How to run a drop from start to finish

1. Start the drop

Open Drops from the main navigation. Select Create drop. A new drop starts as Draft with an empty title, no products, no pickup windows, and a prefilled order cutoff. Add a title and use Description to tell customers what this week's drop includes.

Drafts are saved in the Drops list but hidden from customers. You can leave setup unfinished and return later.

2. Add the products

In the drop editor, select Products under Set up. You have three ways to add an item:

• Select Create a product to make a new drop product.
• Under Copy from your catalogue, select Copy beside a regular product.
• Open Copy from another drop and select Copy beside a previous drop item.

Catalogue and previous-drop copies are independent copies. They let you change this release while keeping the source catalogue item unchanged. Drop products are managed inside the drop. Create one product per flavour, so each flavour can have its own photo, price, stock, and per-order limit. Use sizes or choices within a product for formats such as a box of six or a dozen. The product editor also supports the product's photo, description, pricing, sizes or choices, add-ons, questions, and category.

Open an item to edit it. New independent drop products use the combined editor for their details, pricing, choices, and stock. An older item still linked to a catalogue product shows Make an independent copy; use it when this drop needs its own version. Existing orders stay with the original item. Stock and limits in the drop section apply only to this release.

For a new independent drop product, Remove from this drop stops new orders for that item. If it already has reservations, Confita keeps those existing orders intact. For older linked items, removal is disabled while reservations exist; use Make an independent copy if you need a different version for new orders. A reserved size or choice cannot be deleted. If adding choices to a booked single-price item is locked, make a copy first.

3. Set drop prices, stock, and limits

For a new independent drop product, use Prices & stock for this drop. With one product price, you will see one price field and one Stock in this drop field. If the item has size or format choices, each Size or choice row has its own price and drop stock field. Use Add a size or choice to add another priced choice. Finish with Max per order if one customer should be limited to a certain quantity.

An older item still linked to a catalogue product shows its stock controls separately. There, Stock in this drop lets you choose Whole product or a single-choice group for per-option stock. The option names come from the linked product. Leave a stock field empty for Unlimited. Enter a number to cap this drop's stock. These values are separate from regular catalogue stock. A customer reservation reduces the drop's remaining quantity, while the regular product's inventory stays separate.

4. Add pickup windows

Back in the drop editor, select Pickup windows. In Pickup dates, select a date on the calendar. A date without a window gets a suggested two-hour window when you add it. Use Add a window to add another range on that date. Edit the window's label, start and end times, and Order limit for this window. The order limit is optional and limits pickups, not product stock.

Times use your shop's time zone. The end time must be after the start time. To close a date or remove a range, use its date or delete control. If a window already has reservations, Confita asks you to confirm before removing it. The reserved count remains visible while you decide.

5. Set the order cutoff

Select Order cutoff in the drop editor. Enter the date and time customers must order by. The pane shows your shop's time zone beside the field. Published drops can accept orders until this cutoff, subject to stock and pickup limits.

6. Choose availability and publish

The Publishing section has three choices: Draft, Open, and Closed.

Draft saves the drop while keeping it hidden. Open publishes it so customers can see it and place orders until the cutoff. To open a drop, it must have a title, at least one product, and at least one pickup window. At least one product and one pickup window must be active. A direct-reservation drop also needs a usable payment method, which you can add from Contact & payments when prompted. Closed keeps the drop saved while hiding it from customers. Closing does not erase its orders or reservations.

For a finished release, select Open and let Confita save the change. The drop list groups open drops under Open now, drafts under Drafts, and finished releases under Closed. Use Duplicate this drop inside a saved drop to create a fresh draft with the products, caps, per-choice stock, and windows copied over, with no reservations. Change the dates before opening it again.

Use Archive this drop when you want it removed from active drops. Archived drops are hidden from customers, while orders and history are kept. If you need to stop new orders but keep the release easy to find, use Closed instead.

Questions about a drop, a reservation, or a setting? Email [email protected]. You do not need to rebuild your existing shop or catalogue.