How to display lead times on custom products
If you're selling custom or made-to-order products, one of the most important pieces of information your customers need is when they'll actually receive their order. Yet surprisingly, many e-commerce stores bury this crucial detail in FAQs, fine print, or wait until the checkout page.
The result? Frustrated customers, lost sales and increased administration when customers make contact to ask about their order.
Why lead times matter
When customers are shopping online for custom furniture, bespoke jewellery, or handcrafted goods, they may have expectations about delivery timescales but you can help to manage these by displaying lead times.
Displaying lead times isn't just about managing customer expectations. It is about building trust, reducing support overhead, and positioning your products as the premium, custom-made items they are.
Without clear lead time information displayed prominently on product pages, customers may:
Assume standard 2-7 day shipping applies
Purchase items for time-sensitive occasions (birthdays, holidays) that won't arrive in time
Feel misled when they discover the actual timeline at or after checkout
Leave negative reviews based solely on delivery expectations
On the flip side, being upfront about lead times actually builds trust. When you clearly communicate that a handmade dining table takes 15 weeks to craft, you're not just managing expectations, you're highlighting the custom, quality nature of your product.
Where to display lead times
The most effective placement for lead time information is directly on the product detail page, positioned prominently near:
The product description
The price
The "Add to Cart" button
This ensures customers see the information before they commit to purchase, not buried in checkout fine print or confirmation emails.
Different products, different lead times
Not all custom products are created equal. For example, you may have:
Quick turnaround items: Products that are less complex to make and are ordered frequently (2-5 business days)
Standard custom work: Smaller made-to-order products that can be turned around in a medium timeframe (6-8 weeks)
Complex commissions: Intricate pieces that take time to produce (15-16 weeks)
Rather than using generic messaging across your entire store, tailor your lead time messaging to each product. This precision helps customers make informed decisions and reduces post-purchase anxiety.
Implementation made simple
The good news is that displaying dynamic lead times doesn't require complex custom development. With a simple piece of code, you can automatically display the appropriate lead time message based on product tags.
Here's a lightweight approach:
Add my custom code to your website
Tag your products in the Squarespace product editor. Give them lead time identifiers like βnoleadβ for items available almost immediately, βquickleadβ for items with a medium turnaround (6-8 weeks) and βregleadβ for your regular lead time for complex commissions.
Customise the messages to match your brand voice and actual availability
Step 1 - Adding the code
First, log on to your Squarespace website and go to the Code Injection FOOTER panel. Not sure how to find it? See Where is the Code Injection panel?
Within the Code Injection menu, youβll see a number of panels. The first one is called HEADER but you are looking for the FOOTER panel.
Paste the following code into the FOOTER panel and then save the changes.
<!-- Add lead time messages to products with specific tags --------------------------------->
<!-- Copyright Soundfocus Digital Ltd [https://sf.digital] --------------------------------->
<!-- Use freely in your code injection. Do NOT re-publish.---------------------------------->
<script>
const leadTimes = {
"tag-nolead": "Ships in 2-5 business days.",
"tag-quicklead": "Current lead time is 6 weeks, plus shipping. <a href='/faq'>See our FAQ</a>",
"tag-reglead": "Current lead time is 15 weeks plus shipping, but it's worth the wait! <a href='/delivery'>Learn more about delivery</a>."
};
const _0x1133da=_0x474a;function _0x474a(_0x2dd2f1,_0x1f1788){_0x2dd2f1=_0x2dd2f1-0x1a2;const _0x582b99=_0x582b();let _0x474acd=_0x582b99[_0x2dd2f1];return _0x474acd;}function _0x582b(){const _0x3380d4=['18LWxseR','div','π£\x20Lead\x20Times\x20Plugin\x20version\x201.5.\x20Copyright\x20Soundfocus\x20Digital\x20Ltd\x20[https://sf.digital]','6666TZNjWL','log','querySelector','DOMContentLoaded','afterend','61buOSRm','createElement','classList','222304ffKTeB','5104640XbCRmE','984380XJhZdz','.lead-time-message','753348LtnvFz','492CJNzfK','.product-description','272008Bjxqrk','keys','find','contains','16387VMhAkO','insertAdjacentElement','.product-detail'];_0x582b=function(){return _0x3380d4;};return _0x582b();}(function(_0x521a68,_0x17b005){const _0x34a5f0=_0x474a,_0x298672=_0x521a68();while(!![]){try{const _0x60fcc6=-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b0))/0x1*(parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1ab))/0x2)+parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b7))/0x3+-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1ba))/0x4+-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b5))/0x5+-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b8))/0x6*(parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1a5))/0x7)+-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b3))/0x8*(-parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1a8))/0x9)+parseInt(_0x34a5f0(0x1b4))/0xa;if(_0x60fcc6===_0x17b005)break;else _0x298672['push'](_0x298672['shift']());}catch(_0x26a246){_0x298672['push'](_0x298672['shift']());}}}(_0x582b,0x2654b),document['addEventListener'](_0x1133da(0x1ae),function(){const _0x27e16a=_0x1133da;console[_0x27e16a(0x1ac)](_0x27e16a(0x1aa));let _0x38f237=document[_0x27e16a(0x1ad)](_0x27e16a(0x1a7));if(!_0x38f237)return;let _0x59d208=_0x38f237[_0x27e16a(0x1ad)](_0x27e16a(0x1b9));if(!_0x59d208||_0x38f237[_0x27e16a(0x1ad)](_0x27e16a(0x1b6)))return;let _0x39792e=Object[_0x27e16a(0x1a2)](leadTimes)[_0x27e16a(0x1a3)](_0x401cf9=>_0x38f237[_0x27e16a(0x1b2)][_0x27e16a(0x1a4)](_0x401cf9));if(_0x39792e){let _0x3a63e2=document[_0x27e16a(0x1b1)](_0x27e16a(0x1a9));_0x3a63e2['className']='lead-time-message',_0x3a63e2['innerHTML']=leadTimes[_0x39792e],_0x59d208[_0x27e16a(0x1a6)](_0x27e16a(0x1af),_0x3a63e2);}}));
</script>
<style>
.lead-time-message {
font-weight: bold;
font-size: 16px;
color: #333;
background-color: #fff3cd;
border: 2px solid #ffc107;
border-radius: 6px;
padding: 16px 20px;
margin: 20px 0 30px 0;
text-align: center;
box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
}
.lead-time-message a {
color: inherit;
text-decoration: underline;
}
.lead-time-message a:hover {
opacity: 0.8;
}
/* Different styles for different lead times */
.tag-nolead .lead-time-message {
background-color: #d4edda;
border-color: #28a745;
color: #155724;
}
.tag-reglead .lead-time-message {
background-color: #f8d7da;
border-color: #dc3545;
color: #721c24;
}
.tag-quicklead .lead-time-message {
background-color: #d1ecf1;
border-color: #17a2b8;
color: #0c5460;
}
</style>
<!-- End of lead time messages ------------------------------------------------------------->
Step 2 - Adding the tags to products
You can add βtagsβ to your products in the product editor. Simple edit a product and scroll down to the βOrganizationβ section and you should see the tags section.
Add one of the following tags to each product where you want to display a lead time:
nolead
quicklead
reglead
To add the tag, simply type of the names above and then hit the return/enter key.
Save the product after adding the tag.
Step 3 - Adjusting the lead times
The default code includes three different lead time messages. Youβll see these at the top of the code. You can customise them to meet your needs.
Save your changes and then check one of the product pages where youβve added a lead time tag. The customised message should appear.
Iβve also included some styling instructions (known as CSS) at the end of the code. You can customise this to style the messages differently - for example, choosing different colours to match your brand.
Step 4 - Adding links
You can now optionally add links within your lead time messages, allowing you to link to an FAQ page or link to specific pages for each lead time message. To add a link, simply place the link within the lead time text. For example, this message includes a link to the page with the url /faq using the text βSee our FAQβ:
"Current lead time is 6 weeks, plus shipping. <a href='/faq'>See our FAQ</a>"
Best practices
Once your code is working as expected, consider these best practices:
Be realistic, not optimistic. It's better to under-promise and over-deliver. If your average turnaround is 6 weeks, communicate 8 weeks to account for busy periods.
Update seasonally. Your lead times during December holiday rush might differ from July. Update your messaging to reflect current reality.
Frame it positively. Instead of apologising for long lead times, emphasise the custom nature: "Current lead time is 15 weeks plus shipping, but it's worth the wait!" or "Each piece is handcrafted to order; allow 12 weeks for delivery."
Add context. When appropriate, explain why there's a lead time. A message like "Each table is handcrafted by our master woodworkers" helps customers understand they're getting something special.
