Delivery businesses, caterers, cleaners, tradespeople and home services all get the same question: “Do you cover my area?” A postcode checker answers it instantly on your website. Here is what to look for in a delivery area plugin.
1. Flexible zone rules
Real service areas are rarely a simple list. You need exact postcodes, ranges (83000–83999) and wildcards (13*, SW1*) to describe them without typing hundreds of codes.
2. A message per zone
Different zones often mean different conditions: delivery fee, minimum order, delay or days of service. Each zone should have its own message.
3. Calls to action
A positive answer should lead somewhere: order, book, request a quote. A negative answer should offer an alternative: contact form, pickup, or a way to be notified.
4. Demand insights
Seeing which uncovered postcodes people search most tells you where to expand next. Choose a plugin that gives anonymous statistics without storing personal data.
5. Postcodes or maps?
Map-based plugins with radius or polygon zones are useful for precise delivery, but heavier and often require a paid maps API key. For most small businesses, postcode rules are simpler, faster and free of external services.
6. Design and placement
A compact inline field for headers and product pages, a card style for landing pages, and your accent colour. A shortcode lets you place it anywhere.
Checklist
- Exact codes, ranges, wildcards
- Message per zone
- CTA for covered and not covered
- Anonymous demand stats
- No external API needed
- Shortcode, styles
Who uses a delivery area checker
- Restaurants, pizzerias and grocery stores delivering locally.
- Caterers and event services.
- Cleaning, gardening and home services.
- Plumbers, electricians, HVAC and other trades.
- Laundry, pharmacy and courier services.
See websites for tradesmen and restaurant websites for where to place it.
Test before you decide
- Enter a covered code, an uncovered one and an invalid one.
- Check the messages and buttons for each case.
- Test on a phone with the numeric keyboard.
- Look at the statistics after a few days.
Our option
ZoneCheck supports unlimited zones with exact codes, ranges and wildcards, custom messages, call-to-action buttons and anonymous demand insights. Try the postcode checker demo, and read how to set up a delivery area checker.
Frequently asked questions
Does a postcode checker work outside France?
Yes, as long as the rules match your postcode format (letters, numbers, wildcards).
Can I use it with WooCommerce shipping zones?
A checker answers visitors before they order; your WooCommerce shipping zones still control the checkout.
Do I need Google Maps?
No. Postcode rules work without any external API.