What is Relay Orders?
Relay Orders is an order routing platform that connects a brand's website directly to their retailer network. When a customer places an order on the brand's website, with a click of a button, Relay Orders broadcasts it to every reseller in their network simultaneously. The first reseller to confirm they have stock claims the order and fulfils it from their own inventory. The brand captures the sale, the customer and the data. The reseller gets a sale they didn't have to generate.
Does Relay Orders conflict with our existing online shop?
Relay Orders is built for brands who don't yet sell direct online, or who want to grow their DTC channel without damaging their retailer relationships. If you already have a successful DTC operation, Relay Orders may not be the right fit — and we'll tell you that honestly. For brands without direct ecommerce, Relay Orders is the bridge that lets you capture online demand without competing with your retailers.
What happens if a customer places an order and no reseller claims it?
If no reseller claims the order within a set time window, the brand is notified immediately and can choose to fulfil it directly or contact the customer. This fallback is built into the platform. In practice, resellers are incentivised to respond quickly — the faster they claim, the more orders they win.
Does Relay Orders affect the customer experience?
No — and this is important. The customer never sees the claiming process. They place an order on the brand's website at the brand's price, just as they would with any normal ecommerce transaction. The routing to a reseller happens invisibly behind the scenes. The customer simply receives their order.
How is Relay Orders different from eBay or Amazon B2B?
Completely different. On Amazon or eBay, the customer shops on a marketplace — the brand loses the customer relationship, the data, and often control of pricing. With Relay Orders, the customer shops on the brand's own website, at the brand's price, in the brand's environment. The brand retains the customer, the data and the relationship. Resellers fulfil but never own the customer.
Who sets the price — the brand or the reseller?
The brand sets the price. Always. Resellers fulfil at the brand's retail price — they have no visibility of what other resellers are charging and no ability to change the price. There is no price competition between resellers on Relay Orders.
Does Relay Orders hold stock or orders?
No. Relay Orders holds nothing. It is purely a routing and broadcasting platform. Stock sits with the brand and their resellers. Orders are placed on the brand's website and routed through Relay Orders to the appropriate reseller. Nothing is stored or warehoused by Relay Orders.
Do customers have to sign up or create an account?
No. From the customer's perspective they are simply shopping on the brand's website as normal. No additional sign up, no awareness of Relay Orders, no extra steps. The experience is identical to any standard ecommerce purchase.
Could Relay Orders be seen as a threat to our retailers?
We understand why brands worry about this — and it's the right question to ask. The answer depends entirely on how it's positioned. Relay Orders gives retailers sales they didn't have to generate, funded by the brand's marketing spend. Rather than competing with retailers, the brand's ecommerce activity becomes a direct revenue source for them. Retailers who understand the model typically see it as an opportunity, not a threat.
How does pricing work?
Relay Orders charges a 1% transaction fee on all orders routed through the platform. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no hidden charges. You only pay when Relay Orders is actively generating fulfilled orders. For founding brands joining now, the platform is available free for six months.
Do resellers have to sign up?
Yes — resellers register on the Relay Orders platform via a simple onboarding process. Once registered they receive real time notifications when orders are available to claim and access a lightweight dashboard to manage their fulfilment activity. The barrier to entry is deliberately minimal.
What ecommerce platforms does Relay Orders integrate with?
Relay Orders currently integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce — the three platforms powering the majority of UK brand ecommerce. A Shopify App Store listing is in development. If you're on a different platform, get in touch and we'll discuss options.
When would pricing be discussed with resellers?
Pricing is not visible to resellers. They see the order details — product, quantity, delivery address — but not the retail price paid by the customer. The brand retains full pricing control and visibility throughout.
Is Relay Orders right for my business?
The brands that benefit most from Relay Orders are wholesale-first businesses with an established retailer network, limited or no existing DTC ecommerce, and a genuine desire to capture online demand without damaging retailer relationships. If you're unsure whether Relay Orders is right for you, our Channel Conflict Audit is the ideal starting point — a focused 60 minute consultation that gives you an honest answer before you commit to anything.