Introduction
The Production Offset Attribute allows customers to select how long production should take for a product, directly on the product landing page.
By selecting a production offset, customers can choose between faster or slower production options where available. This selection influences how the order is scheduled for fulfilment and, as a natural consequence, affects the estimated delivery date shown throughout the storefront.
The goal of this feature is to make production timing transparent and flexible, without requiring duplicate products or complex configuration.
Why this was added
Previously, production lead times were fixed and could not be adjusted by the customer. This made it difficult to offer options such as rush production, standard turnaround, or extended lead times using a single product.
The Production Offset Attribute was added to allow customers to actively choose their preferred production timing, while keeping production logic consistent and predictable behind the scenes.
Before you start
Before configuring a Production Offset Attribute, ensure that:
How production offsets work
Each product variant can have a Production Offset Attribute attached to it. This attribute represents the number of production days required before fulfilment can begin.
Customers select their preferred offset on the product landing page using either a number input or a dropdown, depending on how the attribute is configured. The selected value is then used wherever production timing is evaluated.
While delivery dates may be displayed to the customer, they are not controlled directly. Instead, they naturally change based on the production offset the customer selects.
STEP 1 – Create the Production Offset attribute
Start by creating a new product attribute.
Go to Admin → Product Attributes, then create a new attribute and set the Attribute Link dropdown to Production Offset.
Save the changes.
STEP 2 – Link the attribute to the product variant
Once the attribute is created, it must be attached to the product variant.
Open the product, navigate to Product Variants, open the relevant variant, and add the Production Offset attribute in the Attributes section.
For customer selection, we recommend using either a Number attribute (for example, allowing the customer to enter a number of production days) or a Dropdown attribute (for example, Fast / Standard / Extended).
Save the changes.The product will now support customer-selected production offsets.
Recommended user experience enhancements
While not required, the following settings greatly improve clarity and usability.
Delivery Countdown on the product page
Enabling the Delivery Countdown on the product variant allows customers to see a live countdown and an estimated delivery date. This updates dynamically when the customer changes the production offset or quantity, helping them immediately understand the impact of their selection.
You can find this setting in the Edit Product Variant section:
Delivery Calendar Selector during checkout
Enabling the Delivery Calendar Selector allows customers to view and adjust their delivery date during checkout, within the rules defined by production timing. This adds an extra layer of transparency and reduces delivery-related questions.
You can find this setting within the Order Settings > Additional Checkout Options section:
What will the customer see on the storefront?
With everything above enabled, the customer will see the production offset attributes on the landing page, along with a delivery countdown section. The delivery countdown values will change based on the offset attributes they select.
During checkout, the customer will be able to see a Delivery Calendar selector, where they can further customise their delivery dates if they wish to.
Optional: Rush production using negative offsets
Production Offset Attributes can optionally allow negative values. This can be used for rush or expedited production options, where customers pay more in exchange for quicker production.
Negative offsets reduce the production time applied to the order and can be combined with pricing logic if required.
You can configure this by editing the attribute values (within the Edit Product Variant > Attributes > Edit Values section) and adding a minus value, e.g. -5
Optional: Pricing based on production offset
A pricing script can be added to adjust pricing based on the selected production offset. This allows faster production to be priced higher and longer production times to be priced lower, without creating separate products.
You can find our Pricing Script Academy Content here:
- An introduction to Pricing Scripts
- Pricing Script Examples
Important notes
Production offsets are measured in production days, not calendar days. Once an order is placed, the selected production offset is preserved and does not change.
Accurate stock and fulfilment configuration is essential for correct behaviour.
Summary
The Production Offset Attribute allows customers to actively choose how long production should take for a product. This creates clearer expectations, supports rush and extended production scenarios, and keeps production behaviour consistent across the storefront.
Delivery dates naturally reflect the customer’s selection, without delivery logic being the primary driver of the feature.