How to move customers off marketplaces

Marketplaces are stealing your margin—and your customers’ loyalty too

Say you sell a £15 burger for £5 cost. The marketplace takes 25% (£3.75), leaving you £6.25 profit. Now cut your delivery fee to £1.50 to compete with their “free” option. You’re down to £4.75 profit per order. Worse, the customer now thinks they saved money by ordering through the app—even though you’re the one who paid for the rider, the packaging, and the lost loyalty.

The real cost isn’t just the commission. It’s the data. Marketplaces own your customers’ habits: what they order, when they order, and how often. That’s your marketing list, your repeat business, and your ability to upsell—all handed over for a cut.

You can’t afford to ignore them. But you can’t afford to rely on them either. The question isn’t whether to move customers off marketplaces—it’s how to do it without losing sales or pissing off your regulars.

The three reasons customers stay on marketplaces—and how to fix them

Customers use marketplaces for three things: convenience, perceived savings, and the illusion of choice. Fix those, and they’ll switch.

1. ‘It’s easier than your website’

Problem: Your own ordering site feels clunky. The marketplace app is one tap, your menu’s buried in a dropdown, and the checkout takes three screens. Customers abandon before they even see your specials.

Fix: Make your site faster than the app. Not faster in theory—faster in the way a customer actually orders. That means:

One-tap menus: If your bestsellers are buried under ‘Recommended’, they might as well not exist. Feature them front and centre, with images and a ‘Quick Add’ button.
Saved cards and addresses: If a regular has to re-enter their details every time, they’ll default to the marketplace. Auto-fill their info the second they log in.
Progressive checkout: Let them add items, then pay later. Or let them pay now and pick up in-store. The fewer steps, the fewer drop-offs.

Example: A café in Lahore cut abandoned baskets by 40% after swapping their old checkout for a one-page form with saved payment methods. The same customers who’d bail on their site now complete orders—because it’s easier than pulling up the marketplace app.

2. ‘I get a discount I wouldn’t get elsewhere’

Problem: Marketplaces train customers to expect deals. If you don’t match them, they’ll stay. If you do, you’re eroding your margins.

Fix: Stop competing on price. Instead, offer what the marketplace can’t:

Exclusives: ‘Order via our app and get a free side with any burger.’ Or ‘First 50 orders this weekend get 20% off—only on our site.’
Loyalty that sticks: A marketplace can’t give a customer a stamp card or a ‘buy 9 coffees, get the 10th free’ punch. Your own system lets you track who’s ordering and reward them directly.
Transparency: Show the real cost. ‘This order costs £15 on our site. On the marketplace, it’s £18.75—here’s where the £3.75 goes.’ Most customers don’t realise they’re paying extra.

Trade-off: You’ll lose the occasional deal-hunter. But you’ll keep the customers who care about you—not just the cheapest option.

3. ‘I don’t know if you’ll deliver to my area’

Problem: Marketplaces control the delivery map. If your zone doesn’t match theirs, customers assume you can’t deliver—and they won’t bother checking.

Fix: Own the delivery experience.

Map your real zones: Marketplaces inflate their delivery areas to attract orders. You know how far your riders actually go in 45 minutes. Set your delivery radius to match—and advertise it. ‘We deliver to [neighbourhood] in under 40 minutes—faster than the marketplace.’
Show live rider locations: If a customer can see a rider 200m away, they’ll order from you instead of waiting for a marketplace slot.
Offer what marketplaces won’t: Same-day slots, ‘order by 2pm for 5pm delivery’, or ‘rush delivery for £2’. These aren’t just upsells—they’re reasons to choose you.

Example: A cloud kitchen in Islamabad lost 60% of its marketplace orders to ‘out of area’ rejections. After switching to their own delivery system with accurate zones, they reclaimed 45% of those sales—and kept the margin.

The hidden cost of marketplace dependency: what you lose when you don’t own the channel

Most operators focus on the 25% commission. But the long-term damage goes deeper:

What the marketplace takes	What you lose instead	How to reclaim it
Your customers’ order history	No way to retarget them with promotions	Use your own ordering system to track repeat buyers and send them personalised offers.
Control over delivery fees	Can’t adjust prices for distance or demand	Set your own fees and pass savings to customers (or your margin).
Brand visibility	Customers associate your food with their app, not your name	Own the ordering experience so your logo and menu are front and centre.
Rider data	No insight into who’s delivering where	Track rider performance and optimise routes yourself.
Menu updates	Changes take days to reflect	Push updates instantly to your own site/app.

Key insight: The more you rely on marketplaces, the harder it is to leave. Their algorithms favour restaurants that only use them—so if you try to pull back, you risk losing visibility. The solution? Diversify first, then dominate.

How to move customers off marketplaces: the step-by-step plan

Step 1: Make your own ordering easier than theirs

Audit your current site: Time how long it takes to order from your phone. If it’s more than 30 seconds, it’s too slow.
Simplify the menu: Remove duplicates, merge similar items, and highlight your top 3 sellers.
Add a ‘Quick Order’ button: Let customers save their most common orders (e.g., ‘My usual coffee + croissant’) for one-tap ordering.

Tool: Use a system that syncs with your POS so stock levels update in real time. No more ‘sold out’ errors that make customers doubt you.

Step 2: Run a ‘switch and save’ campaign

Offer an incentive: ‘First order via our app gets 15% off.’ Or ‘Order three times this month, get a free dessert.’
Make it easy to switch: Send existing customers a WhatsApp message with a direct link to your ordering page and their saved payment details pre-filled.
Track the results: If 20% of your marketplace orders come from regulars, aim to reclaim half of them with this campaign.

Example: A bakery in Karachi gave customers a Rs 50 voucher for their first order via their own site. Within a month, 35% of their online orders came through their channel instead of marketplaces.

Step 3: Improve delivery speed and reliability

Map your zones accurately: Use real rider data, not marketplace estimates.
Add live tracking: Customers should see where their order is—whether it’s in the kitchen, with the rider, or 2 minutes away.
Offer guarantees: ‘If your order takes longer than 40 minutes, it’s free.’ Then deliver on it.

Why it works: Speed and reliability beat discounts every time. Customers will pay a little more if they know their food arrives hot and on time.

Step 4: **Retrain customers to think of you first**

Remove marketplace links from your website: If your site says ‘Order via [Marketplace]’, you’re sending customers away. Instead, say ‘Order now’ with a button to your own site.
Use QR codes in-store: Put them on tables, menus, and even takeaway bags. ‘Scan to order—no app needed.’
Leverage loyalty: ‘Your next 5 orders via our app earn you a free item.’ Make the rewards only available on your channel.

Long-term play: The more customers order directly, the more data you collect—and the more you can personalise offers. A marketplace can’t do that.

What breaks when you try to move customers off marketplaces

Problem 1: You lose sales during the transition

Mechanism: Customers who’ve been trained to order via the marketplace won’t switch overnight. If you pull the marketplace link from your site, they might not realise they can order from you directly.

Fix: Phase it out.

Week 1: Add your own ordering link to your site and keep the marketplace option.
Week 2: Start promoting your site more heavily (e.g., ‘Order via our app for faster delivery’).
Week 3: Remove the marketplace link entirely—but only after you’ve driven enough traffic to your own channel to replace it.

Example: A pizza chain in Lahore lost 15% of online sales when they removed marketplace links too soon. After reintroducing them temporarily and running a ‘switch now’ campaign, they regained those orders—and kept growing.

Problem 2: Your delivery costs go up

Mechanism: Marketplaces optimise routes for their riders. When you take over, you might pay more per delivery—at least until you refine your own system.

Fix: Start small.

Use your own riders for high-margin orders (e.g., dine-in delivery, premium menu items).
Keep marketplace delivery for low-margin, high-volume items (e.g., burgers, wings) until you’re ready to scale.
Track your actual delivery costs per order and adjust fees accordingly.

Trade-off: You’ll likely pay more upfront. But you’ll keep the margin—and the customer relationship.

Problem 3: Customers complain about ‘new’ features

Mechanism: If you introduce live tracking or rider updates, some customers will assume it’s slower because ‘they’re watching me.’

Fix: Over-communicate.

‘Your rider is 5 minutes away—here’s their photo and route.’
‘We’re using live tracking to make sure your order arrives hot.’
If there’s a delay, tell them why (‘Rider’s stuck in traffic—here’s an update every 2 minutes’).

Psychology: People tolerate delays if they feel informed. They’ll complain if they feel ignored.

When to keep using marketplaces—and when to cut them

Marketplaces aren’t all bad. They can be useful for:

Testing new delivery zones: Use them to gauge demand in an area before committing to your own riders.
Peak periods: If you’re overwhelmed during a rush (e.g., Friday nights), let them handle overflow—but cap the orders at 20% of your total.
Impulse buyers: Some customers only order via apps. If they’re one-time buyers, let them go—you’re not losing margin on a £10 order.

Cut them entirely when:

More than 30% of your online orders come through marketplaces.
You’re paying more in commissions than you’re making on low-margin items.
You want to launch loyalty programs, personalised offers, or exclusive deals.

Rule of thumb: If a marketplace is handling more than 10% of your online sales and you’re seeing regulars, it’s time to reclaim them.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to move customers off marketplaces?

It depends on how dependent you are. If 50% of your online orders come through marketplaces, expect 6–12 weeks to reclaim them—assuming you run promotions, improve your site, and offer better delivery. Start with your most loyal customers (they’re easiest to retrain) and scale from there.

Will customers really switch if I raise prices slightly?

Only if you give them a reason to. Don’t just increase prices—offer something better: faster delivery, exclusive items, or a loyalty perk they can’t get elsewhere. Customers tolerate higher prices if they perceive value, not just cost.

What if my own ordering system is slower than the marketplace app?

Speed isn’t about tech—it’s about workflow. If your site takes too long, it’s because the menu is cluttered, the checkout has too many steps, or your images aren’t optimised. Audit the process: time how long it takes a customer to order from their phone. If it’s over 30 seconds, simplify.

Can I still use marketplaces for some orders while keeping my own channel?

Yes—but set boundaries. Use them for overflow or low-margin items, and never let them handle more than 20–30% of your online orders. The goal is to own the relationship with your regulars while using marketplaces as a supplement, not a crutch.

What’s the biggest mistake operators make when trying to move off marketplaces?

Assuming customers will switch just because you ask them to. You have to make it easier, faster, and more rewarding to order from you. If your site is slower, your delivery is unreliable, and there’s no incentive, they’ll stay put.

Start by auditing your current ordering experience. If it’s not faster, simpler, and more rewarding than the marketplace, fix that first. Then run a targeted campaign to pull your regulars back in—one order at a time.