How to Handle Perishable Shipping in Shopify

When it comes to perishable products, standard Shopify shipping settings just don’t cut it. Whether you sell fresh meals, dairy, seafood, or ready-to-eat snacks — ensuring a safe, timely delivery is essential.

Here’s how food and beverage brands are handling perishable shipping on Shopify (without custom code or operational chaos).

What Qualifies as a Perishable Product?

Any product that has a short shelf life, requires refrigeration, or is sensitive to delivery delays can be considered perishable. Common examples include:

• Fresh juices and smoothies

• Meal kits and ready-to-eat meals

• Cheese, meat, seafood, or frozen goods

• Cakes, bakes, or pastries that spoil quickly

• Subscription boxes with chilled or fresh ingredients

These products require more than just shipping — they require controlled delivery timing.

Common Mistakes in Perishable Shipping

Without the right tools, Shopify merchants often run into:

• Weekend deliveries when no one’s home

• Public holiday orders that sit in transit

• Orders arriving spoiled or outside the freshness window

• Lack of customer clarity on when delivery will happen

• Shipping rates the same for every shipping method and date, eroding margins

This leads to support tickets, refunds, and wasted stock.

How Flare Helps Food Brands Manage Perishable Shipping

Flare lets you build the delivery logic your perishable products need — directly in Shopify.

• Set cut-off times for next-day delivery (e.g. “Order by 10am”)

• Block weekends and public holidays to prevent spoilage

• Control available delivery days (e.g. Tues–Fri only)

• Assign rules by product type (fresh vs frozen vs ambient)

• Tag orders by delivery date for easier dispatch planning

• Use postcode logic to avoid long-transit zones or unsupported areas

• Set shipping rates by shipping method and geography

These tools let you ship smarter — and protect your product quality.

Real-World Example: Ohmyguts

Ohmyguts, a health food brand, uses Flare to restrict weekend deliveries and apply delivery logic by country (Netherlands vs Belgium) and product (fresh vs food). This ensures orders arrive fresh and on time — even across borders.

Start Protecting Your Perishable Deliveries

Don’t let poor delivery timing ruin a great product. Use Flare to take control of your perishable shipping on Shopify.

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