As the digital age develops online ordering continues to grow, many restaurants are adding this service as a convenience for their customers with the hopes to increase sales. There’s no doubt that online orders is a growing trend such as the increased adoption of mobile technologies, but it’s important to understand what it is about these services that make them so popular. This is a breakdown of the latest trends in online food ordering to get you up to speed:
1. Social Media & Apps to Drive Sales
With the popularity of social media and mobile apps, it should come as no surprise that major restaurants are using these tools as a way to promote online ordering. Social Media marketing and advertising on such sites as Facebook can go a long way. By being able to have customised tabs on your Facebook page offering special deals and discounts to your followers or promoting and giving away special discounts for likes on Facebook or retweets on Twitter. This has the ability to increase company visibility and bring in new customers.
2. Online Ordering vs Phone Orders
With online ordering being so easy to use and convenient for customers, it should come as no surprise that we will likely see online ordering/app ordering take over from phone ordering at many restaurants. The Justeat.ie website and app is growing more and more popular and restaurants are signing up to the online ordering system to make takeout ordering simpler for their customers.
3. Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs in any market have been catching on, and with the online food ordering growing, it’s a rule and not an option. Creating a loyalty program gives restaurants and businesses a unique opportunity and access to gathering information on customer preferences. This gives you the ability to target customers with specific deals and offers to create repeat traffic. Giving customers clear incentives with measurable goals will entice customers to repeat purchase.
With the dining scene evolving by the day, one thing that stands out is: customer convenience is becoming a priority. Keeping up with the pace of the online generation is so important to your business, and these trends can help you.
