# How to turn delivery app customers into direct regulars

> Use the marketplaces to be seen. Make every guest's second order direct, and take back control of your margin, your customers and your orders.

Canonical: https://storekit.com/guides/delivery-apps-to-direct-orders  
Last updated: 2026-09-30

**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.](#the-maths)

## 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](https://storekit.com/qr-code-ideas-for-restaurants) 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](https://storekit.com/integrations/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](https://storekit.com/integrations/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.](https://storekit.com/case-studies/how-manjaros-saves-7-60-per-direct-order)

## Make ordering direct easier

- **Deliver with couriers** Connect [Uber Direct](https://storekit.com/integrations/uber-direct) for live tracking, without your own drivers. [Setup guide](https://storekit.com/guides/uber-direct-for-restaurants). 
`Stores > Settings > Integrations`
- **Set [delivery zones](https://storekit.com/features/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.

3x

Guests who order through a restaurant's own app order three times as often as those who don't, and stay loyal for longer.

Source: Storekit order data

- **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](https://storekit.com/products/app-studio), using the same menu as every other channel.

[Talk to us about your app](https://storekit.com/start?channels=app)

## Questions

### How do I get delivery app customers to order direct?

Give them a route and a reason, and aim for their second order. Make direct the best value, with your best prices and offers you don't run on the marketplaces. Put a QR code and a direct-only offer in every bag, then follow up after their first direct order.

### Should I stop using delivery apps?

No. Keep them for visibility and new guests. Aim to make every guest's second order direct, where there's no commission and you control the margin, the customer and the order.

### Can I deliver direct without my own drivers?

Yes. Connect Uber Direct or another courier network in Storekit. A courier is sent when you accept the order, and the guest tracks it live.

### Who owns the customer data on direct orders?

You do. Every direct order adds to a customer list you can contact and export, and it stays yours if you leave.

### Is a branded app worth it for keeping guests direct?

For restaurants with regulars, yes. Guests who order through a restaurant's own app order three times as often as those who don't. Push notifications and in-app loyalty keep you on their home screen.

## Related

- [Just Eat, Uber Eats or Deliveroo: which is worth it for your restaurant?](https://storekit.com/blog/choose-food-delivery-apps)
- [Alternatives to Just Eat, by what they actually replace](https://storekit.com/blog/alternatives-to-just-eat-navigating-the-food-delivery-app-landscape-in-2023)
- [Seven problems every delivery business runs into](https://storekit.com/blog/7-challenges-commonly-faced-by-food-delivery-businesses)