Own online ordering vs delivery apps: how to keep more of every order

What a delivery-app order really costs

Marketplace delivery apps charge a commission on each order, plus optional fees for ads, promotions and placement. The rate depends on your contract, so check your own agreement for the exact figure.

As an example only: if a platform takes 30% of a RM40 order, RM12 goes to the platform before you pay for ingredients, packaging and staff. On a typical F&B margin, that can wipe out most of the profit on the order.

The bigger hidden cost is data. On a marketplace, the customer belongs to the platform. You usually cannot message them again, see their order history or invite them to come in for dine-in.

When your own online ordering pays off

• You have regulars who already know your brand and order more than once a month.
• A meaningful share of delivery orders comes from within a few kilometres of your outlet.
• You run promotions through WhatsApp or social media and want those orders to land in your own channel.
• You have more than one outlet and want one menu and one customer list across them.

Use both: apps for discovery, your own store for repeat orders

Delivery apps are good at putting you in front of people who have never heard of you. Your own store is better at turning those people into regulars. A practical split is to stay on the apps, and give every customer a reason to order direct next time.

A five-step plan to move regulars to direct orders

1. Open your own branded store on your own domain with your real menu, pickup slots and delivery.
2. Put a QR card in every delivery bag and on every table: "Order direct next time and earn points".
3. Give a first-order reward for ordering direct, such as bonus points or a free add-on, instead of a deep discount.
4. Make every direct order earn the same loyalty points as dine-in, so customers see one membership.
5. Message members on WhatsApp with useful updates (new items, pre-order days), not daily promotions.

What to look for in an online ordering system

• Your own domain and branding, not a listing inside someone else's app.
• An app customers can install without going through an app store.
• Pickup and delivery slots you control, with automatic rider booking.
• Orders landing in the same POS and report as counter sales.
• Customer records and loyalty points shared with your POS.

How KEDAI handles this

KEDAI gives you your own branded online store and installable app on your own domain. It is not a marketplace and does not take a per-order marketplace commission. Orders, members and points share one system with the KEDAI POS, table QR and WhatsApp campaigns.