5 Ways Restaurants with Online Ordering are More Successful
Changing customer preferences have encouraged tech-savvy trends to soar in every industry, and restaurants are no exception. Due to the pandemic, businesses across all industries have implemented online ordering capabilities in order to keep business booming despite in-house capacity limits or even complete shutdowns.
It’s important to note that this trend won’t be going away anytime soon; now more than ever, customers crave the convenience of online ordering. However, many restaurants are still hesitant to implement a solution. What they may not realize is that online ordering isn’t just for the benefit of the customer, it offers plenty of benefits for business owners as well.
For those still apprehensive of making the change, keep reading to discover how restaurants with online ordering are more successful than those without it.
Increased Revenue
For many restaurants, capacity limits are still in effect, and may continue through 2021. To make up for lost revenue, restaurant owners have invested in online ordering solutions amid the pandemic. These restaurants have experienced more success than those without online ordering because they’re able to take on orders despite limitations to indoor dining.
When the pandemic ceases to be a factor and restaurants can operate at full capacity again, online ordering will allow you to take on orders beyond your in-house capacity, maximizing the amount of revenue you’re able to bring in. Restaurants with online ordering also gain the advantage of expanding their customer base. Paired with delivery services, you can reach customers that aren’t in your immediate area.
Online ordering also functions as a backup option for restaurants. If anything were ever to happen to your business such as a remodel, flooding, or a global pandemic, as long as you have an operational kitchen and online ordering solution, you can stay in business.
Improved Customer Convenience
Restaurants with online ordering usually receive better reviews because they offer convenience to their customers. Customers are busy. Oftentimes, they don’t have time to travel to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, place an order, and wait for it to be finished. The ability to order remotely eliminates the pain of waiting. Additionally, customers also enjoy not feeling rushed while ordering.
Even if a restaurant takes orders over the phone, online ordering is more convenient for customers because they don’t actually have to speak to anyone. It may seem like a small matter, but interacting with a live person requires more energy from customers than simply entering an order themselves. Further, phone lines can quickly become backed up amid peak hours and leave customers ordering over the phone with a busy dial tone. Online ordering won’t leave customers waiting, improving their experience as a whole.
Increased Operational Efficiency
Restaurants with online ordering also benefit from optimized internal operations. When takeout and delivery orders are processed online, restaurants no longer have to pull an employee away from their work to answer the phone and take orders. This allows staff to focus on more important tasks, such as clearing tables, taking in-house orders, or helping in the kitchen.
Online ordering also results in faster, more accurate orders. When a customer makes an online order, it is sent directly to the kitchen, cutting down on the time it would take for an employee to take the order and then manually enter it into a POS system. This also reduces order errors and misunderstandings that can occur when communicating over the phone. Additionally, instead of receiving orders on the phone, restaurants with online ordering can receive 2x-10x as many orders within the same amount of time.
Larger Ticket Sizes
As mentioned earlier, customers enjoy online ordering because they don’t feel rushed. Oftentimes, when getting their order taken while dining-in, customers feel pressured to order quickly, spending less time combing through the menu. With online ordering, customers can take their time to look at the entire menu so as not to miss anything they would want to try. Spending more time looking at the menu leads to larger ticket sizes and increased revenue for restaurants.
Restaurants with online ordering can also take advantage of upselling and cross-selling opportunities. By encouraging customers to add-on items they may not have considered prior to placing their order such as extra toppings, drinks, appetizers, and more, restaurants can increase order sizes and overall profits.
Create Repeat Customers
Online ordering not only allows restaurants to serve more customers, but also strengthen customer relationships. Online ordering software can help to create repeat customers by collecting data about their customers such as their name, email, and order history. With information like order history, online ordering software can suggest menu items the customer regularly gets in order to streamline the ordering process, increasing customer satisfaction.
Email information can also be leveraged to appeal to customer through email marketing. Restaurants can send tailored messages to customers that are relevant to them, encouraging them to order from you again. Restaurants can also send coupons to increase customer loyalty.
It goes without saying that restaurants with online ordering have various opportunities to be more successful than those without it. Launching online ordering may seem too much of a hassle for busy restaurant owners whose business is already booming; however, its easier than many are led to believe. In order to distinguish yourself among your competitors, online ordering is an excellent investment to boost revenue, improve internal operations, and more.
With FocusPOS Online Ordering, you can get started on seamlessly giving your customers the convenience of delivery, take-out, or dine-in orders. If you’re ready to meet the expectations of the modern customer and watch your business grow, contact us today.
