To build a sustainable business, marketplace owners need granular control over how and when additional costs are passed on to the final customer.
The Customer Fee feature on Ordering is designed specifically for this purpose. Whether you’re covering higher operational costs for cash transactions or implementing seasonal surcharges, this tool gives you the surgical precision needed to protect your bottom line without compromising user experience.
Why Marketplaces Use Extra Customer Fees
For a marketplace, an extra fee isn't just a charge—it's a strategic lever. Here are the most common ways our partners use this feature:
Operational Offsetting: Charging a small fee for Cash on Delivery orders to cover manual handling and logistics risks.
Platform Convenience: A small flat fee per order that goes directly toward maintaining the marketplace infrastructure.
Service-Specific Surcharges: Applying fees only to Delivery orders while keeping Pickup fee-free to encourage certain customer behaviors.
Peak Demand Management: Using date-limited fees during holidays or high-traffic events to manage delivery fleet capacity.
How It Works: A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting up a fee takes less than a minute, but the impact on your revenue is immediate. Here is how to implement it within your dashboard:
1. Access the Tax & Fees Section
Navigate to your Stores list and select the brand you want to manage. From the store profile, scroll down the side menu to Payment Methods and select the Tax & Fees tab on the right side of the screen.
2. Define the Fee Logic
Click the blue Add New button to open the Add Customer Fee configuration modal. This is where you define the "Who, What, and When":
Name: Give it a clear name that the customer will see (e.g., Service Convenience Fee).
Fixed vs. Percentage: Choose between a flat amount (e.g., $3.00) or a percentage of the total order.
Fixed Minimum: If using a percentage, you can set a minimum floor to ensure low-value orders still cover your basic processing costs.
3. Target the Final Customer
This is where Ordering stands out. You don’t have to apply fees globally; you can trigger them based on specific customer choices:
Delivery Type: Limit the fee to only Delivery or Pickup.
Payment Method: Apply the fee only when a customer chooses a specific method, such as Cash.
Site (Platform): Specify if the fee only triggers on your Marketplace Website, App, or Kiosk.
4. Schedule and Activate
Use the Limit by date range toggle to automate your logistics. By setting a start and end date, the fee will automatically appear and disappear from the checkout page, saving you the hassle of manual updates.
Pro-Tips for Marketplace Success
Be Transparent: Use the Name field to clearly communicate the fee's purpose to the final customer at checkout. Transparency reduces cart abandonment.
Test and Learn: Start with a small fixed fee on specific payment methods (like Cash) to see how it affects your conversion rates before rolling it out across all platforms.
Protect Your Margins: Always use the Fixed Minimum when setting percentage fees. It ensures that even small orders remain profitable for your marketplace.
With Ordering, you have the power to model your marketplace's economics exactly how you see fit. By mastering Customer Fees, you move beyond simple sales—you move toward true operational excellence.