What do delivery commissions really cost you?
On every order that passes through a platform, someone keeps a cut. Here's how to calculate what it really costs you and how it compares to your own channel.
When an order comes from a delivery platform, the amount you see isn't what ends up in your pocket. Between commissions, delivery costs and promotions, the slice the middleman keeps is often significant. In this article we compare the costs of delivery platforms against running your own ordering site.
How platform commissions work
The model is almost always the same: a percentage commission on every order. The percentage changes depending on the agreement and the services included (especially whether the platform's own rider handles delivery). In general, you're looking at these kinds of ranges:
| Where the order comes from | What it costs you | Who owns the customer |
|---|---|---|
| Platform that delivers for you | A percentage on every order | The platform |
| Storefront-only platform (you deliver) | A percentage, usually lower | The platform |
| Your online storefront | No commission on the order | Yours, with the history |
Percentages vary from agreement to agreement, city to city and depending on which services are active: get whoever's offering them to put it in writing.
Do the maths on your own business
No need to guess: take the latest statement from the platform you use. On one side is how much you sold, on the other how much was kept back. That second figure is the cost of routing orders through someone else — and it repeats every month.
Now look at that same column for orders coming through your own ordering page: zero. You pay nothing per order, whether the bill is €15 or €60.
Percentage on the order, or a flat fee?
Here's the real difference: a platform costs you more the more you sell, because it takes a percentage. With your online storefront you pay for the service, not for every order: if orders double, what you pay doesn't. The more you grow, the more the advantage tips in your favour.
The bottom line
Platforms remain useful for getting discovered by new customers (we cover that here). But routing all your orders through them means leaving margin and customers with someone else. Adding your own direct ordering channel alongside them lets you keep everything you earn from those who come back.
See also
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