Online Ordering for Laundromats: The Complete Setup Guide

Five years ago, online ordering for laundromats was a novelty. Today, it's an expectation — especially for wash and fold customers who are already used to scheduling services online for everything else in their lives.

If you're not offering online ordering at your laundromat, you're missing customers who would prefer to use you but chose a competitor that made scheduling easier.

Why Laundromat Customers Want Online Ordering

The answer is simple: convenience. Wash and fold customers are busy people who value their time. They want to schedule their laundry pickup the same way they schedule everything else — from their phone, at a time that works for them.

The alternative — calling the store, waiting on hold, talking to whoever answers — is friction. And friction drives customers to whoever makes it easier.

Online ordering also expands your customer base beyond your geographic walk-in radius. When customers can schedule a pickup online, they'll come from further away because the convenience justifies the drive.

What a Laundromat Online Ordering System Should Include

Not all online ordering systems are created equal. Here's what a good one looks like for laundromats:

A Branded Customer Portal

Your online ordering page should look like your business — not a generic third-party app. Customers should see your name, your colors (or at least a professional design), and your services.

Gorilla POS gives every laundromat a branded customer portal at a custom URL (order.gorillapos.com/your-store-name). Customers bookmark it, share it, and recognize it as yours.

Service Selection

Customers should be able to select exactly what they're dropping off:

• Standard wash and fold (priced per pound)
• Express wash and fold
• Comforters (priced per item)
• Specialty items
• Special instructions (fragrance-free detergent, cold water only, etc.)

The clearer the options, the fewer questions when they arrive.

Pickup Time Scheduling

Customers choose a drop-off window — Tuesday between 2 PM and 4 PM, for example — so you can plan staffing accordingly. They also select a pickup window so you know when to have the order ready.

This is far better for operations than orders that show up with no notice and need to be done "as soon as possible."

Online Payment

The most convenient experience lets customers pay online when they place the order. No cash, no waiting, no "I don't have exact change" at pickup.

Gorilla POS includes online payment via credit/debit card with the same competitive processing rates as in-store. Customers can also choose to pay at pickup if they prefer.

Automatic SMS Updates

Customers should receive:

• Confirmation when their order is received
• Notification when their order is in progress
• Notification when their order is ready for pickup
• Receipt after pickup

All of this happens automatically with Gorilla POS. No staff action required.

Order Tracking

Customers can check their order status at any time by visiting the portal and entering their order number or phone number. They see exactly where their laundry is in the process.

How Online Orders Integrate with Your POS

This is where integration matters. Online orders that go into a separate system — and then have to be manually transferred to your POS — create work and introduce errors.

With Gorilla POS, online orders appear directly in your queue alongside walk-in orders. Staff handle them exactly the same way. The only difference is that the order details are already entered and payment may already be collected.

Drop-off appointments show in the queue before the customer arrives so staff can prepare. When the customer arrives, staff confirm the order, weigh the laundry if needed (the system calculates the final price if the initial order was an estimate), and get started.

Setting Up Online Ordering: What You Need

Getting online ordering live requires a few things:

Connected payment processing: Online orders need a way to accept card payments. Gorilla POS uses Fiska for payment processing — competitive rates with no hidden fees.

Your service menu: You need to define your services and prices so customers know what they're selecting.

A pickup/dropoff schedule: Define the windows when you accept online orders and when customers can pick up.

Staff training: Your team needs to know how to handle online orders in the queue — which is essentially the same as handling walk-in orders.

Setup typically takes a few hours, not days.

What to Expect in Your First Month

Laundromats that add online ordering typically see:

Slow start, then acceleration: The first few weeks are usually quiet as customers discover the option. By the end of the first month, online orders are usually a consistent and growing channel.

Higher average order value: Online customers tend to drop off more laundry than walk-ins. They've planned ahead and they're not constrained by what they could carry.

More repeat business: Customers who order online are more likely to come back. The convenience becomes a habit.

New customers: Some customers will find you specifically because you offer online scheduling. This is new revenue you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Marketing Your Online Ordering

Getting the word out matters. Once your portal is live:

Add the link to your Google Business profile: This is free and reaches customers actively searching for laundromats near them.

Post signage in your store: Regular customers don't know about online ordering unless you tell them.

Send an SMS to existing customers: If you have customer phone numbers, send a quick message letting them know you now offer online scheduling.

Add it to your social media: A simple post explaining how it works can drive traffic.

Curbside Pickup: The Premium Online Ordering Option

For customers who want maximum convenience, curbside pickup lets them stay in their car. They schedule their drop-off, you pick up the laundry from their car. When it's done, they schedule pickup and you bring it back to their car.

Gorilla POS includes curbside spot management — numbered spots in your parking lot that customers can select when they arrive. Staff see the spot number and can bring the order directly to them.

This premium service option can command a higher price and builds the kind of loyalty that's hard to put a number on.

See how Gorilla POS online ordering works. Book a free demo at gorillapos.com/demo