Delivery Zones

Overview

Delivery Zones define geographic areas where you offer delivery service. Each zone can have its own delivery fee, minimum order amount, and estimated delivery time.

Key Purpose: Control where you deliver and set zone-specific pricing.

Purpose

This page lets you create and manage delivery zones that define which geographic areas your location delivers to, along with zone-specific fees, minimums, and estimated delivery times.

Key Concepts

Delivery Zone: A named area defined by a list of postal codes, with its own delivery fee, minimum order amount, estimated delivery time, enabled state, and sort order.
Postal Code Matching: When a customer enters a delivery address, the system extracts the postal code and checks it against all enabled zones in sort order; the first match determines the zone's settings.
Zone Priority (Sort Order): If a postal code appears in multiple zones, the zone with the lowest sort order wins. This allows overlapping zones with different pricing tiers.
Zone-Level Minimum: Each zone can have its own minimum order amount that overrides the global minimum set in online ordering settings.
Estimated Delivery Time: A per-zone estimate (in minutes) that is added to the location's preparation time to calculate the total delivery time shown to customers.

Actions

Create Delivery Zone

Add a new zone with a name, list of postal codes, delivery fee, minimum order amount, and estimated delivery time. The zone is enabled by default and assigned a sort order.

Edit Delivery Zone

Update any zone field including postal codes, fees, minimums, or estimated time. Changes take effect immediately for new orders.

Enable / Disable Zone

Toggle a zone on or off without deleting it. Disabled zones are skipped during postal code matching, so their postal codes are treated as undeliverable.

Location

Backoffice Route: /pickup-and-delivery/delivery-zones
Backend Controller: app/Http/Controllers/Api/BackOffice/DeliveryZoneController.php
Vue Component: src/views/pickup-and-delivery/online-ordering/forms/DeliverySettings.vue

Fields

Zone Name

Property	Value
Field ID	`name`
Label	Zone Name
Type	Text
Required	Yes
Validation	max: 100 characters

Description: Internal name for the delivery zone. Not shown to customers.

Examples:

"City Center"
"Suburbs - North"
"Industrial Area"
"Zone 1 - 0-3km"

Postal Codes

Property	Value
Field ID	`postal_codes`
Label	Postal Codes
Type	Array of strings
Required	Yes
Validation	At least one postal code

Description: List of postal codes included in this zone. Customer's delivery address postal code is matched against these.

Business Logic:

Exact match required
Customer enters address → System extracts postal code → Matches to zone
If postal code in multiple zones, first match wins (by zone order)
If no match, delivery unavailable

Format Examples:

Netherlands: "1012", "1013", "1014"
Belgium: "1000", "1050", "1060"
Germany: "10115", "10117"

Customer Impact:

Online Ordering: Customer enters address → If postal code matches zone → Delivery available with zone's fee
No Match: "Sorry, we don't deliver to your area"

Delivery Fee

Property	Value
Field ID	`delivery_fee`
Label	Delivery Fee
Type	Currency
Default	0
Required	No
Validation	min: 0

Description: Fee charged for deliveries to this zone. Added to order total at checkout.

Business Logic:

Added to subtotal at checkout
Shown separately on receipt
Can be €0 for free delivery zones

Customer Impact:

Online Ordering: "Delivery fee: €X.XX" shown at checkout
Order Confirmation: Fee itemized on receipt

Examples:

Zone 1 (0-3km): €2.50
Zone 2 (3-5km): €4.00
Zone 3 (5-10km): €6.50

Minimum Order Amount

Property	Value
Field ID	`minimum_order_amount`
Label	Minimum Order
Type	Currency
Default	0
Required	No
Validation	min: 0

Description: Minimum order value required for delivery to this zone. Overrides the global minimum order setting.

Business Logic:

Checked at checkout
If order subtotal < zone minimum → Error shown
Zone minimum takes precedence over global minimum

Customer Impact:

Online Ordering: "Minimum order for delivery to your area is €X.XX"
Cart: "Add €Y.YY more for delivery"

Examples:

Close zones: €10 minimum
Far zones: €25 minimum (worth the trip)

Estimated Delivery Time

Property	Value
Field ID	`estimated_time`
Label	Estimated Delivery Time
Type	Number
Unit	Minutes
Default	30
Required	No
Validation	min: 0

Description: Estimated time for delivery to this zone. Added to preparation time for total delivery estimate.

Business Logic:

Total delivery time = Prep time + Zone estimated time
Shown to customer as estimate
Does not affect capacity calculations

Customer Impact:

Online Ordering: "Estimated delivery: X-Y minutes"
Order Confirmation: Estimated arrival time shown

Examples:

Zone 1 (nearby): 15 minutes
Zone 2 (medium): 25 minutes
Zone 3 (far): 40 minutes

Zone Enabled

Property	Value
Field ID	`enabled`
Label	Zone Active
Type	Toggle
Default	true
Required	No

Description: Enable or disable this delivery zone without deleting it.

Customer Impact:

Disabled: Postal codes in this zone treated as "no delivery available"
Enabled: Normal delivery available

Use Cases:

Temporarily disable far zones during busy periods
Seasonal zone adjustments
Testing new zones

Sort Order

Property	Value
Field ID	`sort_order`
Label	Sort Order
Type	Number
Default	0
Required	No

Description: Order in which zones are checked for postal code matching. Lower numbers checked first.

Business Logic:

If postal code exists in multiple zones, first match (lowest sort order) wins
Useful for overlapping zones with different pricing

Business Logic

Zone Matching Algorithm

Customer enters delivery address
        │
        ▼
Extract postal code from address
        │
        ▼
For each zone (sorted by sort_order):
    │
    ├── Is zone enabled? No → Skip
    │
    ├── Is postal code in zone? No → Next zone
    │
    └── Match found!
            │
            ▼
        Return zone settings:
        - Delivery fee
        - Minimum order
        - Estimated time
        │
        ▼
No match found → "Delivery not available"

Delivery Time Calculation

Preparation Time (from Online Ordering settings)
    +
Zone Estimated Time
    =
Total Estimated Delivery Time

Example:
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Zone time: 25 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
- If ordered at 12:00, estimated delivery: 12:45

Free Delivery Threshold

Some merchants offer free delivery above a certain order value:

If order subtotal >= Free Delivery Threshold:
    Delivery fee = €0
Else:
    Delivery fee = Zone delivery fee

Note: This is configured in Online Ordering settings,
not per-zone. Zone fee is the base fee before threshold.

Customer Impact

Online Ordering Flow

Customer selects "Delivery"
Customer enters delivery address
System extracts postal code
System matches to zone
If match:
- Show delivery fee
- Show minimum order (if any)
- Show estimated time
If no match:
- Show "Delivery not available to your area"
- Suggest pickup instead

What Customer Sees

Scenario	Customer Message
In zone, meets minimum	"Delivery fee: €X.XX"
In zone, below minimum	"Minimum order €X.XX for delivery"
Not in any zone	"Sorry, we don't deliver to your area"
Zone disabled	Same as "not in any zone"

Relations

Depends On

Locations: Zones are per-location
Online Ordering: Must be enabled with delivery

Affects

Online Ordering: Determines delivery availability
Checkout: Adds delivery fee to total
Order Confirmation: Shows delivery estimate

Business Rules

Postal code matching requires an exact match; partial matches or wildcard patterns are not supported.
Zones are checked in sort order (lowest first); if a postal code appears in multiple zones, the first enabled match wins and its fee, minimum, and estimated time are applied.
A zone's minimum order amount overrides the global minimum order amount configured in the online ordering settings.
Disabled zones are completely skipped during matching; their postal codes are treated as if they do not exist, so customers in those areas see "delivery not available."
The total estimated delivery time shown to customers is calculated as: location preparation time + zone estimated delivery time.

FAQs

Can the same postal code be in multiple zones? Yes, but only the first matching zone (by sort order) is used. This can be useful for tiered pricing where you want a "premium" zone checked before a "standard" zone.
What format should postal codes be in? Postal codes must match exactly as entered by the customer. Use the format standard for your country (e.g., "1012" for Netherlands, "10115" for Germany).
Does disabling a zone delete it? No. Disabling a zone preserves all its settings. You can re-enable it at any time and all postal codes, fees, and settings will be restored.
Can I offer free delivery for a specific zone? Yes. Set the delivery fee to 0 for that zone. You can also use the free delivery threshold in online ordering settings to waive fees above a certain order amount.
How do I handle peak hours when I cannot deliver far? Disable the far-distance zones during busy periods and re-enable them when capacity allows. This is a manual toggle per zone.

Troubleshooting

Problem: "Delivery not available to your area"

Causes:

Postal code not in any zone
Zone containing postal code is disabled
Delivery disabled globally

Solutions:

Add postal code to appropriate zone
Enable the zone
Enable delivery in Online Ordering settings

Diagnostic Steps:

Get customer's postal code
Check each zone's postal code list
Verify zone is enabled
Verify delivery is enabled globally

Problem: Wrong delivery fee showing

Causes:

Postal code in wrong zone
Multiple zones contain same postal code (first match wins)
Free delivery threshold applying

Solutions:

Move postal code to correct zone
Adjust zone sort order
Check free delivery threshold settings

Problem: Delivery time estimate seems wrong

Causes:

Zone estimated time incorrect
Preparation time too high/low
Delivery delay setting in Online Ordering

Solutions:

Adjust zone's estimated time
Review preparation time setting
Check delivery delay setting

Examples

Small City Restaurant

json

{
  "zones": [
    {
      "name": "City Center",
      "postal_codes": ["1000", "1010", "1020"],
      "delivery_fee": 2.50,
      "minimum_order_amount": 15,
      "estimated_time": 20,
      "enabled": true,
      "sort_order": 1
    },
    {
      "name": "Suburbs",
      "postal_codes": ["1100", "1110", "1120", "1200", "1210"],
      "delivery_fee": 4.50,
      "minimum_order_amount": 25,
      "estimated_time": 35,
      "enabled": true,
      "sort_order": 2
    }
  ]
}

Large City with Many Zones

json

{
  "zones": [
    {
      "name": "Zone A - Walking Distance",
      "postal_codes": ["10001", "10002", "10003"],
      "delivery_fee": 0,
      "minimum_order_amount": 10,
      "estimated_time": 15,
      "sort_order": 1
    },
    {
      "name": "Zone B - 0-2km",
      "postal_codes": ["10004", "10005", "10006", "10007"],
      "delivery_fee": 2.00,
      "minimum_order_amount": 15,
      "estimated_time": 20,
      "sort_order": 2
    },
    {
      "name": "Zone C - 2-5km",
      "postal_codes": ["10010", "10011", "10012", "10013", "10014", "10015"],
      "delivery_fee": 4.00,
      "minimum_order_amount": 20,
      "estimated_time": 30,
      "sort_order": 3
    },
    {
      "name": "Zone D - 5-10km",
      "postal_codes": ["10020", "10021", "10022", "10023", "10024", "10025", "10026", "10027", "10028", "10029"],
      "delivery_fee": 6.00,
      "minimum_order_amount": 30,
      "estimated_time": 45,
      "sort_order": 4
    }
  ]
}

Peak Hours Zone Restriction

Disable far zones during busy periods:

json

{
  "zones": [
    {
      "name": "Close - Always Available",
      "postal_codes": ["1000", "1001", "1002"],
      "delivery_fee": 2.50,
      "enabled": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Far - Off-Peak Only",
      "postal_codes": ["2000", "2001", "2002"],
      "delivery_fee": 5.00,
      "enabled": false  // Disable during lunch/dinner rush
    }
  ]
}

Merchant manually toggles "Far" zone based on kitchen capacity.

Delivery Zones ​

Overview ​

Purpose ​

Key Concepts ​

Actions ​

Create Delivery Zone ​

Edit Delivery Zone ​

Enable / Disable Zone ​

Location ​

Fields ​

Zone Name ​

Postal Codes ​

Delivery Fee ​

Minimum Order Amount ​

Estimated Delivery Time ​

Zone Enabled ​

Sort Order ​

Business Logic ​

Zone Matching Algorithm ​

Delivery Time Calculation ​

Free Delivery Threshold ​

Customer Impact ​

Online Ordering Flow ​

What Customer Sees ​

Relations ​

Depends On ​

Affects ​

Related Features ​

Business Rules ​

FAQs ​

Troubleshooting ​

Problem: "Delivery not available to your area" ​

Problem: Wrong delivery fee showing ​

Problem: Delivery time estimate seems wrong ​

Examples ​

Small City Restaurant ​

Large City with Many Zones ​

Peak Hours Zone Restriction ​

Delivery Zones

Overview

Purpose

Key Concepts

Actions

Create Delivery Zone

Edit Delivery Zone

Enable / Disable Zone

Location

Fields

Zone Name

Postal Codes

Delivery Fee

Minimum Order Amount

Estimated Delivery Time

Zone Enabled

Sort Order

Business Logic

Zone Matching Algorithm

Delivery Time Calculation

Free Delivery Threshold

Customer Impact

Online Ordering Flow

What Customer Sees

Relations

Depends On

Affects

Related Features

Business Rules

FAQs

Troubleshooting

Problem: "Delivery not available to your area"

Problem: Wrong delivery fee showing

Problem: Delivery time estimate seems wrong

Examples

Small City Restaurant

Large City with Many Zones

Peak Hours Zone Restriction