How to set up partial COD on Shopify: amount, rules and copy

Shopify has no native partial-COD option. It needs a checkout that can split an order into an online advance and a cash balance, record both on the Shopify order, and settle the advance through your own gateway. Once you have that, the decisions are about policy, not plumbing — and the policy is where stores get it wrong. If you want the reasoning first, read partial COD, explained; this post is the setup.

Which orders should see it

Not all of them. Applied to every COD order, partial COD is just a worse prepaid discount. Applied by risk band, it is a filter: orders scored as medium risk get the advance, low risk gets plain COD, high risk gets prepaid-only. The band edges are yours to set in Smart COD; a sensible starting point is to apply the advance to the middle third of your COD attempts and watch what the RTO in that band does.

How much to ask for

• Enough to matter: a buyer who has paid ₹50 on a ₹1,500 order will still refuse at the door; ₹200 changes the maths.
• Framed as shipping: 'pay ₹149 for delivery now, rest on arrival' is accepted far more readily than an unexplained deposit.
• Scaled by value or risk: a fixed amount for most orders, a percentage above your value cap.
• Never more than the prepaid discount would save them — otherwise they should just pay in full, and the checkout should say so.

The copy at checkout

Say it before the payment step, in the order summary, with both numbers on one line: advance now, balance on delivery. Keep the full-prepaid option visible next to it with its discount — a shopper asked for an advance often just pays the whole order, which is the best outcome. Do not hide the advance behind a 'COD fee' label; shoppers who feel tricked at payment refuse at the door.

Refunds and cancellations

Decide the refund rule before launch and print it: the advance is refunded on the same terms as the rest of the order. Make sure the checkout refunds through the gateway automatically on cancellation, with idempotent refunds so a double-click cannot pay out twice. The advance should also feed your COD confirmation flow — an order that paid an advance and confirmed on WhatsApp is about as safe as cash gets.

What to measure

Two numbers in the affected band: checkout conversion and RTO. Partial COD is working when RTO falls further than conversion. If conversion drops sharply, the amount is too high or the copy is too late; if RTO barely moves, the band is too wide. Adjust one at a time, and give each change a fortnight of orders before judging it.