Delivery and Pickup

This guide covers the customer-facing features of delivery and pickup orders, including address validation, radius enforcement, and how customers interact with these fulfilment options.

How Customers Choose Fulfilment

When customers visit your menu, they can switch between delivery, pickup, and table service using buttons at the top of the page.

How it works:

Customer clicks "Delivery" or "Pickup"
The menu updates to show only items available for that fulfilment type
Ordery remembers their choice for future visits

How it affects your storefront: The selected fulfilment type is highlighted, and the menu reflects availability. Customers can switch at any time before checkout.

Delivery Address Entry

For delivery orders, customers must provide a valid address within your delivery radius.

Address Search

Ordery uses address search to help customers find their address quickly.

How it works:

Customer starts typing their address in the checkout form
Matching addresses are suggested
Customer selects their address from the list
Ordery fills in the full address automatically

Benefits:

Fast and accurate
Reduces typos and invalid addresses
Includes postcode for precise distance checks

Manual Address Entry Fallback

If the search doesn't find the address, customers can enter it manually.

How it works:

Customer clicks "Enter address manually"
They fill in street, city, postcode, and any delivery notes
Ordery validates the postcode format
Distance is calculated based on the postcode

ℹ️ Note: Manual addresses work fine. Distance checks are still performed using the postcode.

Delivery Radius Enforcement

Ordery checks that every delivery address is within your configured radius.

How Distance is Calculated

Customer enters their address
Ordery calculates the straight-line distance from your store
If the address is within your radius, the order proceeds
If it's outside, the customer sees an error message

Error message example: "Sorry, we don't deliver to this address. Our delivery area covers up to 3 miles from our location."

How it affects your storefront: Customers outside your area cannot place delivery orders. They may switch to pickup instead.

💡 Tip: Display your delivery area on social media and your main website so customers know before they try to order.

Postcode Validation

Ordery checks UK postcodes to ensure they're valid. If a customer enters an incomplete or invalid postcode, they'll be asked to correct it.

Delivery Notes

Customers can add optional delivery instructions at checkout.

Common examples:

"Please ring the doorbell"
"Leave at the front door"
"Flat 3, second floor"

How it affects your storefront: Delivery notes appear on the order detail page in your admin panel. Use them to ensure smooth delivery.

💡 Tip: Encourage customers to include helpful details like building numbers, entry codes, or parking information.

Pickup Instructions

For pickup orders, customers see your store address and pickup time estimate.

What Customers See

During checkout:

"Your order will be ready for pickup in 20 minutes"
Your store address (from Settings → Store)
Optional: Pickup-specific instructions

After placing the order:

Order confirmation email with pickup time and address
Order tracking page showing when the order is ready

Adding Pickup Instructions

You can add custom pickup instructions to help customers find your location.

Pickup instructions can be communicated through your store's marketing copy or by including them in your store address field in Settings → Store.

Fulfilment Switching

Customers can switch fulfilment types while browsing the menu, but not after adding items to their cart in some cases.

How it works:

If switching changes item availability (e.g., an item is not available for pickup), the cart is cleared
Customers see a message: "Some items are not available for [fulfilment type]. Your cart has been updated."

How it affects your storefront: Prevents customers from ordering items that aren't available for their chosen fulfilment type.

💡 Tip: Set most items as available for all fulfilment types to reduce cart clearing.

Best Practices

Delivery Radius

Start conservatively (e.g., 3 miles) and expand as you gain confidence
Consider traffic, parking, and travel time when setting your radius
Monitor average delivery times and adjust if needed

Address Validation

Trust Ordery's distance calculations
Review orders with unusual addresses before preparing them
Contact customers if an address seems incorrect

Pickup Experience

Ensure your store address in Settings is accurate and easy to find
Provide clear signage at your location for pickup customers
Set realistic pickup times so customers don't wait

Communication

Update customers when their order status changes
Send SMS notifications (if enabled) for pickup-ready alerts
Respond quickly to delivery issues or delays

Common Questions

Q: Can I exclude specific postcodes from delivery? Not currently. Delivery is radius-based. All addresses within the radius are eligible.

Q: What if a customer enters the wrong address? Contact them immediately to confirm the correct address. You can update the delivery address in the admin panel before dispatching the order.

Q: Can customers change their address after placing an order? No, they must contact you directly. Update the address in the admin panel if possible, or cancel and have them reorder.

Q: How does Ordery calculate distance? Straight-line distance (as the crow flies) from your store to the customer's address. This is faster and simpler than road-distance calculations.

Q: What if address search is unavailable? Customers can enter their address manually. Ordery continues to validate postcodes and check distances.

Q: Can I offer free delivery for certain postcodes or areas? Not currently. Delivery fees are flat across all addresses within your radius.

Q: Do customers see how far they are from my store? No, they only see whether delivery is available or not. The actual distance is not displayed.

What's Next?

Now that you understand delivery and pickup, explore:

Order Fulfilment Settings — Configure prep times, minimums, and radius
Opening Hours — Control when customers can place orders
Managing Orders — Handle incoming delivery and pickup orders

Back to Help Centre