Looking back at the past decade, it’s quite clear that technology has played a vital role in revolutionizing the food service industry to a whole new level. It has dramatically improved the sales of the restaurant industry. There are multiple tech start-ups competing to launch cutting-edge products with numerous enhanced features to further optimize existing restaurant processes. That being said, online ordering apps, self-ordering kiosks, web ordering platforms and delivery apps are the most commonly used products within this industry thus far.
Why is it so important that you need to understand the practicality of using custom online ordering apps?
The reasons are crystal clear!
By utilizing custom branded online ordering apps, restaurant owners can avoid the commissions paid to food delivery apps which absorbs up to 30%-40% of revenue. Although this seems feasible for a restaurant as soon as it is launched, it most definitely is not the most practical option in the long run. This also means that the hard-earned loyal customers are ripped off by delivery apps such as UberEats and DoorDash. The only concern a restaurateur can have, is overcoming the challenge of social awareness of the brand and therefore, may opt to paying hefty commissions to build a clientele and continuing to do so. However, by marketing an app specific to a restaurant, especially on social media, becoming independent online is not a far-fetched deal. Statistically, consumers are prone to order directly from the restaurants instead of third party services. This means, a restaurant having an app will never be a fail!
Differentiating a brand from many similar brands is crucial to sustain and succeed within an industry. A restaurant can always stand out from its competitors because consumers are not given the option of comparing menu items or combo deals; they are more likely to select from the options and deals available on the restaurant’s app and also to be returning for more. The key benefit of this is that restaurants will have a loyal customer base and will have the ability to incentivize their customers instead of paying third party delivery apps. This calls for more sales and a likelihood of increased ticket size.
Managing the customer journey will completely be up to the restaurant owner. From colors to fonts and every detail of the restaurant’s brand can be used to ensure a consistent customer experience. At any given time, the owner can manage the items on the app such as addition of menu items, removal of menu items, updates on descriptions and imagery instead of relying on the management and execution of a third party app to do so. The restaurant owners being in complete control gives them the freedom of editing, revising and changing anything within the app. This way, providing the customers with an appealing and user-friendly interface is a sure thing.
Online ordering apps can make full use of Push Notifications which is one of the most effective engagement strategies which in turn, will enhance the growth of the customer base of a restaurant. The main advantage of this is to have promotional notifications prompted to users with the idea of tempting users to purchase items through the app. Push notifications enable users to stay updated on the status of their order and ensure they do not waste time waiting at the restaurant to pick up their food on a busy day. A majority of consumers prefer to consume their food fresh and warm whereas, when it comes to a food delivery app, they might even show up at the doorstep with stale food, which is definitely not ideal. Situations like this, could directly impact the sales of a restaurant due to customer drop outs and also complaints from unhappy customers. By directly engaging with the customers, a restaurant has the ability to solve such situations and might not probably face such situations at all.
Another important aspect of having an online ordering app for a restaurant is that it appeals to the millennials, the ones who rely on their phones for almost everything! With food just at their fingertips, millennials tend to place orders online rather than visiting a restaurant to dine-in. These apps can also be of much use to the ones living in remote areas!
It’s no secret that loyalty programs such as digital punch cards, rewards and promo codes can be enticing. But does it really work effectively when dining in at a restaurant? No, it is one of the most effective tactics that restaurateurs follow to push more sales by rewarding customers to make them purchase another item on the spot or even later on, this will result in returning customers via their online ordering app. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
It is important to always be unique to ensure a promotion is out-done by competitors and the best approach for this would be an online ordering app!
