Getting Started with Lula Commerce

Welcome to Lula Commerce! This guide will help you set up your digital commerce platform and get your store operational across multiple sales channels quickly and efficiently. Lula Commerce is a world-class digital commerce platform that helps retailers win online without the operational burden. Our platform integrates with major delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, while also providing enterprise-grade direct ordering capabilities.

This guide assumes you’re working with both our dashboard interface and API. If you prefer to automate your setup end-to-end, browse our API Documentation and copy sample requests from each page.

Before You Begin

Before starting your Lula Commerce journey, ensure you have the following:

Prerequisites Checklist

Lula Account Access

required

A Lula account with access to your company and stores

If you don’t have access, request credentials from your Lula representative

Product Data

required

Your product list in CSV or JSON format including:

Product names
Prices
UPCs/SKUs
Categories
Descriptions (optional)

Having high-quality product images will improve customer experience

Sales Channels

required

Know which delivery channels you plan to use:

DoorDash - Popular food delivery platform
Uber Eats - Ride-sharing company’s delivery service
Grubhub - Established food delivery network
Lula Direct - Your own branded ordering platform

You can start with one channel and add others later

Store Information

required

Complete store details including:

Store name and contact information
Physical address
Operating hours
Tax rates for your jurisdiction

Step 1: Create Your Company and Store

Your organization needs to be set up in Lula before you can start selling. This involves creating a company record and at least one store location.

Company Setup

If your organization isn’t in Lula yet, your Lula contact will create it for you. For developers or those with API access:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/stores/company" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Your Company Name",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "address": {
      "line_1": "123 Main Street",
      "city": "Your City",
      "state": "Your State",
      "zip": "12345"
    }
  }'

📖 Learn more: Create Company API

Store Setup

Each physical location needs its own store record:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/stores/store/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Your Store Name",
    "email": "[email protected]", 
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "company_id": 1000001,
    "addresses": [
      {
        "line_1": "123 Store Street",
        "city": "Store City",
        "state": "Store State", 
        "zip": "54321",
        "address_type": 0
      }
    ]
  }'

📖 Learn more: Create Store API

Make sure your store details are accurate before proceeding. Incorrect addresses can affect delivery zones and tax calculations.

Step 2: Load Your Products

Choose the import method that works best for your current data format. You can always change formats or update products later.

CSV Import (Recommended for Spreadsheet Users)

If you manage your products in Excel or Google Sheets, CSV import is the fastest option:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/inventory/ingestion/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "store_id=YOUR_STORE_ID"

CSV Format Requirements:

name,category,size,quantity,price,external_id,upc,image_url
"Coca Cola Classic","Beverages","12 oz",99,265,"CC12OZ","049000012521","https://example.com/coke.jpg"

📖 Learn more: Upload CSV

JSON Import (Recommended for Developers)

For programmatic integration or complex product data:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/inventory/ingestion/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "items": [
      {
        "name": "Coca Cola Classic",
        "category": "Beverages", 
        "size": "12 oz",
        "quantity": 99,
        "price": 265,
        "external_id": "CC12OZ",
        "upc": "049000012521"
      }
    ]
  }'

📖 Learn more: Upload JSON

Update Inventory and Prices

After your initial import, you can update inventory levels and prices:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/catalog/upsert-inventory" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "store_id": "YOUR_STORE_ID",
    "items": [
      {
        "external_id": "CC12OZ",
        "quantity": 75,
        "price": 275
      }
    ]
  }'

📖 Learn more: Upsert Inventory

Verify Your Import

After importing, verify your products loaded correctly:

curl -X GET "https://api.lulacommerce.com/catalog/store-inventory/YOUR_STORE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

📖 Learn more: Get Store Inventory Menus organize your products for customer-facing ordering. You can create different menus for different channels or times of day.

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/menus/store-menu" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "store_id": "YOUR_STORE_ID",
    "menu_name": "Main Menu",
    "description": "Our complete product selection"
  }'

📖 Learn more: Create Store Menu Link your products to menu categories:

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/menus/menu-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "menu_id": "YOUR_MENU_ID",
    "product_id": "YOUR_PRODUCT_ID", 
    "category": "Beverages",
    "display_order": 1
  }'

📖 Learn more: Create Menu Item Configure when your menu is available:

curl -X GET "https://api.lulacommerce.com/menus/store-menu-timings/YOUR_STORE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

📖 Learn more: Get Store Menu Timings

Step 4: Sync to Sales Channels

Once your menu is ready, publish it to your connected delivery channels.

Sync All Channels

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/menus/sync-all-stores" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "company_id": "YOUR_COMPANY_ID"
  }'

📖 Learn more: Sync Menu for All Stores

Verify Active Menus

Confirm your menus are live on all channels:

curl -X GET "https://api.lulacommerce.com/menus/active-menus/YOUR_STORE_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

📖 Learn more: Get All Active Menu of Store

Step 5: Test Your Setup

Before going live, test the complete order flow to ensure everything works correctly.

Monitor Incoming Orders

curl -X GET "https://api.lulacommerce.com/orders/incoming" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d "store_id=YOUR_STORE_ID"

📖 Learn more: Get Incoming Orders

Accept and Process Orders

curl -X POST "https://api.lulacommerce.com/orders/accept" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "order_id": "ORDER_ID",
    "estimated_pickup_time": "2024-01-15T14:30:00Z"
  }'

📖 Learn more: Accept Incoming Order

View Order Details

curl -X GET "https://api.lulacommerce.com/orders/ORDER_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

📖 Learn more: Get Order Details

Testing Strategy: Use marketplace sandbox environments when available, or place a small real order to validate the complete flow from order placement to fulfillment.

Environments

Lula supports both sandbox and production environments to ensure safe testing and reliable operations.

Environment Information

Sandbox Environment

environment

Safe testing environment for development and testing

Test API calls without affecting real data
Practice order fulfillment workflows
Validate integrations before going live

Ask your Lula contact for sandbox access if you don’t have it yet

Production Environment

environment

Live environment for actual business operations

Real customer orders and payments
Live inventory management
Actual delivery partner integration

Always test thoroughly in sandbox before deploying to production

What’s Next?

Once your basic setup is complete, you can enhance your store with advanced features:

Fine-tune Your Operations

Modifiers & Options

Add size options, toppings, and customizations to your products

Tax Configuration

Set up accurate tax rates for your jurisdiction

Promotions & Campaigns

Launch marketing campaigns to drive sales

Analytics & Reporting

Monitor performance and gain insights

Advanced Store Management

Multi-Store Operations

Manage multiple locations from one platform

Employee Management

Set up staff access and permissions

Inventory Automation

Automate inventory updates and management

Order Management

Advanced order processing and fulfillment

Getting Help

API Documentation

Complete API reference with examples

Support Center

Help articles and troubleshooting guides

Contact Support

Get in touch with our team

Need personalized assistance? Your Lula representative is available to help with setup questions, best practices, and optimization strategies. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Documentation

Documentation - Legacy

Get Started

Getting Started with Lula Commerce

Before You Begin

Step 1: Create Your Company and Store

Company Setup

Store Setup

Step 2: Load Your Products

CSV Import (Recommended for Spreadsheet Users)

JSON Import (Recommended for Developers)

Update Inventory and Prices

Verify Your Import

Step 3: Build Your Menu

Create a Store Menu

Add Menu Items

Set Menu Schedules

Step 4: Sync to Sales Channels

Sync All Channels

Verify Active Menus

Step 5: Test Your Setup

Monitor Incoming Orders

Accept and Process Orders

View Order Details

Environments

What’s Next?

Fine-tune Your Operations

Modifiers & Options

Tax Configuration

Promotions & Campaigns

Analytics & Reporting

Advanced Store Management

Multi-Store Operations

Employee Management

Inventory Automation

Order Management

Getting Help

API Documentation

Support Center

Contact Support

Documentation

Documentation - Legacy

​Getting Started with Lula Commerce

​Before You Begin

​Step 1: Create Your Company and Store

​Company Setup

​Store Setup

​Step 2: Load Your Products

​CSV Import (Recommended for Spreadsheet Users)

​JSON Import (Recommended for Developers)

​Update Inventory and Prices

​Verify Your Import

​Step 3: Build Your Menu

​Create a Store Menu

​Add Menu Items

​Set Menu Schedules

​Step 4: Sync to Sales Channels

​Sync All Channels

​Verify Active Menus

​Step 5: Test Your Setup

​Monitor Incoming Orders

​Accept and Process Orders

​View Order Details

​Environments

​What’s Next?

​Fine-tune Your Operations

Modifiers & Options

Tax Configuration

Promotions & Campaigns

Analytics & Reporting

​Advanced Store Management

Multi-Store Operations

Employee Management

Inventory Automation

Order Management

​Getting Help

API Documentation

Support Center

Contact Support

Getting Started with Lula Commerce

Before You Begin

Step 1: Create Your Company and Store

Company Setup

Store Setup

Step 2: Load Your Products

CSV Import (Recommended for Spreadsheet Users)

JSON Import (Recommended for Developers)

Update Inventory and Prices

Verify Your Import

Step 3: Build Your Menu

Create a Store Menu

Add Menu Items

Set Menu Schedules

Step 4: Sync to Sales Channels

Sync All Channels

Verify Active Menus

Step 5: Test Your Setup

Monitor Incoming Orders

Accept and Process Orders

View Order Details

Environments

What’s Next?

Fine-tune Your Operations

Advanced Store Management

Getting Help