The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a huge shift in the restaurant sector, catapulting takeaway and delivery service from a good-to-have to a must-have service offering for any eatery or restaurant. This has been a significant change for many businesses and it has necessitated several adjustments to all of the various factors that go into the efficient running of a restaurant.
In today’s world when it is a must to have a website, a new trend is emerging in the restaurant industry which is an online ordering system for restaurants that promises increased revenues and the running of eateries more well-organized.
The restaurant market has cutthroat competition, and it can be tough to secure new clients or maintain old ones, especially with fast-shifting trends. Third-party delivery services give an easy approach to improve sales with an online ordering system restaurant as more consumers seek out the convenience of take-out and especially home delivery.
Even though the restaurant food delivery service provides ample opportunity to reach new consumers and enhance sales, it comes with a price – inaccessibility to the key customer data and losing a loyal customer base to the delivery partners.
As a result, restaurants must consider how to communicate with their consumers so that they can attract new consumers, lure the regular consumers into repeat ordering and develop their platforms to increase online orders on their app or website. In this article, we’ll talk about how to use an online ordering system to boost restaurant revenue.
Seven Ways to Increase Your Restaurant Sales through an Online Ordering System for Restaurants
- Choose a reliable online ordering solution
Many restaurants use third-party delivery services to offer their clients the convenience of online ordering. It is indeed easier to get started on these online ordering platforms and generate more orders with minimal time and resource investment. However, these service providers charge hefty commissions on every order which dilutes the revenue generated from the orders.
Considering the above-mentioned drawback, it’s a good idea to think about the long-term benefits of creating your online ordering platform similar to a mobile app for restaurants. At first, you will be required to put efforts to promote your restaurant’s online ordering platform but these are resources invested in creating your brand that could pay off handsomely in the future.
- Optimizing and customizing your online ordering system
Because your online buying platform is an extension of your brand, you should take special efforts to create the same customer experience that customers expect from your brand on your online ordering page.
- Upload high-resolution food photographs and a clear list of ingredients.
- Customize every part of the platform to match your brand’s image and identity.
- Arrange menu items similar to how they appear on a menu in your restaurant.
- Create highlights or pop-ups for frequently-ordered items on your menu to create up-sell or cross-sell opportunities.
- Set up automated recommendations and suggestions. Also, allow consumers to save orders or delivery addresses to streamline and smoothen the customer journey on your mobile app.
- Easy ordering and check-out process
Customers usually arrive at your online ordering page or app via your website. To attract clients’ attention, the order online button should be prominently displayed at the top of your home page and menu page. Make your specials stand out, and consider including add-to-cart buttons with every menu item.
- Organized online ordering menu
When it comes to developing your online ordering menu, you should put a lot of effort into it. Some items that are extremely popular in-store may not be suitable for pick-up or delivery. To create the ideal menu, assess each menu item using the three criteria listed below –
- Whether they travel well or not.
- Whether the food item’s margin is sufficient to cover packaging and delivery costs.
- Considerations for packaging
Only include those items on your online order menu that travel well while also having a high score of popularity and profitability.
- Optimize your restaurant website to appear in the local search results
Hundreds and thousands of customers look for restaurants like yours on Google every day using search terms or keywords related to your restaurant or menu. Your website should be optimized for these essential search terms.
Add your restaurant to relevant local listings such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc. to increase your website’s reputation and trust with the search engines.
- Use social media to promote your restaurant’s online ordering service
Add the “Order Online” call-to-action button to all of your social media handles, including Facebook, Instagram, and your Google My Business page, to establish a strong online brand. You can also develop your restaurant page on platforms like TripAdvisor and Yelp. Add an order online button to direct the customers to your web page for a free restaurant online ordering service.
- Promoting your restaurant’s online ordering platform
You’d like your customers to be aware that you also accept online orders. Using organic and sponsored channels to promote your online ordering service will help you reach more people, resulting in increased restaurant revenue. You can choose to do either online promotions or offline in-store promotions to inform your customers about your website and your mobile app for a restaurant.
Bottomline
You can establish your brand and improve your restaurant sales by developing an online ordering service offering. Streamlining the consumer experience on your online ordering platform as well as offering targeted discounts, can help you increase your reach and acquire more and more customers.
One comment
Pingback: How to Increase your Restaurant Sales through a...
Comments are closed.