The short version
Turn on Shopify local delivery for customers you can reach without a carrier — Shopify says it is free on any Shopify plan — and keep shipping rates for everyone else, because one order can't mix shipping and local delivery.
You draw up to 10 zones per location, by a radius of up to 160 km (100 miles), by default within your state or province and never into another country, or by postal codes, each with its own delivery price and an optional order minimum.
Customers inside a zone see it only when all five checkout conditions hold: among them, every physical item must come from one stocked location, and the buyer must not start checkout with an accelerated checkout other than Shop Pay, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay or PayPal.
You need no app to start; the Shopify Local Delivery app adds route planning for up to 100 stops, according to its App Store listing as of October 15, 2026.
Local Delivery, Shipping or Pickup?
Find your situation in the first column; the sections below are the evidence.
Which delivery method, by where your buyers are
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most buyers live within driving distance of a location that stocks what they order | Local delivery for them, shipping rates for everyone else | Zones by radius (up to 160 km or 100 miles) or postal codes, each with its own price and an optional minimum |
| Buyers are spread far beyond one city or region | Shipping rates; local delivery only as a nearby extra | A radius stops at the state or province line unless you widen it, and never crosses a country border |
| Customers can visit your shop | Pickup in store, next to delivery | Shopify points to pickup in store when you have retail locations customers can visit |
| Carts often mix items you'd ship with items you'd deliver | Shipping for those carts | One order can't split between shipping and local delivery; the customer would place two orders |
| Customers must choose a delivery date or time | Local delivery plus a date or slot app | The Shopify pages we read on October 15, 2026 describe no date or slot choice at checkout; LionWheel's listing adds it at checkout, and Zapiet's lists a date and time picker |
What Shopify Local Delivery Is — and What the App Adds
Key takeaway
Local delivery is one of Shopify's delivery methods for customers who live close to your business. You turn it on for each location you deliver from, then choose where it reaches: Shopify's help page lets you deliver within a set distance from the location or to a list of postal codes. Who drives is up to you — yourself, your staff, or a third-party delivery service.
Price isn't a hurdle either. Shopify's local delivery product page says it is available for free on any Shopify plan, for stores around the world. At checkout the option is named “Local delivery” (translated only in the checkout's Shipping section when your store is available in other languages), and you can't rename it.
Local delivery is the setting in your admin: zones, prices, minimums and the message customers get. Shopify Local Delivery is a separate app on the Shopify App Store that plans routes for your drivers and emails customers status updates. The app reads the orders the setting creates, so the setting comes first; the app is optional.
Local Delivery vs Shipping vs Pickup: Which One When
Key takeaway
Shopify offers three local methods as alternatives to standard shipping for customers close to your business: local delivery, pickup in store and pickup points. Its delivery methods page sums up when each one fits in a single sentence:
You might use local delivery when you want to fulfill orders for nearby customers without shipping carriers, pickup in store when you have retail locations customers can visit, or pickup points when you want to offer convenient collection locations in supported countries.
The choice is rarely either-or. Local delivery only ever reaches the customers inside your zones, so a store that delivers locally still needs shipping rates for everyone outside them. Here is how the four options compare on reach and on mixing:
Local delivery, shipping and the two pickup methods
| Method | Use it when | Where it reaches | In one order with other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local delivery | You want to fulfill orders for nearby customers without shipping carriers | A radius of up to 160 km (100 miles), by default within your state or province and never into another country, or a list of postal codes in the same country | Not with shipping — the customer places two orders; not offered in a checkout with mixed delivery methods |
| Shipping rates | Customers outside your delivery zones, or carts you can't fill from one location | Wherever your shipping rates cover | Not with local delivery in the same order |
| Pickup in store | You have retail locations customers can visit | Customers see pickup locations only in their own country | Ship and pickup in one order exists only as a feature test drive for Shopify Plus and Enterprise organizations |
| Pickup points | You want convenient collection locations, such as post offices or parcel lockers | Available to stores in France, Italy, Spain and the UK, and to eligible stores on the Shopify Plus plan | Not offered in a checkout with mixed delivery methods |
Sources: pickup in store, pickup points and the local delivery and delivery methods pages of the Shopify Help Center, read October 15, 2026.
Pickup in store needs no zone and no driver, which makes it the natural partner to local delivery for a shop with a counter. Whether delivery or pickup actually costs the buyer less than a shipping rate is a pricing question; our shipping rates guide works out when local delivery or pickup is cheaper than a rate.
One order, one delivery method
Key takeaway
Shopify is explicit that customers can't have some items shipped and some locally delivered on the same order; they place two separate orders instead. In practice that turns a mixed cart into a shipping order unless the customer splits it themselves.
The one mixed checkout Shopify has doesn't change that. Its ship and pickup in one order feature is available only as a feature test drive for organizations on the Shopify Plus and Enterprise plans, and pickup points and local delivery aren't supported as options in a checkout with mixed delivery methods.
B2B buyers
B2B customers can't pick local delivery as a delivery method at checkout, and Shopify lists local delivery among the features that aren't compatible with B2B. Shopify does document workarounds, among them a B2B draft order created with local delivery already selected; the FAQ on B2B local delivery and pickup walks through each route and its limits.
Which Customers See Local Delivery at Checkout?
Key takeaway
Switching local delivery on is the first gate. The second sits in every checkout: Shopify shows the option only when the customer meets all five of the conditions its help page lists. Four of them are within your control; one depends on the address the customer types.
When local delivery appears at checkout: all five must hold
| Shopify's condition | What it means for your setup | Your lever |
|---|---|---|
| All physical products in the cart can be delivered from one location | A cart holding items stocked at two different locations loses the option | Stock everything you deliver at the delivery location |
| That location has inventory for the entire order | One item short at that location removes local delivery for the whole cart | Inventory levels at the delivery location |
| Google can verify the customer's delivery address | An address Google can't verify doesn't qualify, whatever zone it sits in | Outside your settings — it turns on the address the customer enters |
| The address is inside your radius and the same state or province, or inside your postal codes and the same country | A radius stops at the state or province line by default; postal codes stop at the country | Zone type, radius size, the postal-code list and Include neighboring states or regions |
| The customer doesn't choose an accelerated checkout other than Shop Pay in the first step | An accelerated checkout other than Shop Pay, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay or PayPal, chosen at that step hides local delivery | Your accelerated checkout settings (next section) |
Conditions as listed on the Shopify Help Center local delivery page, read October 15, 2026; the right-hand columns are our reading of what each one means for a store.
When a customer who expected local delivery sees only shipping — or no option at all — work through the table from the top. If checkout says shipping isn't available at all, the cause sits elsewhere, and our FAQ on the “shipping not available” message gives the order to check things in.
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and PayPal buyers
Key takeaway
The fifth condition is about how the buyer starts paying, not where they live, so it can hide local delivery from a customer who lives next door. Shopify states the rule plainly:
Local delivery works with Shop Pay, but doesn't work with other accelerated checkouts such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, or PayPal.
The rule applies to the method chosen in the first step of checkout. If you rely on local delivery or pickup for most of your business, the same help page says you can temporarily turn accelerated checkouts off. That trades express payment for delivery visibility, so look at how many of your nearby buyers use those buttons before you switch them off.
How to Set Up Local Delivery in Shopify
Key takeaway
Before the first zone, check the location itself: Shopify asks that locations be added to the store with inventory stocked, and that each delivery location can fulfill online orders.
The local delivery setting itself lives here:
- Settings
- Shipping and delivery
- Additional delivery methods
- Local delivery
If you'd rather see the screens first, the walkthrough below by Rihab Seb, an e-commerce coach, sets up local delivery and pickup from its 4:26 chapter. It is one practitioner's 2023 tutorial: the admin may look different today, and every limit on this page comes from Shopify's help pages, not from the video.
Radius or postal codes?
Key takeaway
A radius is the quick option: one number, measured from your location, capped at 160 kilometers or 100 miles. Postal codes take longer to type but follow the map you actually drive. Shopify's guide to local delivery draws the line in two sentences, quoted in the last column:
The two ways to draw a local delivery zone
| Zone type | Limit | Border rule | Prerequisite | Choose it when (Shopify's blog) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radius | Up to 160 km or 100 miles | Same state or province unless you turn on Include neighboring states or regions; never into another country | A location stocked and able to fulfill online orders, plus a verified business location | Travel times are similar in every direction |
| Postal codes | Up to 3,000 characters, codes separated by a comma and a space | Same country as your location | A location stocked and able to fulfill online orders, as for any zone | Distance alone gives an incomplete picture |
Limits from the Shopify Help Center local delivery page; the last column quotes the Shopify blog's local delivery guide. Both read October 15, 2026.
By default a radius stays inside your own state or province. Include neighboring states or regions widens it: Shopify's example is a California store whose radius reaches into Arizona — without the setting, customers in Arizona don't get local delivery. No setting takes a radius into another country.
Zones, delivery prices and order minimums
Key takeaway
A location can hold up to 10 delivery zones. Each zone gets its own delivery price and an optional minimum order price, plus up to 3 additional rules based on order value — a cheaper fee on bigger carts, for example. The final rule has no maximum order value, so it covers every larger order. Shopify's blog adds the use most stores reach for: free delivery once a cart reaches a minimum value.
Shopify's own example shows how minimums and overlaps behave. Three radius zones each require a $20 minimum, so a customer whose order is under $20 isn't eligible for local delivery at all. A customer within 8 km of the store sits inside both zone 2 and zone 3, and pays zone 2's delivery price because it is the lower one. That is the rule behind Shopify's caution on the same page:
Be careful when setting up multiple zones and conditional prices. When a customer is located within multiple zones with multiple conditional prices, the customer is always charged the lowest applicable delivery price.
In practice, nested rings work as intended only if an inner ring is never more expensive than an outer one that also covers it. Draw the zones, then check each overlap against its price rules before customers see them.
The message, instructions and phone number
Key takeaway
Use the Delivery information field for what the customer needs to know next — delivery days, a time window, what happens if nobody is home. Its content displays automatically in order confirmation emails for local delivery orders. At checkout, customers can include delivery instructions and are required to leave a phone number.
Delivering the Orders: Statuses, Notifications and Staff
Key takeaway
Local delivery orders don't go through a carrier, so they follow their own three statuses on Shopify's local delivery fulfillment page:
Two consequences catch stores out. Local delivery orders don't generate carrier tracking events, so the Out for delivery and Delivered notifications a shipped order triggers don't apply. And if you don't mark the order as delivered, no automatic delivery notification reaches the customer — marking it delivered is what sends the email.
You also can't change the fulfillment location of a local delivery order after it's placed, which is one more reason to keep delivered products stocked where they ship from. Each person who prepares items for delivery or marks orders as delivered needs access to your Shopify admin. The number of staff accounts you can add depends on your plan, and Basic includes no additional staff accounts. The store owner and collaborator accounts don't count toward that limit.
Managing local delivery from Shopify POS
At a shop with a counter, staff can run deliveries from Shopify POS: create local delivery orders, manage online ones, prepare them and update their statuses. That is available only for locations on a POS Pro subscription, and only after local delivery is set up in the admin. How delivery, pickup and ship-from-store fit together at a till is covered in our retail guide's omnichannel workflows.
Routes and Drivers: The Shopify Local Delivery App and Alternatives
Key takeaway
You don't need an app to start: zones, prices, minimums, the delivery message and the fulfillment statuses all live in your Shopify admin.
The admin setting decides who can order delivery; it doesn't plan the run. For that, Shopify's Shopify Local Delivery app offers automatic or manual route planning for up to 100 stops, driving directions in each driver's default map app and automated delivery-status emails, according to its listing read on October 15, 2026. It works only once local delivery is set up in your admin.
Four route and delivery apps on the Shopify App Store, October 15, 2026
Shopify's own app for automatic or manual route planning, driving directions in drivers' default map app and automated delivery-status emails to customers.
- Route size
- Up to 100 stops, automatic or manual planning
- Needs
- Local delivery set up in your Shopify admin first
Plans and manages optimized delivery routes, dispatches drivers and keeps customers informed.
- Drivers
- Extra driver seats are sold per seat, per month, on its Standard, Premium and Enterprise plans
One-click route planning for delivery and pickup, and lets customers choose a delivery or pickup time during checkout.
- Checkout
- Customers pick delivery or pickup times
Sets delivery zones, time slots and order limits for delivery and pickup.
- Trial
- Free trial available, per its listing
Source: each app's Shopify App Store listing, read October 15, 2026. A snapshot of what we found, not every app that exists; our descriptions, not the listings' copy. Prices change, so check each listing for its current plans.
If someone else drives, Shopify allows a third-party delivery service, but its help page warns that third-party shipping apps might conflict with Shopify's local delivery method — place a test order after installing one. Courier apps also set their own terms: the Uber Direct listing says that app is available to merchants on the Shopify Plus plan, a condition of Uber Direct rather than of local delivery. The three ways an order can reach a customer are compared in our restaurant guide's section on who drives.
Delivery dates and time slots
Key takeaway
None of the Shopify pages we read on October 15, 2026 — the local delivery setup and fulfillment pages, the delivery methods and pickup in store pages, the POS local delivery page, ship and pickup, and Shopify's blog guide — describes a customer choosing a delivery date or time slot for local delivery at checkout. The Delivery information message can state your delivery days. Shopify's help center also documents a theme code customization that adds a delivery date calendar to your cart, but only on a cart page, not in a cart drawer or pop-up, and not in vintage Shopify themes.
For a date or time slot, apps fill the gap. LionWheel's listing lets customers choose delivery or pickup times during checkout, and Zapiet's sets delivery zones, time slots and order limits, with a Checkout widget listed only on its Professional plan. Choosing between date apps, with their prices and the holiday limits that matter most, is the core of our florist guide's section on letting the customer pick the date.
Set Up Local Delivery in This Order
Key takeaway
Steps one to six are the admin setup and cost nothing. Step seven is a trade-off only you can weigh, and step nine can wait until your daily runs outgrow a paper list.
Shopify Local Delivery Setup ChecklistTick each step off as you move from a stocked location to your first delivered order.
Shopify Local Delivery Setup Checklist
Tick each step off as you move from a stocked location to your first delivered order.
Make sure each location you'll deliver from holds inventory and can fulfill online orders.
Before you tick this off
- The location is added to your store
- It is set to fulfill online orders
- It stocks every product you plan to deliver
A radius zone needs a verified business location, so check its address under Settings > Locations before you draw one.
Before you tick this off
- You've decided between a radius and postal codes
- If radius: the business location is verified
Turn on local delivery under Settings > Shipping and delivery > Additional delivery methods > Local delivery, one location at a time.
Before you tick this off
- Every delivering location is activated
- Locations that don't deliver stay off
Set a radius of up to 160 km (100 miles) or a postal-code list of up to 3,000 characters.
Before you tick this off
- Radius: decided whether customers in a neighboring state or region should qualify
- Postal codes: separated by a comma and a space
- Area matches where your drivers can actually go
Give every zone a delivery price, and if you want them, a minimum order price and up to 3 extra rules by order value, then check for overlaps.
Before you tick this off
- No more than 10 zones on the location
- Overlapping zones checked: the customer always pays the lowest applicable price
- The last rule's open-ended top is intended
Fill in Delivery information so the confirmation email tells customers what happens next.
Before you tick this off
- Message says when and how deliveries run
- You've placed a test order and read the confirmation email
Buyers who start with an accelerated checkout other than Shop Pay, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay or PayPal, won't see local delivery; Shop Pay buyers will.
Before you tick this off
- You know what share of your buyers use those buttons
- If you rely on local delivery or pickup for most of your business, you've weighed turning accelerated checkouts off for a while
Give everyone who prepares or marks deliveries access to your Shopify admin, and make Mark as delivered part of the run.
Before you tick this off
- Each person who prepares or marks orders has admin access
- Drivers know the customer gets an email only after Mark as delivered
Install the Shopify Local Delivery app or a third-party route app once manual runs stop scaling.
Before you tick this off
- Your runs stay within the app's stop limit
- Any third-party shipping app is tested against local delivery at checkout
Does the Move to Shipping Options by Market Change Local Delivery?
Key takeaway
Shopify is moving stores from shipping profiles to shipping options by market. Its developer changelog sets the window: the rollout of market-driven shipping to merchants was scheduled to start on October 1, 2026, and all merchants will be on it by July 1, 2027. The rollout is gradual, so stores aren't all upgraded at the same time, and Shopify's upgrade page says a store's shipping setup is migrated for it, so rates don't need to be recreated.
None of the pages we read on October 15, 2026 — the shipping-options-by-market help pages, the developer feature-preview docs and changelog, and the local delivery page itself — mentions local delivery in the context of the migration, and the local delivery page still sends you to the same Additional delivery methods section. What changes for your shipping rates is covered in our guide to market-driven shipping.
The Bottom Line
Key takeaway
Local delivery is free to switch on and quick to configure. The settings are simple; the limits around them — one location per order, no express buttons except Shop Pay, lowest price wins on overlaps — are what decide whether nearby buyers ever see it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Directs the editorial process behind Ecom Store Pro: sets its topics and the rules every AI-written page must pass before publication.
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