How to Reduce Dependence on Delivery Marketplaces

Reducing marketplace dependence should not mean switching off a channel that still brings useful demand. The safer objective is to build a direct ordering route that existing customers can choose confidently, while keeping marketplace coverage where it remains commercially and operationally useful.

The process should be gradual, measurable and consistent with the marketplace agreement. Do not misuse customer information, interfere with required platform communications or make claims that cannot be supported.

1. Measure the current position

Start with several representative weeks rather than one unusually busy weekend. For each channel, record:

• orders and sales;
• platform, payment, delivery and promotional costs;
• refunds, remakes and failed deliveries;
• average preparation and handover time;
• order accuracy and complaint reasons;
• repeat behaviour where it can be measured lawfully;
• staff time spent on tablets, support and reconciliation.

The purpose is not to prove that one channel is bad. It is to identify which demand is valuable, which demand is expensive to serve and whether the direct channel is ready to take more volume.

2. Fix the direct ordering journey before promoting it

Customers will not move to a direct channel simply because the takeaway prefers lower channel costs. The direct route must be at least as clear and dependable as the route they already use.

Test:

• mobile loading and navigation;
• menu accuracy, modifiers and sold-out items;
• postcode and delivery-zone checks;
• collection and delivery promises;
• the full price before payment;
• payment success, failure and delayed confirmation;
• order status and support contact details;
• refund and complaint handling.

Run controlled staff and customer tests before adding a large promotion. A broken direct journey can damage trust more quickly than it saves cost.

3. Make the direct route easy to find

Use places the business controls and where the message is useful:

• the main website and Google Business Profile website link;
• in-store signage and collection counter material;
• receipts and packaging where this is permitted and appropriate;
• social profiles owned by the takeaway;
• email or SMS only where the business has a valid basis to send marketing.

A QR code should lead directly to a secure mobile ordering page, not to a generic homepage or an app store unless the app is genuinely the intended route. Print the short web address alongside the code so the journey still works if scanning fails.

What to check before printing QR material

• The destination uses the business's real domain or a clearly trusted ordering domain.
• The page works without forcing an unnecessary account.
• The code has been tested on several common phones.
• The destination will remain stable for the life of the printed material.
• Any promotion states significant conditions clearly.
• The material does not conflict with a marketplace agreement or misrepresent the marketplace order.

4. Give customers a service reason to return

A direct channel can compete through convenience rather than permanent discounting. Useful reasons may include:

• a clearer collection journey;
• accurate local delivery times;
• easier reordering of a previous basket;
• better access to the full menu where operationally suitable;
• transparent loyalty rewards;
• direct support from the takeaway;
• scheduled ordering for regular customers.

Do not promise exclusive items, faster service or lower prices unless the operation can deliver those promises consistently.

5. Use incentives carefully

A launch incentive can help customers try the direct route, but it should not train them to wait for discounts. Set a defined purpose, budget, eligibility rule and end date. Make significant conditions visible in the marketing message rather than hiding them after the click.

Measure the behaviour after the incentive ends. A campaign is not successful merely because discounted orders increased during the offer.

Related guides

• Online Ordering — the main guide for the wider topic.
• Owned Channels vs Marketplaces — the broader guide that frames this implementation.
• Direct Ordering vs Marketplaces — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
• Own Ordering App vs Delivery Marketplace — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.

6. Build lawful marketing preferences

Order fulfilment details are not automatically a marketing list. Email, SMS and push marketing must follow the relevant rules. Where the business relies on consent, it should be specific and freely given. Where a soft opt-in may apply, all of its conditions must be met, including a clear opt-out when details are collected and in every message.

Never copy contact details from a marketplace order into an owned marketing database simply because the details were visible during fulfilment.

7. Increase direct volume in controlled steps

1. Launch to staff and a small group of regular customers.
2. Monitor payment, kitchen and delivery failures.
3. Set realistic order caps or time slots.
4. Promote the route in one or two owned locations.
5. Review service and contribution before widening the campaign.
6. Adjust marketplace availability only when the direct operation is stable.

Avoid changing every channel at once. If sales or service deteriorate, the business must be able to identify which change caused the problem.

8. Keep marketplaces where they still add value

Some marketplace demand may remain genuinely incremental. A sensible strategy may retain selected areas, dayparts, brands or delivery services while encouraging known repeat customers to use the direct route voluntarily.

Possible channel roles include:

• marketplace for discovery and selected delivery zones;
• direct website for branded search and repeat collection;
• app only for a proven high-frequency customer group;
• telephone support for complex questions and accessibility needs.

Signs the strategy is working

• Direct orders grow without a fall in order accuracy or on-time performance.
• Customers can find and complete the direct journey without staff intervention.
• Contribution improves after all channel-specific costs are included.
• Marketing complaints and opt-outs remain controlled.
• Kitchen workload is easier to manage rather than more fragmented.
• Marketplace sales that remain have a clear commercial role.

Official guidance checked

• Information Commissioner's Office: complying with electronic mail marketing rules
• ASA and CAP: promotional terms and significant conditions
• Competition and Markets Authority: clear and accurate pricing

Guidance checked: 24 July 2026. Check the current marketplace agreement before using packaging, order information or platform-related messaging to promote another channel.