Guides · · 7 min read ·
Example: how much a pizzeria with 400 orders a month saves with direct orders
An example with hypothetical numbers: a pizzeria with 400 delivery orders a month moves part of its customers from marketplaces to direct orders. Here is the method and the math, line by line.
Sigital Team
This is an example with hypothetical numbers, not the case of a real customer. It shows the method and works through the math line by line: swap in the numbers from your own venue.
Picture a neighborhood pizzeria that did what almost everyone does: joined the delivery marketplaces, set up a Facebook page, and focused on what it does best — cooking.
The pizzas are good and so are the reviews. But after a couple of years something isn't adding up: revenue is growing, margins aren't. The reason is simple: there are middlemen between the pizzeria and its customers, and they keep a share of every order.
Let's see what happens to the numbers when part of those orders moves to a direct channel.
The Example Pizzeria
A pizzeria in a mid-sized city, with dine-in and takeaway. Delivery and takeaway make up a significant share of revenue.
| Profile (hypothetical) | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Pizzeria, dine-in + takeaway |
| Monthly delivery orders | ~400 |
| Average order value | €26 |
| Delivery channels | Glovo and Deliveroo |
| Assumed average commission | 28% |
Actual commissions depend on the platform and the contract: for your own math, use the rate on your invoices.
The Starting Point
With these numbers, the pizzeria's delivery business looks like this:
- 400 delivery orders a month averaging €26 per order
- €10,400 a month in gross delivery revenue
- 28% average commission paid to marketplaces
- €2,912 a month kept by the platforms
- No contact details for delivery customers: no emails, no order history
Beyond the cost, there are three typical problems:
Problem 1: regulars order through the marketplace. People who order every week keep doing it through the platform's app, and the pizzeria pays full commission on each of those orders, even though the customer already knows it.
Problem 2: promotions eat into margins. Staying visible on marketplaces often takes discounts, free delivery or sponsored listings. Each of these has a cost.
Problem 3: no customer data. After two years of delivery, the pizzeria has served thousands of people but can't get back in touch with any of them.
Commissions Over a Year
At 28% commission on €10,400 a month, the example pizzeria pays about €35,000 a year to delivery platforms.
The Method
Moving to direct orders rests on two things: an ordering channel of your own and the consistency to promote it.
1. An Ordering Page Under Your Own Brand
With Sigital the pizzeria gets a page under its own brand (for example yourvenue.sigital.io), linked from its website, social profiles and Google profile. To activate it, you message on WhatsApp and send the menu (photos, PDF or a Glovo/Just Eat link): the assistant imports products, prices and categories.
The page works well on smartphones, where most orders come from, and includes:
- Full menu with photos, ingredients and allergens
- Pickup and delivery orders, with day and time slot
- Online payment with Stripe or payment on delivery
- Order confirmations by email and WhatsApp
- Instant notification of new orders in the dashboard, on a tablet or phone
2. Customer Database and Marketing
Every direct order goes into the venue's customer database: name, contact details, order history and marketing consent. From Premium, the pizzeria can also run discounts, promo codes and a points-based loyalty program.
The Business plan adds automated flows and email and WhatsApp campaigns, sent only to customers who gave consent:
- Welcome message for first-time customers
- "We miss you" for customers who haven't ordered in 30 days
- Birthday wishes with an offer
- Campaigns for new dishes or weekly specials
3. The Conversion Strategy
Technology is only half the job. The other half is moving existing customers to the direct channel, with small actions repeated every day:
- A flyer or QR code in the bag of every order: "Order direct on our website — 10% off your first order". Before doing this in marketplace orders, check your contract with the platform: some terms restrict contacting customers outside the platform.
- Social media posts reminding followers of direct ordering every week
- Google Business Profile updated by the owner with the direct ordering link
- Table cards for dine-in customers
- QR codes on takeaway packaging linking to the ordering page
The Example Numbers
Let's assume that, after a few months of consistent promotion, the pizzeria has moved part of its regulars to the direct channel. The total number of orders stays the same: only where they come from changes.
| Metric (hypothetical) | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total delivery orders/month | 400 | 400 | — |
| Direct orders/month | 0 | 150 | — |
| Marketplace orders/month | 400 | 250 | -37.5% |
| Average commission across all orders | 28% | 17.5%* | — |
| Monthly marketplace commissions | €2,912 | €1,820 | -€1,092/mo |
*Blended rate across direct orders (0% platform commission) and remaining marketplace orders (28%)
Conservative Assumptions
In the example, the average order value stays at €26 on direct orders too, and total orders don't grow. If direct orders at your venue have a higher average value or bring in new customers, the result improves; if conversion is slower, it gets worse.
The Annual Math
Before:
- Delivery revenue: €124,800
- Marketplace commissions: -€34,944
- Net delivery revenue: €89,856
After (Sigital Premium):
- Delivery revenue: €124,800
- Marketplace commissions: -€21,840 (only on the remaining 250 marketplace orders)
- Sigital Premium fee: -€720 (€60 a month)
- Stripe fees on the 150 direct orders, if all paid online: about -€1,200 (estimate)
- 10% discount on the first direct order (about 30 new customers a month): about -€900
- Printing flyers and QR codes: about -€300
- Net delivery revenue: about €99,840
Annual difference: about +€10,000 in net delivery revenue.
If the pizzeria also wants automated flows and email/WhatsApp campaigns, the plan is Business at €99 a month (€1,188 a year): the difference drops to about +€9,500. The example doesn't include the cost of doing your own deliveries: it depends on your model (a driver already on staff, a local courier, a delivery fee paid by the customer) and should be subtracted if it's new.
Beyond the Numbers
The switch also brings benefits that don't fit in a table:
Your brand stays yours. Customers associate the order with the pizzeria, not the platform: your packaging, your page, your communications.
You can talk to your customers. With a database that grows order by order, you can announce a new dish to customers who gave consent, without paying for ads.
You depend less on the algorithm. Direct orders don't depend on your ranking in a marketplace's search results or on competitors' promotions.
Key Takeaways
The example highlights a few principles that apply to any venue:
-
Marketplace dependency is expensive — not just in commissions, but in customers and data that don't stay with you.
-
Regulars are the first to move. They already know you: make the direct channel easy to find and offer a small incentive.
-
Do the math with every line item. The fee, Stripe's fees, discounts and printing reduce the gross savings: better to know that up front.
-
You don't have to quit marketplaces. They can stay a discovery channel for new customers while your regulars order from you.
-
Customer data is an asset that grows over time. Every customer who orders direct is a future order with no platform commission.
Every Month Counts
Every month you wait is another month of paying full commissions on orders that could come through your direct channel.
Could This Work for Your Venue?
The reasoning in the example applies to many venues. Run the numbers if yours:
- Pays 25%+ commission on delivery orders
- Has regular customers ordering through marketplaces
- Lacks a customer database
- Wants more control over the delivery experience
Results vary from venue to venue and depend mostly on execution: a flyer in every bag, a QR code on the packaging, and the consistency to promote your own channel every week.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Sigital cost to receive direct orders?
- Online ordering is included from Premium, €60 per month per venue; Business costs €99 per month per venue. 0% platform commission: Stripe's fees still apply to online payments.
- Can I stay on Glovo or Just Eat while I move to direct orders?
- Yes. Keep the marketplaces for discovery and gradually bring your regulars to your direct channel, for example with a QR code in the bag.
- Does Sigital send automatic messages to customers?
- Yes, on the Business plan: flows such as welcome, birthday or "we miss you" by email or WhatsApp, only to customers who gave consent. Any Meta WhatsApp costs are separate.
- How do I try Sigital?
- Message +39 344 607 1620 on WhatsApp and send your menu (photos, PDF or a Glovo/Just Eat link). You get 14 days of Business free, no credit card needed.