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Posts tagged ordering apps
5 Reasons That Every Restaurant Needs an Ordering App
Jul 30th
Orders may still be coming in through the phone, but with the popularity of online ordering increasing every day, the moments is fast approaching where most customers will expect to be able to submit orders without having to talk to anyone. If that isn’t reason enough to begin taking advantage of one of the fastest-growing opportunities in the restaurant industry, here are five more arguments for “going mobile:”
1. You’ll get larger orders
Some researchers have found that online orders are up to 25% larger! When customers can see the menu, browse add-ons, and review upsells, the result is that they spend more money. It’s a nice revenue boost that can quickly pay for the cost of creating your app.
2. Your customers are online
People spend hours and hours each day online, especially on their mobile devices. As the saying goes, it’s best to meet people where they are. By making ordering available online, you make it that much more convenient for people to submit orders from the screen they are already staring at. Which reminds us…
3. You can book a sale from anywhere
People aren’t nailed to their seats – they’re mobile! By allowing your fans to use an ordering app, they can submit orders no matter what they’re doing. When they’re heading home on a commuter train, stuck in a meeting, or anywhere else that making a call isn’t convenient, they can still be sending you orders. If they aren’t able to do that, they may forget about it, or simply pull leftovers from the fridge when they get home and are hungry and tired.
4. You can smooth out the ordering process
Every restaurateur knows that mistakes in orders really irritate customers. A mobile ordering app cuts the error rate down. Customers can review their orders and type out any special requests. That way, there’s a record of everything the customer wants.
With phone orders, there is a greater chance that an item will be missed or misrecorded, or that a special instruction will be misheard or written incorrectly. With mobile apps, if there are any mistakes on the ticket, the customer has no one to blame but him- or herself. It will still be your job to make them happy, of course (such is life in customer service), but you’ll be able to tell them that you’re happy to “revise their order” to suit whatever their “new requests” are.
5. You’ll get ahead of the competition
The bottom line is that there are plenty of customers that prefer online ordering at this point, and your competitors may already be gearing up to serve them. By publishing your own ordering app, you stay at the forefront of customer service and convenience. This means that an ordering app can become another competitive advantage for you.
Study: 95% Of Restaurants Are Not Mobile
Feb 18th
Nope, we’re not talking about putting too much cilantro in everything. (That’s a separate post.)
In this post we’re talking about ignoring mobile strategies.
Mobile usage continues to trend ever upward: consumers are spending more time on their mobile devices, making more purchases on their mobile devices, and generally can’t get enough of their mobile devices.
So why do 95% of restaurants not have mobile sites?
The reasons vary from business to business, but one thing remains the same: it has to change.
Consider this: 40% of customers will head to a competitor’s site if they don’t like your mobile site. This means that if you don’t have a site optimized for mobile browsing, you’re probably losing a good chunk of business. And savvy, forward-thinking competitors may just be picking it up.
A mobile site doesn’t have to be complex, either. Most searchers want one of two things: 1) basic info, like your phone number, address, or a mapped location, or 2) a menu.
Developing a mobile site that delivers what customers want is honestly only a few clicks away, if you use a service to get it done (more on that at the end). Simple mobile sites are cost-effective, friendly to users, and are an incredibly easy way for any restaurant to boost visits and revenue.
For those that want to take full advantage of mobile opportunities, more advanced mobile sites (or even apps) can be created that allow customers to make reservations, download coupons, or even submit orders for pickup or delivery. Restaurants that explore functions like these will maximize the revenue growth that is enabled by the mobile revolutions.
As of now, however, the vast majority of restaurants are missing out.
Eventually, not having a mobile site may be akin to not having a website at all. If that’s the case, those who make the move today will be rewarded with a bigger slice of the market at the expense of their competition.
To learn more about mobile solutions for restaurants from Bizness Apps, click here.
How Restaurants Are Using Mobile to Grow Their Business
Feb 15th
The mobile revolution is creating huge opportunities for an endless variety of industries and players, and restaurants are no exception. Mobile apps, mobile websites, QR codes, and more, are all contributing to the growth of restaurants’ bottom lines.
Now, each of these things may seem like just another headache, but they lead to real, tangible benefits. By starting up a few simple mobile projects, a restaurant can enjoy more customers, more business, and more revenue. Here are some basic strategies that any restaurant can implement:
Mobile Apps
Mobile apps are easy for developers to create and can offer a restaurant an amazing way to boost business, especially from existing customers. For customers that are fans of your restaurant, it’s fairly easy to get them to download your app. (If they need a little push, you can offer them entry into a contest, coupons, or other incentives.)
After that, you have a lot of choices about what you want your app to do. Apps can allow customers to:
• View menu items and daily specials
• Submit orders for delivery or pickup
• Make reservations
• Submit comments and feedback
• Post to your social media profiles
• Obtain coupons
• Participate in loyalty and reward programs
• And more
All of these functions are geared towards increasing your orders, visits, customer base, buzz, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue.
While current methods like direct mail and other channels rely on disruption to gain a customer’s attention, an app is something fans can engage with directly and voluntarily. In addition, the convenience of an app can’t be overstated. Our devices are always with us now, and as usage continues to increase, the value of mobile connections and experiences will increase as well.
Mobile Websites
If people search for your business on the Web from their devices, and they don’t find a mobile website, you’re in trouble. People tend to quickly flee from sites that aren’t mobile friendly and head right over to competing websites.
Creating a smooth, simple, functional mobile site, on the other hand, is a great way to open up a new path for customers to find your restaurant.
Much like an app, a mobile website can serve a number of functions. While some restaurants prefer ultra-basic sites that just have their name and number, it’s possible to create user-friendly mobile sites that perform most of the app functions listed above. Accordingly, mobile app opportunities cannot be ignored, especially by restaurants that are in need of revenue growth.
QR Codes
A third mobile strategy is to make use of QR codes. If you haven’t seen one, a QR code looks like this:
These can be placed on ads, in your storefront window, or elsewhere, and they enable customers to scan them with their mobile devices. Once scanned, the customer is taken to a website on their mobile device, and can take any action they might normally take on a website.
For example, this means that customers can scan a QR code, view your menu, and then go on to place an order, if they like. As with the strategies discussed above, QR codes open up an unlimited variety of opportunities.
The sky’s the limit!
To learn more about mobile solutions for restaurants from Bizness Apps, click here.
