We are excited to announce there is no longer a fixed monthly fee to use Same-Day Delivery! Locally's standard 3.5% transaction fee applies.
With Locally, you can now offer shoppers same or next-day delivery service to local shoppers. We work with Postmates. Postmates operates in over 300 cities in the United States; click here to see if yours is eligible.
How does Same-Day Delivery work?
When a shopper on Locally sees that an item is in stock at your store, in addition to your normal "In Store Pickup" options, they'll also have the option to "Buy Online, Get it Delivered". During checkout, the shopper selects a delivery window, places the order, and awaits your (the store's) confirmation. Once you confirm, a delivery driver shows up at your store during the scheduled delivery window to whisk it away to the shopper!
How does a shopper place an order for same-day delivery?
When a shopper on Locally sees that an item is in stock at your store, they select the "Buy Online, Get it Delivered" option which leads them through the checkout process for delivery.
- The shopper starts by entering their address. Our system shows them the available delivery windows for their location and the cost for each window. If the shopper's address falls outside a delivery zone, they can't place an order for delivery.
- Delivery windows are generated based on where the shopper is located, the time of day, the delivery service you are using, and your store's delivery settings. Delivery windows have a built in lead-time of about an hour out from when the shopper is placing the order. The available windows can extend up to 1-2 days out, so depending on your settings a shopper can schedule a delivery for same-day, next-day, or even the following day.
Once the shopper selects their preferred delivery window, they proceed through checkout. They enter their credit information, add any special notes, and place the order. Just like Buy Online Pick Up In Store, their credit card is not charged until you confirm the order.
How does it work for a store?
Once the shopper places the order, your store is notified via the Buy It Locally notification process that you've configured (email, text, or both). Click the order link to get the customer's information and order details, grab the product(s), and confirm the order.
Once you confirm the order, here's what happens:
- For orders, simply write down the Locally order number and attach it to the package. You can also include the shopper name and destination.
- Locally pings the delivery service and confirms the delivery window. The shopper is informed that the delivery has been confirmed, and a driver is being dispatched at the delivery window.
- When the driver arrives, hand them the product (label on!). The driver marks the order as "picked up" and the shopper is notified their delivery is on the way.
- When the delivery is made, you receive a "Delivery is complete" notification.
During the process, your order screen includes a live map showing the location of the driver and the shopper.
How quickly do I need to respond?
As quickly as you can.
Our "Reserve/Pay Online Pick Up In Store" options have a 4 hour response time window during business hours before the order auto-cancels. Delivery is slightly different: unless you override this via your delivery settings, shoppers throughout much of the morning and early afternoon can request a delivery that might be as soon as an hour out (this is supposed to be fast!). So prepare to respond to orders as soon as possible.
However, if you're unable to respond before the requested delivery window arrives, fear not: Locally's automated process kicks in. The shopper gets an email asking them to select a new, later delivery window. You receive that notice too and are informed when the new delivery window is selected. Remember, you still need to confirm the item to the shopper. Also, as you'll see later on, you can add lead time to buy yourself a bit more cushion on responding if you find it necessary.
How much does delivery cost?
There is no monthly fee to use Same-Day Delivery. On each order, Locally charges a 3.5% transaction fee, and Stripe's payment processing fee is 2.9% +$0.30 per successful credit card charge.
What do the payments look like on the shopper's card statement?
For item: "[store name] (up to 22 characters)".
For the delivery charge: "Delivery From [store name] (up to 22 characters)"
What if the shopper decides to cancel the item? What if we don't have it in stock?
If your store hasn't yet confirmed the item, simply go to the notification link and un-check the "confirm" box. Send a message to the shopper letting them know that their request is canceled - or, if the item is unavailable - let them know and give them options, such as the item in another color. If you've confirmed the item and the shopper requests to cancel the order, you can only cancel before the delivery driver arrives. On the notification link click the "Cancel Delivery" button. You can then refund the shopper the cost of the item. If you refund the item without canceling the delivery, the driver will still come to the store. Note that the delivery provider will still charge for the delivery. If you refund the shopper's delivery cost, the delivery cost will be charged to the card on file for your company.
What if the shopper orders something that is too big to be delivered?
Occasionally, a shopper may order something that will not fit into a Postmates delivery vehicle. To deliver the item yourself, you can accept the order but then select "cancel delivery" once the delivery driver has been dispatched. Or, you can decline the delivery and ask the shopper to re-request the item as a payment for in-store pickup, and let them know it'll be delivered by your store directly, rather than a third party delivery service.
Setting up Same-Day Delivery
First, make sure you're accepting Payments for In-Store Pickup.
To offer same-day delivery, you must be accepting payments for in-store pickup. To get that setup up, follow the instructions here.
Confirm eligibility and set up your Same-Day Delivery settings.
First, load https://postmates.com/delivery-near-me and confirm your city is listed. Be sure to click "VIEW MORE" to see all options.
Then, log in to your Locally dashboard and load your same-day delivery panel. Complete setup for each eligible store and then email support@locally.com to go live.
Running a test delivery
While running a test delivery is not required, you can place a test delivery on your own to experience it first hand. Just remember that you can refund the cost of whatever product you test with, but you can't refund the delivery fee because it'll be a live transaction with a real driver.