a quicker integration with Instacart and more flexibility with the time slots that you show your customers.

You can send Instacart your desired windows with dispatch last mile delivery (dispatch LMD) orders and delivery orders. The desired windows must be a minimum of one hour long and must start and end on the hour.

Dispatch LMD orders​

When you send a request to create a dispatch LMD order, you also send a desired window. For example, after your customer selects a time slot and checks out, your site sends a request to create a dispatch LMD order with the desired window. Instacart validates the order and determines whether there’s capacity to fulfill the order.

This implementation enables you to show high availability coverage on your site because you can show any time slots on your site. Because the time slots shown aren’t validated first, it is possible that there’s no capacity to fulfill the order. In this case, Instacart can substitute the desired window with the soonest alternative on the same day.

Example​

The following example describes the successful creation of a dispatch LMD order with a desired window:

  1. Your site displays delivery time slots. These time slots are not tied to Instacart.
  2. The customer selects a time slot and checks out.
  3. Your site sends a request to create a dispatch last mile delivery order with the customer’s selected time slot as a desired window.
  4. Instacart creates and validates the order.
  • If there’s capacity to fulfill the order, Instacart creates the order in the Instacart system. If there’s no capacity, Instacart can substitute the desired window with the soonest alternative on the same day.
  1. Your site receives the Brand new callback, which contains the order details. For more information, see Event callbacks.

For more information, see Implement dispatch last mile delivery.

Delivery orders​

When you request a list of available time slots for a delivery order, you can also send your desired windows. Then, the Instacart fulfillment engine checks whether there’s capacity to fulfill the order in the desired windows at the given location.

This implementation enables you to show the delivery windows that you want on your site, such as one hour, two hour, and three hour delivery windows. After your customer selects a time slot, you can hold the time slot as they check out. After they check out, you can create an order for the desired window.

Example​

The following example describes the flow of a delivery order with desired windows:

  1. Your site requests a list of available time slots with the desired windows.

    For example, your site sends the following desired windows:

    • 1pm-2pm
    • 2pm-3pm
    • 3pm-5pm
    • 4pm-6pm

  2. Instacart returns the available time slots. A service_option_reference is associated with each time slot. You use the service_option_reference to reserve a time slot.

    For example, Instacart returns the following available time slots:

    • 1pm-2pm
    • 2pm-3pm
    • 4pm-6pm

  3. Your site displays the available time slots to your customer.

  4. The customer selects a time slot.

  5. Your site requests to reserve a time slot for a desired window.

  6. The customer checks out.

  7. Your site sends a request to create a delivery order for the desired window.

  8. Instacart creates and validates the order.

  9. Your site receives the Brand new callback, which contains the order details. For more information, see Event callbacks.

For more information, see How to retrieve time slots for desired windows.

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