Postmates 101: The Essential Guide for Restaurants and C-Stores (2023)

As one of America’s most used online delivery services, Postmates has long dominated the industry and has been a crowd favorite on Deliverect Restaurants. Postmates currently serves more than 600,000 restaurants, retailers, grocery stores (c-stores), and shops within The United States. 

While there may be some confusion surrounding the existence of Postmates after the 2020 Postmates/Uber Eats acquisition, Postmates is still available for use by both restaurant and C-store partners and customers. Both platforms continue to operate independently. In fact, Postmates today has 9.3 million monthly active users who order five million items a month. The merger simply means that all Postmates orders are now fulfilled through the Uber Eats system. Here’s everything you need to know about Postmates in 2023. 

HOW DOES POSTMATES FOR RESTAURANTS AND C-STORES WORK? 

When it comes to the Postmates process, accepting orders at a restaurant or grocery store has never been easier. You can sit back and enjoy adding additional revenue streams to your business. Since signing up to accept orders on Postmates is now essentially the same as signing up for Uber Eats, your business will get twice as much business with the same amount of effort. 

Here is how using Postmates as a restaurant or C-store works: 

1. An app user places an order from your restaurant or store through the Postmates app or website. 

2. Your restaurant or retail business electronically accepts the order from Postmates and starts preparing the order. 

3. Once you have finished preparing your order, a Postmates delivery driver (now Uber Delivery Driver) will pick up the order and deliver it to your customer. 

REGISTERING AND SETUP

Signing up for Postmates is just as straightforward as accepting orders! Because of the recent merger, restaurants, and merchants who look to sign up on Postmates will now be redirected to the Uber Eats for Merchants sign-up page. This sign-up page asks for basic information about your store address and business. 

While the sign-up page is for Uber Eats, your business will still be present on both applications so that you can reach a wide range of customers. Here's a breakdown of how to sign up for Postmates. 

1. Visit https://postmates.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the page. 

2. Click “Add your restaurant.” The website automatically redirects you to the Uber Eats signup page (https://merchants.ubereats.com/tw/en/s/signup/). Although this may seem strange, Uber did acquire Postmates, so both services now share the same signup platform.

3. Fill out the form and make an account for free.

4. Upload your menu. 

5. Access your Restaurant Dashboard and start accepting orders! 

FEES AND PAYMENTS

Similarly to Uber Eats, Postmates charges restaurants and C-stores a commission for each order. The percentage of these orders depends on the plan your restaurant is subscribed to. Here is what the 2023 plans currently look like: 

Lite Plan: Perfect for businesses with an established customer base.

• Delivery Orders: 15% fee

• Pickup: 6% fee

• Visibility is primarily for users searching your restaurant or C-store by name.

Plus Plan: A mid-tier plan to attract new audiences.

• Delivery Orders: 25% fee

• Pickup: 6% fee

• You’ll be featured on the Postmates app's main screen and in search results.

Premium Plan: Tailored for businesses aiming to maximize outreach.

• Delivery Orders: 30% fee

• Pickup: 6% fee

• You’ll get elevated visibility on the app home screen and search results, along with perks like promotional support. With the premium plan, you will have 0% fees if you don't receive at least 25 orders with the platform. Postmates will also match your ad spending for up to $100 a month. 

These plans each fit a different set of needs, so think about what plan will help your business turn the most profit and get started! You can also contact Postmates to request a flat fee. 

As a restaurant or merchant, you will receive payment for your online orders through direct deposit. The direct deposit fee could range from 0.8% to $5 per transaction. 

Download the NEW eBook 4 Top-Tier Tactics: Boost Restaurant Visibility on Delivery Apps.

TIPS TO RANK HIGHER IN THE POSTMATES APP 

Like all delivery platforms, Postmates depends on an algorithm to determine where you should rank on the page. To rank higher and get your restaurant or c-store to the top of the Postmates app, you’ll need to work on metrics like your average delivery time, conversion rate, acceptance rate, and customer review score. 

Here's what you can do to boost your restaurant's presence: 

1. Speed up your delivery time

Postmates rewards businesses with a fast preparation time, reducing the time the delivery driver needs to wait to pick up the order. In turn, this leads to overall shorter delivery times and happier customers. Your restaurant's or c-store’s average delivery time is factored into the rankings, and it will help your business score better with both users and Postmates. 

Increase your conversion rates 

Your business is more likely to be featured when a higher percentage of users who view your menu end up ordering from your restaurant, shop, or C-store. Offering a clear description, realistic and mouth-watering images, and working on other parts of your listing can help increase your conversion rate. An excellent way to see if your restaurant would do well against your competitors is to check their listing. Ensure your photos are up to par and your prices are reasonable compared to other restaurants, retailers, c-stores, or shops in your area and category. Don’t be afraid to trim your delivery menu, keeping only the most profitable and popular dishes that travel well. 

Offer promotions

Offering promotions is an easy way to improve your restaurant’s performance on Postmates. You can create promotions such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ (BOGOF) or ‘Spend $20, save $5’. These promotions will make your listing more appealing to potential customers and also put you higher up on Postmates. 

Get more tips to market your restaurant online to increase revenue and rank higher in third-party delivery platforms.

BENEFITS OF A POSTMATES POS INTEGRATION 

Postmates offers integrations with various point-of-sale (POS) systems, making it easy for restaurants and merchants to streamline their workflow. Restaurant management solutions such as Deliverect Restaurants allow businesses, retailers, and C-stores to funnel online orders directly to their POS system, reducing the manual work and errors typically occurring during this process. The POS integration will also help you manage your menus and inventory effortlessly.  

EXPLORE FRESH HORIZONS THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH POSTMATES

Listing your restaurant or convenience store on Postmates can help your business increase profits while reaching more customers and growing your online presence. You can easily set up your Postmates listing and receive orders as soon as you're ready. While Postmates has a commission fee, many restaurants and C-stores find using an online delivery service worth the price. When pairing an online delivery service such as Postmates with a POS integration system such as Deliverect Restaurants, you can significantly increase your revenue while keeping your business operations simple and streamlined.