Today, local retail delivery is on the rise. With a market size of nearly $150 billion, the couriers and local delivery industry grew 4.8% this year — and that’s projected to continue. This is largely fueled by the boom in e-commerce sales. By 2025, online shopping revenue in just the US is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion.
But this trend isn’t just for big box stores and mega retailers. With the accessibility of flexible retail delivery partners like DoorDash, independent and local retail stores can also offer retail same day delivery — and provide their customers the convenience of getting local products delivered quickly.
What is a DoorDash retail order? In this article, we'll explore the journey of a DoorDash retail order to highlight how DoorDash can work for businesses like yours — and provide your company with a competitive advantage in a rapidly growing market.
Today, people are used to the convenience of having things come to them. As a retailer, you need to have a delivery option. And there's nothing simpler than DoorDash.
How do customers find my store on DoorDash?
As a retailer on DoorDash, customers can easily find your business, browse your products, and place orders. Here’s how that works.
Your retail store — on DoorDash
After signing up with DoorDash, customers can find your store by searching for local retail stores and retail items on the DoorDash marketplace, which has over 25 million active each month across the world. As a DoorDash partner, you’ll get your own page where you can feature your brand and provide details on retail items for sale. You always have full control over your listing, including items for sale, prices, retail delivery hours, and more
The customer experience
Just like ordering dinner on DoorDash, placing a retail order is simple. Once a customer decides to make a retail item purchase from your store, they’ll add items to their cart, pay through the app or online, and receive an estimated delivery time. Retail orders can be placed for same day delivery, or up to two weeks in advance.
How do retailers receive DoorDash orders?
After a customer places a DoorDash retail order, you’ll receive an order notification through your choice of a tablet or point of sale:
Tablet: Businesses with an Android tablet can use the Order Manager app, our all-in-one tool for receiving, organizing, and tracking pickup and delivery orders. You can use any Android tablet or rent a tablet from DoorDash for $6 a week, which covers device insurance and cell service.
POS: DoorDash has integrations with several leading technology solutions, including Square, Redcat, Deliverect, and more. Learn more about integrations here.
Prefer to use your phone? Businesses can also download the Business Manager app to track retail orders and sales from a mobile device.
With a tablet, a blue screen will appear letting you know how many orders need attention. Touch the screen to view the order and identify any issues.
DoorDash will prompt a suggested prep time to save time, but you can easily enter a manual prep time instead. To confirm the order, click “Confirm” at the bottom of the screen, which will share an estimated delivery time with the customer.
How does DoorDash delivery work for retail items?
Next, prepare the items from the order to handoff for delivery or customer pickup. For retail same day delivery orders, a Dasher will arrive at your store to pick up the order and transport it to the delivery address.
Need more information? You can use the Order Manager app or the Business Manager app to track a Dasher’s progress, and communicate with them along the way. Then, once an order is complete, mark it complete in the app.
Get order insights
How are your retail delivery sales looking? Are certain retail items selling better than others on DoorDash? With the Order Manager app or the Business Manager app, businesses can review key data points like net sales, average order size, unique customers, and best selling items to gain strategic insights to help them grow their retail delivery sales.
Tips for DoorDash retail delivery success
Whether you’ve offered local delivery for years or are just getting used to retail same day delivery with DoorDash, there are a few best practices to consider, according to experienced retailers on DoorDash.
Make the pickup process easy
Once an order is ready to be delivered, select a spot in your shop where Dashers can quickly pick up orders without disrupting operations. Clear signage can help Dashers get in and out quickly.
Consider simplifying your DoorDash menu
While it’s important to offer a variety of items for sale, it can also save retailers a headache to offer a pared-down selection on DoorDash. You don’t want to have a customer place an order, only to find out that you’re out of stock. Focus on your best-selling items and figure out where else you can streamline your offerings.
For example, instead of offering twelve different scents of incense, Jaime Morrison Curtis, owner of Greenwood Shop, a plant and gift shop in Los Angeles, notes in the product description that her team will pick the scent — and customers are able to make a request in the comments section. This has saved her team a lot of time, and her customers are just as happy as they were before.
You really want to think about things that are easy to deliver, and that you’re going to always have in stock. The last thing any customer on DoorDash wants is for you to have to call them to confirm something when they’ve ordered it online.
Promote your retail delivery options in store
For many DoorDash merchants, there isn’t a clear separation between in-store customers and online customers. For example, Jaime frequently meets new customers who found out about Greenwood Shop through DoorDash but were interested in visiting in person. She also has regulars who now enjoy the convenience of getting retail items delivered when they’re in a rush.
Curious how another retailer is finding success with a DoorDash retail delivery partnership? Learn more about how Jaime’s average order value on DoorDash is about $25 higher than it is in store.
DoorDash is another sales channel for us. We even have people that come into the shop who saw us for the first time on DoorDash. From a marketing and branding perspective, having more eyes on your business is always a win.
Because of this, it’s important to let your in-store customers know that you deliver. Looking for an easy way to get the word out? Reach out to your DoorDash Merchant Experience Partner (MXP) at mxpsupport@doordash.com to get free stickers and signage you can display in your store to let customers know that you offer delivery with DoorDash.
In addition to putting up DoorDash stickers in her store windows, Teona Miller, owner of Hair & Beauty Maze in Dayton, OH, created her own fliers speaking directly to her customers with catchy, creative copy. “My fliers say, ‘Bad weather? No car? No problem. I’m available on DoorDash,’” she explained.
Have a website? Don’t forget to add a DoorDash web link to your site, so customers can make retail orders directly.
Boosting your visibility with promotions and sponsored listing
Additionally, as a DoorDash partner, retailers can also opt in to marketing tools, like promotions, which help retailers increase sales by offering discounts to new and returning customers.
Or, use sponsored listings to place your business at the top of the search results and increase visibility by showing your store in highly visible places on the DoorDash app.
Sign up for retail same day delivery with DoorDash
Ready to grow your retail delivery sales? Adding local retail delivery is a great way to boost your competitive offering. Partnering with DoorDash for on-demand delivery can help you connect with more customers in your neighborhood, grow your retail delivery orders, and offer the convenience your customers are looking for.
Sign up for DoorDash retail delivery today.
