Articles on: Local Delivery

Local Delivery: Radius Distance Validation

Configure local delivery based on a radial distance (kilometers/miles) from your store location. This effectively draws a circle around your store usage Google Maps, allowing any address inside that circle to be eligible for delivery.



Table of Contents




When to Use Radius Validation


  • Regions without Postal Codes: Countries or cities (e.g., UAE, Hong Kong) where street addresses are used but zip codes are not granular or used at all.
  • Simple Distance Rules: "We deliver to anyone within 5km."
  • Avoids Complex Lists: No need to maintain a list of 500 postal codes.



Prerequisites


You need a Google Maps API key to enable address-based location assignment:


  1. Get API Key: Go to Google Cloud Console.
  2. Enable APIs: Enable the Geocoding API, Maps JavaScript API, and Places API for your project.
  3. Billing: Set up billing for your Google Cloud project (required for API usage).
  4. Create Key: Create an API key in the Credentials section.


For detailed setup instructions, follow Google's official documentation.



Configuration Steps


1. Enable Multi-Location Schedule


Most users will see "Configure Locations" in Bird Settings. This is the default and recommended approach where you configure each location individually.


If you don't see "Configure Locations" and instead see "Pickup & Delivery" in Bird Settings, you're using the legacy "I have same schedule for all store locations" mode. You must switch to multi-location schedule to use radius based validation.


  1. Go to Bird Settings.
  2. Select "I have different schedule for different store locations".


Shows the Bird App Settings page with the multi-location schedule option highlighted


2. Configure Radius-Based Validation


  1. Navigate to Bird Settings > Delivery.
  2. Scroll to "Radius-based validation (Google Maps)".
  3. Click the radio button to enable radius-based validation.


Displays the radius-based validation section with the radio button highlighted to show users exactly where to click




  1. Enter your Google Maps API Key.
  2. Click Validate & Save.


Shows the completed radius-based validation configuration with the API key field filled


3. Set Up Store Locations


  1. Go to Bird App Settings > Configure Locations.
  2. Create or duplicate locations for different delivery zones (e.g., "Main Store", "Downtown Zone").


Demonstrates the Configure Locations page with multiple store locations set up for different delivery zones


4. Configure Radius for Each Location


  1. Select a location and enable Local Delivery.
  2. Click "Edit Settings" in the Local Delivery section.
  3. Scroll to "Local delivery radius".
  4. Set the radius for each location:


Location

Radius

Main Store Location

5km

Downtown Zone

10km

Extended Zone

15km


Shows the location settings page with the local delivery radius configuration, specifically highlighting the 5km radius setting for the Main store location



How Radius-Based Validation Works

  1. Customer types their address in delivery widget
  2. Google Maps provides address suggestions as they type
  3. Customer selects their address from dropdown
  4. Bird App calculates distance to each store location
  5. App assigns customer to nearest location within radius
  6. App applies that location's rates and delivery schedules

Shows the customer-facing delivery widget with Google Maps address autofill functionality and dropdown suggestions for address selection

Important behavior

  • Bird selects location with smallest radius if multiple locations overlap.
  • Each location's delivery rate applies to all addresses within that location's radius.
  • Customers select delivery date and time from that location's schedule.

Customer selecting delivery date and time from the assigned location's schedule with successful location validation



Update Input Field Labels and Validation Messages


Update the labels and validation messages for radius-based delivery zones to ensure customers enter a full address:


  1. Navigate to Bird App Settings > Text and Languages
  2. Click Edit on the language you want to modify
  3. Update the following elements:


  • Pin codes header: Change to "Enter your address to check if you are eligible for local delivery"
  • Pin codes label: Change to "Enter your address"
  • Pin codes success: Update to reflect address validation instead of postal code (optional)
  • Pin codes error: Update error message to reflect address validation instead of postal code (optional)



Test Your Configuration


Verify radius-based delivery works correctly:


  1. Test with addresses at various distances from store locations
  2. Verify Google Maps address autofill functionality
  3. Confirm correct location assignment
  4. Check proper rate application
  5. Test addresses that are outside all delivery radii
  6. Verify updated labels and validation messages display correctly


Shows the checkout page with prefilled selected location and radius-based delivery rate displayed correctly for the customer



Common Questions


Is this driving distance?

No. Radius validation typically uses direct distance.


Why do I see a error or why do the locations don't show up in frontend?

Ensure your API Key is valid and has "Geocoding API" enabled in the Google Cloud Console.




Updated on: 01/18/2026

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