Online Ordering Is No Longer a Nice-To-Have Tool For Restaurant Brands, They Are Essential.
ST. LOUIS, MO (StLouisRestaurantReview) Online ordering was once seen as an optional means for restaurants to expand their off-premises business; however, it has become essential.
Order errors cost money, so online ordering saves you and your staff the hassle of worrying about the phone and in-person customers changing their minds or having dietary restrictions.
Increased Revenue
Online ordering enables customers to save their preferred order details, making reordering simpler. Payment can also be easily made without having to communicate payment info over the phone with staff members, increasing customer satisfaction while helping restaurants retain existing customers as well as attract new ones with special offers and discounts for repeated attracting loyalty programs help promote repeat business as well as offer special incentives that attract customers in addition to offering special deals to bring new ones in.
By offering online ordering and exceptional services, restaurants can reach a wider audience while cutting operating costs. Third-party ordering aggregators typically charge 15-25% commission plus 1-2% for payment gateway fees for every order made to reduce operating expenses while increasing revenue streams. Restaurants can avoid these fees by investing in their online ordering system, which lowers costs while increasing revenues.
Online ordering allows restaurants to track order metrics such as goods costs and labor expenses, providing restaurants with insights they can use to identify the most profitable menu items, optimize staff scheduling, and reduce inventory waste.
As COVID-19 disrupts dine-in sales, restaurants must increasingly offer online ordering and delivery services for takeout orders. A recent study indicates that offering these services could boost takeout profits by 30%.
Convenience
Online ordering provides customers with an easy and hassle-free way to place orders from your restaurant. They can browse your menu and place an order with just a few clicks or swipes of a smartphone screen, saving staff members valuable time answering phone calls while giving your team more time to focus on preparing and delivering it on time.
Online ordering also eliminates errors caused by miscommunication when placing phone orders, with special instructions being overlooked due to accent or poor connection; online orders enable these requests to be clearly written out and transmitted without a chance for error.
An online ordering system gives your customers the opportunity to create accounts with you and allows your customers to make purchases, leading to customer retention and, eventually, an increase in order volume over time.
Online ordering also provides customers with curbside pickup service for added customer convenience, something which 58% of Millennials are more likely to choose restaurants that offer this feature over those without it. To maximize this feature’s effectiveness and ensure guests receive an optimal experience. At the same time, you manage delivery partners more efficiently and avoid double work; your online ordering system can support curbside pickup as soon as possible for optimal results.
Reaching a Wider Audience
As customers explore and adopt new dining habits, post-pandemic, online ordering will remain an invaluable asset for restaurant and QSR expansion. From takeout and delivery to customizing it to meet the unique needs of each business – online ordering provides guests with business convenience access online anytime, anywhere!
Your online ordering system can help you drive revenue without disrupting regular dine-in traffic. A straightforward solution to accomplishing this goal is creating a separate menu from dine-in options but still offering appealing products – this approach is known as a minimum viable menu (MVM) and could be identical or reduced versions that reduce overhead while giving customers attractive choices.
Online ordering not only generates additional revenue for your restaurant but can also improve customer loyalty and brand recognition. By offering curbside pickup via your online ordering system, for example, guests will have another reason to select your restaurant over others that don’t provide this feature – not to mention eliminating third-party delivery services that charge 15-25% delivery fees and payment gateway fees which eat into profit margins for every order placed with them!
Future Trends
Online ordering has quickly become the standard in the restaurant industry, providing an opportunity to expand revenue, reach a wider audience, and increase customer convenience. Furthermore, online ordering enables upsell/cross-selling strategies, which have been proven to drive increased sales while improving customer retention rates.
Technology continues to play an increasing role in the food service industry, including various online ordering solutions that offer speed, convenience, and security for consumers who prefer contactless experiences over long wait times. Some restaurants even provide curbside pickup/delivery.
Convenience has become an increasingly crucial component of customer experience and one of the primary factors driving people to choose specific restaurants. Businesses must adapt to these trends to remain competitive and meet customers’ demands.
Uber Eats and Menulog are two aggregator websites that have made it easy for consumers to compare prices and menus from multiple restaurants simultaneously, giving them access to food they would have never tried. This provides consumers convenience, enabling them to experience new cuisines they may never have explored.
One trend in restaurant technology that has emerged recently is artificial intelligence (AI). AI can reduce customer service costs by automating repetitive tasks and improving accuracy, streamlining processes, increasing efficiency, eliminating manual data entry, and decreasing order processing times.
