What commissions cost you
Delivery platform commissions: how to work out what you are losing
SmoothEat editorial team
When an order comes through a marketplace, part of the ticket never reaches you. The percentage depends on your contract, the options you chose and sometimes the delivery mode. To know whether the model suits you, price it with your own data, not an average.
The basic formula
The yearly cost of commissions is four numbers multiplied together: orders per month, average basket, commission rate, then twelve months.
Yearly commissions = orders per month × average basket × commission rate × 12.
Worked example, with figures picked for illustration: 300 orders a month, a €24 average basket, a 25% rate. That is 300 × 24 × 0.25 × 12, or €21,600 a year. Replace these values with your own.
Where to find your numbers
- Orders and average basket: the platform's export or dashboard for the last three months.
- Commission rate: your contract and statements. Check whether it changes by mode (delivery or pickup).
- Extra fees: subscription, promotion fees, payment fees. Add them to the cost line.
What the figure does not tell you
Commission is only part of the story. On a marketplace the customer belongs to the platform: you have neither their email nor the chance to send them an offer directly. A site in your own name lets you keep the relationship, follow up with a promo code and build a loyalty programme.
Comparing with a fixed subscription
SmoothEat takes no commission on your orders: you pay a fixed subscription (the Free plan costs nothing, the Pro plan is €19 a month). For online payment, Stripe charges its own payment fees directly to your account. So compare the commissions line of your calculation with the yearly cost of the plan you need.
The calculator on the home page does this maths for you, right in your browser. Adjust the rate to match your contract.
A gradual transition works
You do not have to leave marketplaces overnight. Many owners first open their own site, tell regular customers about it (flyers in the bags, a sign at the till, social media), then watch the share of direct orders grow at their own pace.