How to turn delivery app customers into direct regulars

A guest who finds you on a marketplace is a win. A guest who keeps ordering there is a cost you keep paying.

Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat are good for visibility. Use them to be found. Then aim to make every guest's second order a direct one.

Ordering direct gives you back control of the margin, the customer and the order. That control is what lets you build a relationship with your guests. It starts with making direct the best value they can get, with your best prices and offers they can't get on the marketplaces.

This guide covers how to move guests across, make ordering direct easier, and keep them ordering with an app of your own.

What the marketplaces keep

	On a marketplace	Direct on Storekit
Price	Often marked up to cover commission	Your best price
Margin	A cut of every basket	No commission
Customer	Stays with the marketplace	Yours to contact
Order	The marketplace picks the next one	You send the offer
Terms	Set by the marketplace	Set by you

The first order is the cost of being seen. The second should be direct. Every repeat order on a marketplace is commission you didn't need to pay, from a guest you never get to know. With no commission direct, you can afford to make direct the best deal. Work out what it costs you.

Move guests across

Aim to make every guest's second order direct. Your most important conversion tool is value: your direct channels should always be the best deal a guest can get. You're up against the offers you run on the marketplaces and the habit of tapping them, so the reason to switch has to be stronger than both.

• Make direct the best deal Your best prices, direct-only items and offers you don't run on the marketplaces. A free item or a free delivery threshold works too.
• Run a launch offer A direct-only price on mains for a few weeks. It breaks the habit, captures contact details and gives you someone to reward next time.
• Put a card in every bag A QR code and a direct-only offer. Make it a scratch card: the guest scans, enters their details and finds out what they've won, through Leat.
• Say it at every touchpoint Direct is the best price and the best experience. Say so in store, on socials, by email, on packaging and on your Google Business Profile.
• Follow up Once they order direct, they're yours to talk to. Thank first-time direct guests. Win back the ones who go quiet.

See how Manjaros saves £7.60 per direct order.

Make ordering direct easier

• Deliver with couriers Connect Uber Direct for live tracking, without your own drivers. Setup guide.
  Stores > Settings > Integrations
• Set delivery zones Fees, minimums and free delivery thresholds by distance.
  Stores > Settings > Delivery Zones
• Keep timings honest Realistic prep times and order caps.

Keep them with your own app

Once a guest orders direct, the relationship is yours to build. An app of your own keeps you on their home screen, next to the marketplaces rather than behind them.

• On their home screen Your app sits next to the marketplaces. Reordering takes just two taps.
• Push beats paid A push notification to guests who installed your app costs nothing. Use it to fill a quiet weeknight.
• Always the best value Best prices, exclusive products and tempting offers. Give the customer a reason to order direct.
• Loyalty where they order Points and rewards sit on the screen they open to order, not on a card in a drawer.

Launch your own app on the App Store and Google Play with App Studio, using the same menu as every other channel.

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