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Posts tagged restaurant ordering apps
Why Your Restaurant Should Offer Mobile Food Ordering
Apr 15th
Do you have a drawer devoted to restaurant menus somewhere in your house? When it’s time to order dinner for your friends and family, do you find yourself rifling through the mess, looking for something specific, only to find that the number doesn’t work, the line is busy, or your menu is outdated? Do you hate having to call in orders?
You aren’t alone, and restaurants know this. They are only one of the many industries that are joining the app revolution, offering online and mobile apps to appeal to their patrons.
Recent studies show that restaurants who do not have mobile optimized websites or apps with mobile ordering available are actually losing out on money.
It is time to equip your business with an app, or you could actually lose revenue.
Get an App to Make Ordering Easy for your Customers.
Offering an app or a mobile optimized website for your restaurant is just good business. Statistics show that customers order more often from businesses that offer apps, and when they do order, they order more. Having a menu at their fingertips makes it easier for them to browse items and order more food. They can also customize orders, request extra, and all of it is easier than having to place a phone call and talk over the din of a loud restaurant.
When you have an app, you can easily update your menu, post about specials, offer two for one deals or other promotions, loyalty incentives and rewards programs, and more. Your customers will never have to worry about ordering an item that is out of stock or no longer on the menu, because the app will always be updated. They can also see pictures of the food they are ordering, so they know exactly what they are getting. This will cut down on customer complaints.
There are many other great perks to offering a restaurant app.
Customers can also make reservations through the app, which will save precious phone time for you and them. It also eliminates the possibility of errors or over bookings.
You can also promote your restaurant through the app or website. Use geo-fencing to offer deals to customers who are in your area, or to advertise seasonal specials or new menu items. Allow customers to enter their birthday or anniversary date to receive a free drink or dessert. The possibilities are endless.
You can even link to Yelp reviews, so customers can read about your establishment before they ever walk in the door.
Restaurants are jumping on the trend.
The food service industry is already participating in mobile apps and online mobile sites. As of right now, 20% of restaurants are allowing customers to submit orders via mobile phones, with a handful of those using apps, while 70% of restaurant owners think that it is an up-and-coming innovation that they may take advantage of in the future.
Studies show that restaurants who have mobile apps simply have more frequent business, which means they make more money. You’ll also save precious time by not having to field so many phone calls during business hours. Many businesses are even hiring extra staff to deal solely with online and app orders. The numbers speak for themselves.
Grow your restaurant with a mobile app today – contact Bizness Apps to get started.
The Growth of Mobile Coupons
Feb 21st
Coupons have been with us for ages, but mobile coupons are a new and steadily growing slice of the market that present exciting opportunities for developers and merchants alike.
Last year, about were 92.5 million digital coupons were redeemed. Most were online coupons redeemed while shopping on a desktop or laptop. 16.3% of mobile users, however, also redeemed a mobile coupon using their device last year. This figures is growing at a few percent each year, and total mobile coupon redemptions are expected to reach 53.2 million by 2014.
Apps for mobile couponing are constantly being released to meet demand for these mobile deals. Some offer rich functionality, allowing users to scan barcodes of products to find deals, display coupons for scanning at registers, and earn rewards simply for entering a store and launching the app. Some of these apps are still a bit buggy, however. Technical issues involving redemption at point of sale are well documented, but improvements are always under development.
In addition, certain register software platforms allow for entry of texted coupon codes, which skirt these problems. In fact, according to certain polls, users generally prefer to receive mobile coupons via SMS or display them for scanning at a register, and are redeeming mobile coupons at 10 times the rate of print coupons (10% versus 1%). Indeed, some shoppers are considering cancelling subscriptions to newspapers they were maintaining solely for the coupons, because digital coupons are meeting all their needs. For advertisers, this factor is strongly in favor of focusing on mobile coupons, as opposed to traditional print circulars.
Delivery methods vary widely. Scanning QR codes, checking in on an app, tapping a point-of-sale terminal, or using digital “loyalty cards” are all ways for consumers to make use of mobile coupons. But some in the industry have noted that many users are reluctant to adopt technological developments, which holds some of these methods back. Naturally, the more friction points there are, the less likely people are to actually redeem a coupon.
Regardless of these difficulties, mobile coupon use continues to grow, and retailers, developers, advertisers, and other industry players should consider including mobile coupons in their strategies going forward. Opportunities abound, and the technology is still in a relatively early phase, allowing nimble players to get in on the ground floor of a developing market.
And that’s just good business.
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.
8 Reasons Every Restaurant Needs an Ordering App
Feb 13th
In many homes, the days of menus in a drawer and phoning in delivery orders are quickly coming to a close, especially for the next generation of customers. Online and mobile ordering is exploding in popularity, and local restaurants are discovering that apps that allow customers to place orders offer a new revenue stream at a time when, for many, revenue is sorely needed.
Below are 8 reasons why local restaurants should have ordering apps created as soon as possible.
1. Customers spend more when using online & mobile apps
Simply put, customers order more food when they order food using an app. If you want to make each order count, an app is the way to go!
2. Customers are already using restaurant ordering apps
About 40% of customers have already placed an order for food online. That is, the technology is not so new that many people are unfamiliar with it. Instead, comfort with online food ordering is growing quickly.
3. It keeps your business fresh
In general, the food service industry is well aware of the possibilities presented by restaurant ordering apps. Indeed, 70% of restaurateurs think it is an “up-and-coming” innovation, which raises a more problematic point:
4. Your competitors may already be ahead of you
20% of quick-service restaurants already allow customers to submit orders from their mobile phones. Are your competitors snagging orders from customers that would prefer to order from you? In many markets, those with ordering apps are gaining ground, and those without it are losing it.
5. You can share information and generate business
Perhaps surprisingly, some people want spam (but only from certain senders)! Nearly 40% of customers report that they’d like to get an email each day from a favorite restaurant detailing the specials for the day. An ordering app can include this functionality, and enable you to stay in touch (and top-of-mind) with customers.
6. Mobile orders boost return business
Orders from mobile users are more frequent than orders submitted other ways. Not only do mobile apps get you bigger orders, but they get you more of them! That is, mobile ordering apps let you maximize the value of each customer in the long term.
7. Mobile orders can become a significant percentage of your business
Some of the larger chains get 25% or more of their orders from mobile devices. Mobile ordering isn’t a trickle of orders; it’s a meaningful amount of business. In fact, some restaurants see enough new business to dedicate a line in the kitchen solely to online & mobile orders. If you could use that kind of a boost, an ordering app just might deliver it.
8. You’ll make more money
Considering all of the above, this conclusion is a safe bet: a restaurant ordering app will directly help your restaurant generate more income. For a small expense up-front, you get a new revenue stream that helps you find new customers and keep old ones happy.
When it comes to the menu, sometimes the classics are the best. But when it comes to business, however, it can be costly to turn your back on an innovation that has reached the tipping point.
For more information, check out our video on restaurant ordering apps by clicking here.
