Ways to Grow

How to Optimize Your Business on DoorDash

Your optimization score is the key to understanding your store’s sales potential on DoorDash.

2024-09-03
5 min read
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Your DoorDash optimization score is a measure of how well your store is set up to perform at full potential. It provides insights into areas where improvements can be made to maximize sales potential and customer visibility. By leveraging this score and implementing recommended actions, you can achieve greater success on the DoorDash platform. 

What is an optimization score?

Optimization score is an estimate of your store’s sales potential on DoorDash. You can increase your score by completing actions on the list of recommendations specific to your store. Increasing your score helps your store perform at full potential on DoorDash, resulting in potential sales growth and new customers. 

How do I view my optimization score?

To view your optimization score to start leveling up your store, log in to the Merchant Portal and look for Optimization Score at the top of the store dashboard. This score estimates your sales potential out of 100%, your competitive rating, and how much additional monthly sales you could make by completing the suggested actions. Some recommended actions in the Dashboard are also marked with an indicator to help you earn more percentage points by taking those actions.

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If you click into the score itself you will be able to see a full overview of your score, a history of scoring changes based on recent actions you’ve completed, and top recommendations for how to increase your score:

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How is the optimization score calculated?

Optimization score is based on the actions you complete from our list of recommendations, such as enhancing your menu setup or responding to customer reviews. The score is calculated using the number of recommended actions you’ve completed for your store out of an ideal score of 100%. Each action has a unique percentage value associated with completing it which tells you how much an action is worth in terms of optimizing your business for sales potential and visibility. Thus, the closer your score is to 100%, the closer you reach your maximum sales potential as estimated by DoorDash.

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Note: Certain actions are calculated in real-time, while other actions may take longer to validate or apply to your optimization score.

How do I increase my optimization score?

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Your optimization score increases when you take action on a unique set of recommendations, which are based on your store’s ongoing operational performance, your menu and logistical setup, and the number of additional platform services you’ve added to your account. The number of available optimization percentage points you can earn may also change over time; for example, if you start with a basic account setup and then add a new service later on, this service may come with additional ways to earn more optimization percentage points to grow your sales and visibility on DoorDash.

You can find recommendations on how to increase your optimization score in two sections of the Merchant Portal:

1. On the Dashboard once you log in to the Merchant Portal you can see suggestions on where to improve.

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2. Click on your score on your main dashboard. This will take you to the Optimization Score section of the Merchant Portal. Here you can see specific tasks you can complete to improve your score with the percentage points associated for each, as well as the associated sales potential.

Why did my optimization score go down?

We calculate your score based on your business performance and the recommended actions you’ve completed for your store. Your optimization score may decrease if a performance target, such as Order Accuracy, is missed. Your score may also decrease if a prior action is removed or expired, such as a promotional campaign ending. But don’t worry, any activity that causes your optimization score to decrease would reappear as a recommendation, and you could earn those percentage points back.

How is the optimization score competitive rating determined?

Competitive ratings are calculated using the average scores of similar merchants of size, tenure, cuisine, and location on DoorDash. Ratings are a percentage based on how optimized your business is for growth on DoorDash compared to your competitors. The higher your percentage rating, the more likely you are to see a lift in sales potential compared to the competition on DoorDash. This is to give you context into how your store is performing relative to its peers's average. If you do not yet have a high score that your peers' average, you can see the number of additional percentage points needed to match or surpass their competitive score and rating.

Who can view my optimization score in the Merchant Portal?

The optimization score is available at the store level, and can currently be seen by Business Group Admin, Business Admin, and Manager user types only. If you manage more than one store, you can see a different score for each store in your business since the score is unique and personalized (depending on sales potential per store). Since not all Merchant Portal users have access to all actions, the number of available points shown in recommended actions might not always add up to your store’s total score.

The optimization score is viewable only by your business – never by potential customers – and is meant to serve as a visual representation and guide to showcase how a merchant partner could optimize their full sales potential. You maintain in full control of the decision on which actions (if any) you take).

By actively working to boost your optimization score on DoorDash, you can unlock the full potential of your store. This can lead to increased sales, better visibility, and an edge over your competition. 

Want to learn more ways to grow your business? Learn how to grow with the DoorDash Merchant Suite.