Delivery Zones

Delivery zones let you define specific geographic areas where you offer delivery, each with their own pricing rules. Draw zones directly on a map to control exactly where you deliver and how much you charge.

What Are Delivery Zones?

Delivery zones are geographic areas where you provide delivery service. Each zone can have different:

• Delivery fees (e.g., £2.50 for local, £4.50 for further out)
• Minimum order values (e.g., £15 minimum for distant zones)
• Delivery travel times (e.g., 30 minutes, 45 minutes)
• Custom operating hours (different from your location’s hours)

Why Use Delivery Zones?

Better Customer Experience

• Clear pricing - customers know delivery costs upfront
• Fair charges - closer customers pay less for delivery
• Service transparency - no surprise fees at checkout

Better Business Control

• Profit optimization - charge more for less profitable deliveries
• Capacity management - limit delivery areas when busy
• Geographic targeting - focus on high-value customer areas
• Cost control - avoid unprofitable long-distance deliveries

Creating Delivery Zones

Accessing Delivery Zones

1. Go to Dashboard, then click Locations
2. Click on your location in the locations list
3. Scroll to the “Delivery Zones” section on the location details page
4. Click “Add Zone” button (or “Create First Delivery Zone” if no zones exist yet)

Note: You need permission to create delivery zones. Only Owners, Admins, and Managers typically have this permission.

Zone Setup

The form is organized into three main sections:

Basic Information

• Zone Name (required): Descriptive name (e.g., “Local Area”, “City Center”, “Suburbs”)
• Delivery Fee: Amount to charge for delivery to this zone (currency input, defaults to 0.00)
• Minimum Order Value: Smallest order you’ll accept for delivery (currency input, optional)
• Delivery Travel Time (optional): Number of minutes after order placement when the customer will receive their order (e.g., 30, 45). Enter as a number. This helps set customer expectations and can be used for order timing calculations.
• Tax Group for Delivery Fee (optional): Select a tax group to apply to the delivery fee (e.g., VAT). The dropdown shows tax group name, rate percentage, and indicates if it’s the default tax group. Select “No tax applied” to skip tax on delivery fees.
• Active Status: Toggle switch - “Zone is active and can receive orders” (enabled by default)

Note: Tax groups only appear if your business has tax groups configured. If you don’t see this option, you may need to set up tax groups first.

Geographic Area (Delivery Area Section)

The most important part - drawing your delivery zone on the map:

1. Map loads centered on your location (or defaults to London if location coordinates aren’t set)
2. Click the blue polygon button (top-left of map) to start drawing mode
3. Cursor changes to crosshair when in drawing mode
4. Click on the map to add points (minimum 3 points needed)
5. Click the first point to complete the polygon shape
6. Use the red trash button to clear and start over
7. Check the status below the map - it shows how many points are in your polygon

Drawing tips:

• Keep shapes simple - avoid complex polygons
• Include main roads for easier delivery
• Consider natural boundaries (rivers, railways, main roads)
• Test the boundaries - walk or drive the edges
• Minimum 3 points required for a valid zone
• Only one shape per zone
• Drawing instructions appear in a box on the bottom-left of the map to guide you
• Polygon status shows below the map with point count and green checkmark when zone is defined
• Map uses OpenStreetMap tiles for rendering

Order Acceptance Hours (Order Acceptance Hours Section)

Each zone can have custom operating hours that differ from your location’s hours. This is useful for:

• Buffer times - Start accepting orders 30 minutes after opening, stop 30 minutes before closing
• Zone-specific availability - Some zones might only accept orders during peak hours
• Different schedules - Weekend hours might differ from weekday hours for certain zones

Setting Custom Hours:

1. Toggle “Use custom operational hours for this zone” switch to enable zone-specific hours
2. When enabled, an opening hours editor appears with a helpful description
3. Set hours for each day using the hours editor (hours are automatically copied from location when first enabled)
4. Leave disabled to inherit your location’s opening hours (shows an info box explaining inheritance)

When to Use Custom Hours:

• Zones that need more time to prepare (set later start times)
• Zones that are far away (stop accepting orders earlier)
• Peak hour zones (only accept orders during busy periods)

Note: When you first enable custom hours, the zone automatically copies the location’s hours so you can modify them. If disabled, the zone uses the location’s hours directly and shows an info box explaining this.

Managing Delivery Zones

Viewing Your Zones

On the location details page, your delivery zones show:

• Zone name and status badges (Active/Inactive, Delivering/Closed)
• Delivery fee and minimum order value
• Estimated delivery time (if travel time is set)
• Operating hours indicator (custom or inherited)
• Zone count in the section header

Zone Status Badges:

• Active: Zone is enabled and can accept orders (when within operating hours)
• Inactive: Zone is disabled (customers can’t order delivery to that area)
• Delivering: Zone is currently accepting orders (active and within hours)
• Closed: Zone is not currently accepting orders (inactive or outside hours)

Editing Zones

1. Go to Dashboard, then click Locations
2. Click on your location in the list
3. Scroll to the “Delivery Zones” section
4. Click anywhere on the zone card you want to edit (if you have edit permissions)
5. The edit page opens with the form pre-filled
6. Modify details or redraw the area on the map
7. Click “Update Zone” at the top right to save changes
8. Click “Cancel” to return to the location page without saving

Note:

• Only Owners, Admins, and Managers can edit zones. Other roles won’t see zones as clickable.
• Zone cards show hover effects when you have edit permissions
• The form structure is the same as creating a zone, but with existing data pre-filled

Saving Your Zone

After filling in all the details:

1. Review your settings - check zone name, fees, polygon, and hours
2. Click “Create Zone” (for new zones) or “Update Zone” (for edits) at the top right
3. You’ll be redirected back to the location page
4. Your new zone appears in the delivery zones list

Note: The form validates that you have at least 3 points in your polygon before allowing submission.

Zone Strategy Examples

Distance-Based Pricing

Zone 1: Local (0-2 miles)
- Fee: £2.50
- Minimum: £10.00
- Travel Time: 25 minutes
- Hours: Inherits location hours

Zone 2: Extended Local (2-4 miles)
- Fee: £3.75
- Minimum: £12.50
- Travel Time: 40 minutes
- Hours: Inherits location hours

Zone 3: Outer Area (4-6 miles)
- Fee: £5.00
- Minimum: £15.00
- Travel Time: 60 minutes
- Hours: Custom (stops 1 hour before location closes)

Area-Based Pricing

Zone 1: Premium District
- Fee: £3.00
- Minimum: £15.00
- Travel Time: 30 minutes
- Hours: Custom (peak hours only: 6-9 PM)
- High-value customers

Zone 2: Residential Areas
- Fee: £2.00
- Minimum: £10.00
- Travel Time: 35 minutes
- Hours: Inherits location hours
- Volume customers

Time-Based Zones

Zone 1: Peak Hours Only
- Fee: £4.00
- Minimum: £12.00
- Travel Time: 25 minutes
- Hours: Custom (Weekdays 6-8 PM only)
- Active: Weekdays 6-8 PM

Zone 2: All Hours
- Fee: £2.50
- Minimum: £10.00
- Travel Time: 30 minutes
- Hours: Inherits location hours
- Active: Always

Best Practices

Geographic Planning

• Start small - begin with your most profitable delivery area
• Use real data - analyze past orders to see profitable areas
• Consider delivery time - longer distances need higher fees
• Account for traffic - busy roads can make delivery slower
• Include parking areas - delivery drivers need places to stop

Pricing Strategy

• Cover your costs - factor in fuel, time, packaging
• Match customer expectations - research local competitors
• Use minimum orders wisely - don’t price out regular customers
• Test different fees - monitor conversion rates
• Consider psychology - £2.99 feels cheaper than £3.00
• Set realistic travel times - base on actual delivery experience
• Factor travel time into pricing - longer times may justify higher fees

Zone Management

• Regular reviews - check if zones need adjustment
• Customer feedback - ask about delivery experience
• Driver input - delivery staff know the areas best
• Seasonal changes - weather can affect delivery feasibility
• Update travel times - adjust based on actual delivery performance
• Review operating hours - ensure zones accept orders at appropriate times
• Test custom hours - verify zone hours work as expected

Technical Tips

• Simple shapes - complex polygons are harder to manage
• Test boundaries - verify the drawn areas match reality
• Overlap consideration - decide how overlapping zones work
• Backup plans - have contingencies for busy periods

How Delivery Zones Work

Order Processing

1. Customer enters postcode or shares location
2. System checks if address falls within any active delivery zone
3. Verifies zone is accepting orders (checks operating hours)
4. Shows appropriate fee, minimum order, and estimated delivery time for that zone
5. Applies zone rules during checkout

Zone Priority

If an address falls in multiple zones:

• Smallest zone wins (most specific)
• Or highest priority zone (if configured)
• Check your settings to confirm behavior

Integration with Other Features

• Opening hours can be zone-specific or inherited from location
• Delivery charges can be zone-specific
• Minimum orders can vary by zone
• Delivery travel times are zone-specific and help set customer expectations
• Active status affects all zones for a location
• Tax groups can be applied to delivery fees per zone

Troubleshooting

Zone Not Working

If delivery zones aren’t working:

• Check zone is active - inactive zones are ignored
• Verify polygon - must have at least 3 points (check the status below the map)
• Check operating hours - zone might not be accepting orders at this time
• Verify custom hours - if custom hours are enabled, check they’re set correctly
• Test address - use exact customer address
• Check boundaries - drawn area must include the address
• Verify travel time - ensure it’s set if you want to show estimated delivery times
• Check permissions - ensure you have view/edit permissions for delivery zones

Wrong Fee Showing

If wrong delivery fee appears:

• Check zone overlap - address might be in multiple zones
• Verify zone settings - confirm fee and minimum order
• Test different addresses - verify zone boundaries
• Clear browser cache - sometimes needed for updates
• Check tax group - verify correct tax is applied to delivery fee

Can’t Draw Zones

If map drawing isn’t working:

• Check internet connection - map needs online access to load OpenStreetMap tiles
• Click the blue polygon button - make sure you’re in drawing mode (cursor changes to crosshair)
• Try different browser - some browsers work better with map functionality
• Clear browser cache - can fix map loading issues
• Check polygon status - the status below the map shows if a zone is defined
• Use the red trash button - clear existing polygon before drawing a new one
• Contact support - map functionality may need attention

Performance Issues

If zones are slow:

• Simplify polygons - fewer points load faster
• Reduce zone count - fewer zones = faster processing
• Use larger zones - fewer, bigger zones perform better

Zone Not Accepting Orders

If a zone isn’t accepting orders:

• Check zone is active - inactive zones don’t accept orders
• Check operating hours - zone might be outside its custom hours (if custom hours are enabled)
• Verify custom hours are set correctly - ensure hours are configured properly in the hours editor
• Check if zone inherits location hours - if custom hours are disabled, location might be closed
• Look at zone status badge - “Closed” means zone isn’t accepting orders right now
• Test during different times - verify hours are working as expected
• Check location hours - if zone inherits location hours, location must be open

Advanced Features

Zone Analytics

Track performance by zone:

• Order volume per zone
• Average delivery time by zone (compare to set travel time)
• Customer satisfaction by area
• Profitability analysis
• Operating hours effectiveness - which hours generate most orders

Dynamic Pricing

Future capabilities might include:

• Time-based fees (higher during peak hours)
• Weather-based adjustments (higher during bad weather)
• Demand-based pricing (higher when busy)
• Loyalty discounts (lower fees for regular customers)

Permissions

Delivery zones require specific permissions:

• View Delivery Zones: Required to see the delivery zones section on location pages
• Create Delivery Zones: Required to add new zones (Add Zone button appears if you have this permission)
• Edit Delivery Zones: Required to modify existing zones (zones are clickable if you have this permission)
• Delete Delivery Zones: Required to remove zones (if delete functionality is available)

Note: Only Owners, Admins, and Managers typically have permission to create, edit, or delete delivery zones. Other roles may only be able to view zones. If you don’t see options you expect, check with your account administrator about your permissions.

Need Help?

If you’re having trouble with delivery zones:

• Start simple - begin with one zone around your location
• Use real addresses - test with actual customer postcodes
• Get driver feedback - they know the delivery areas best
• Consider professional mapping - for complex zone requirements
• Check permissions - ensure you have the right permissions for the action you’re trying to perform
• Contact support - for technical drawing or configuration issues

Delivery zones give you precise control over your delivery business - use them to maximize profits while keeping customers happy!