A regular calls at 2 p.m. She is home sick, needs a few things from your shelves, and asks if you deliver. You want to say yes. But you have one person on the floor, no driver and no car to spare.
ShelfPerks and Uber Direct solve that problem by letting a small store offer same-day local delivery without hiring drivers. Customers order from your own ShelfPerks-powered online store, and an Uber Direct courier picks up and delivers the order, with options for same-day delivery or delivery in under two hours. You pay per delivery, starting as low as $6.99, and choose whether to absorb the fee or pass it on.
Key takeaways
- Uber Direct is a white-label delivery service: customers order through your own channels, and you keep your branding and the customer relationship.
- Uber lists Uber Direct pricing from $6.99 per delivery, with 0% commissions and no startup costs or monthly minimums.
- Uber Direct offers delivery in under two hours, same-day delivery and scheduled delivery up to 30 days ahead, for packages up to 50 pounds.
- With ShelfPerks, Uber Direct orders come through your own online store, which shares one inventory with your register.
- Same-day delivery works best for stores whose customers live close by, so map where your customers are before you launch.
What are the delivery options for an independent store?
Most independent stores have three realistic ways to offer local delivery. Each one trades cost against control.
In-house delivery: full control, full workload
Running your own delivery means your employee, your vehicle and your brand at the customer's door. You control every detail.
The downside is fixed cost. You pay for a driver's time whether you have two orders or twenty, plus fuel, vehicle wear, insurance and scheduling. During a rush, one driver may not be enough. During a slow week, you are paying for idle time. In-house delivery tends to make sense only when you have steady, high delivery volume.
Third-party marketplaces: easy reach, less control
Delivery marketplace apps put your products in front of their existing users. That can help you find new customers.
The trade-off is that the customer orders inside the marketplace's app, so the relationship and the data sit with the marketplace, not with you. Marketplaces usually charge a commission on each order, so check the merchant pricing for any app you are considering and compare that percentage with your gross margin before you sign up.
White-label on-demand delivery: your store, their drivers
White-label delivery services such as Uber Direct work differently. The customer orders through your own website or channels, and a courier from Uber's network handles the delivery. Uber describes Uber Direct as a white-label solution that lets businesses keep their branding and own the customer relationship.
Uber lists these Uber Direct details on its merchant site:
- Delivery in under 2 hours, same-day delivery, or scheduled delivery up to 30 days in advance.
- 81% of orders completed in 45 minutes or fewer.
- Packages as large as a suitcase and as heavy as 50 pounds.
- Pricing per delivery from $6.99, varying by distance, delivery speed and region.
- 0% commissions and no startup costs or monthly minimums.
- Some item types, such as alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals, may be restricted depending on location.
How do the delivery models compare on cost?
Costs depend heavily on your area and your volume, so here is a hypothetical example to show how to run the math. Picture a store doing 150 local deliveries a month with a $45 average order.
| Delivery model | Example assumption | Monthly cost | Cost per delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house part-time driver | $3,200 a month for wages, vehicle and insurance | $3,200 | $21.33 |
| Marketplace app | 25% commission on a $45 order | $1,687.50 | $11.25 |
| Uber Direct through ShelfPerks | Assumed $8.50 average fee (pricing starts at $6.99) | $1,275 | $8.50 |
These are example numbers, not quotes. Swap in your own driver costs, the commission rate you are actually offered and the delivery fees Uber Direct shows for your area. The key difference is structural: in-house delivery is a fixed cost, marketplaces take a percentage of every order, and Uber Direct charges per delivery.
How does ShelfPerks + Uber Direct work?
ShelfPerks connects Uber Direct to your own online store. Here is the basic flow:
- A customer orders from your ShelfPerks-powered online store and chooses delivery.
- The order appears in ShelfPerks, and because your store and website share one inventory, the item comes off the same stock count your register uses.
- You pick and pack the order.
- An Uber Direct courier collects it and delivers it, typically within a 10-mile radius.
- The customer gets real-time tracking, notifications and estimated arrival updates.
You decide how to handle the fee. You can absorb it, pass it on to the customer, or set your own approach, such as free delivery above a certain order size. ShelfPerks' Uber Direct partner page lists same-day delivery, scheduled delivery up to 30 days ahead, delivery in under two hours and pricing as low as $6.99 per delivery.
Delivery app integration is listed as a feature of the ShelfPerks Premium plan, which is $199.95 a month billed annually or $249.99 billed monthly and also includes the built-in online store. You can compare plans on the pricing page.
Why does same-day delivery suit local stores?
Same-day delivery plays to a local store's biggest natural advantage: being close to its customers. A neighborhood grocer, wine shop or hardware store is often a short drive from the people who shop there, while a large online retailer may be shipping from a warehouse much farther away.
Local stores also bring something a warehouse cannot: judgment. A cheese shop that hand-picks a selection for a dinner party and has it at the door that afternoon is offering more than speed. Delivery simply extends the personal service you already give at the counter. For more on this, see our post on online ordering and local delivery for grocers.
How can you start offering same-day delivery?
You can test delivery without a big commitment. Here are four steps.
- Map your customers. Look at addresses from recent online orders or loyalty sign-ups. If most of your customers live within a few miles, you have the density that makes local delivery practical.
- Pick a fee policy. Decide whether you will charge a flat delivery fee, pass on the actual fee, or offer free delivery above a minimum order. Check the Uber Direct fees for your area first so your policy covers your costs.
- Choose your delivery products. Start with items that travel well and that customers ask for most. Remember the 50-pound limit and any local restrictions on items like alcohol.
- Review after 60 days. Track how many orders came in, the average order value and the fees you paid. Adjust your fee policy or minimum order based on real numbers.
Can a small store really compete with Amazon Prime on delivery?
A small store will not match Amazon's warehouse network, and it does not need to. It can offer fast local delivery of the things its customers already love, under its own name, without building a fleet.
ShelfPerks combines delivery, your own online store, real-time inventory and point of sale in one Store Operating System. If you want to try it, start a 14-day free trial of ShelfPerks Premium features, with no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Uber Direct delivery cost?
Uber lists Uber Direct pricing from $6.99 per delivery, varying by distance, delivery speed and region. Uber says there are no commissions, startup costs or monthly minimums. With ShelfPerks, you choose whether to absorb the fee or pass it on to customers.
How fast is Uber Direct delivery?
Uber Direct offers delivery in under two hours, same-day delivery and scheduled delivery up to 30 days in advance. Uber's merchant site says 81% of orders are completed in 45 minutes or fewer.
Do customers see Uber's brand when they order?
Uber Direct is a white-label service, so customers order through your own channels and you keep your branding and the customer relationship. With ShelfPerks, the order comes through your own ShelfPerks-powered online store.
Which ShelfPerks plan includes Uber Direct delivery?
Delivery app integration is listed on the ShelfPerks Premium plan, which costs $199.95 a month billed annually or $249.99 billed monthly. You can try Premium features free for 14 days with no credit card required.
How far and how big can Uber Direct deliveries be?
ShelfPerks describes a typical delivery radius of 10 miles. Uber Direct handles packages up to 50 pounds, about the size of a suitcase.
