It is more important now than ever for restaurants to stay informed on current trends and digitize their business. Online food ordering has seen exponential growth over the last few years and continues to expand. If you want to increase your sales, an online ordering system for restaurants is crucial. Bring in new customers who regularly want the convenience of take-out food and drink.
How to Stand Out
With so much competition in the food service industry, you need to make yourself stand out to reap the rewards of online ordering.
- Allow Choice – Let customers choose when they want their meal delivered by offering them options like “delivery now” or “deliver tomorrow at 5:00 pm”. The customer will appreciate the convenience of scheduling their food order thus creating positive feelings towards your business. It keeps them loyal to you when they know you will accommodate their schedule.
- Discover Perks – When customers receive perks through your online ordering platform, they are more likely to choose your restaurant. Loyalty programs work to encourage repeat business. Everyone likes to receive a complimentary product or free meal from their favourite take-out or delivery venue. Keep them coming back for more by offering rewards.
You can also offer discounts on certain dishes; maybe items you are trying to phase out due to them being unpopular. Customers will appreciate a good deal no matter the reason.
Combo deals are another great perk customers will love. When they order a meal with an appetizer, main course, dessert, and drink, offering a percentage discount gets them to order more than just one item. This helps increase the total sales by encouraging them to order more than they normally would.
- FOMO – Fear of missing out is real. Play on this by offering dishes that are available for only a short time. Customers who may have decided to take a week off from ordering will be tempted to nix this idea and order right away. Who can pass up a limited time offer from their favourite restaurant?
- Personalization – Get to know your customers. Add in suggestions that pop up for your customers on your online ordering system. Use push notifications that ask if they want their favourite meal (the one they regularly order) or perhaps try something new with it like the homemade gnocchi. This lets customers know you are familiar with them and pay attention. Everyone wants to be recognized.
- Mobility – Make online ordering easy for your customers by giving them a mobile app. so they can place orders on their phones in a few simple clicks. The convenience of an app helps build your brand, allowing you to bring in a larger customer base and increase engagement with your business. All this adds to productivity and sales.
Market Your Restaurant
Of course, none of these actions matter if you don’t have a way to promote them. When choosing from online ordering companies look for those who assist you in promoting your business. You will need an online ordering system for restaurants that can be branded, so customers recognize your colours and font. This helps market the platform on social media, your website, and through posters so customers make a connection to your restaurant on every platform you use.
Creating posts and making posters about your online ordering and the new features you offer allows you to attract attention. Social media provides ways to engage with your customers through comments, direct messages, and re-posts while posters allow you to have a conversation in person with people who have seen your advertising. Free marketing builds a strong foundation for your online food service.
Positive Changes as a Result of Online Ordering Platforms
Customer appeal and increased sales are only two benefits of online ordering. Digitizing your business produces many more positive results.
Better Predictability – Maintaining your customer preferences and habits on a digital platform allows you to better gauge what products will be ordered therefore what ingredients need to be kept on hand. This helps to reduce waste and optimize time and inventory.
Flexibility – Instead of printing menus and having to re-print for changes, digital menus lessen your carbon footprint to help save the environment. Online menus can easily be edited to update pricing, insert new items, and showcase specials whenever you want.
Excellent Customer Service – Your customers pre-pay for each order so there is no need to fiddle with calculations after a meal. This keeps customers relaxed and happy. An online ordering system removes the chance for billing errors because the software does the calculating for you. Your customer can view, and edit their order before completing it, leaving out the frustration of being overcharged due to human error.
Engage in Online Food Ordering Systems
Keeping an eye on food trends and adapting to changes in the industry helps you achieve success. Get the competitive edge by keeping your online ordering system for restaurants up to date and streamlined to provide your customers with a personal experience. You can rely on 247 Waiter to assist with a smooth online ordering integration into your new or existing business.