Ordering online has become the new norm in our fast-paced world, especially when it comes to ordering online from your cellphone. Making sure that you’re offering your clients the best mobile experience in their online ordering is extremely important to stand out among competitors.
Online ordering allows customers to order at their pace, helps reduce waiting time, and increases the customer experience and order accuracy. It also allows your company to collect more data so that you can deliver a better experience, create relevant marketing, and helps to identify and understand customer behaviors and habits.
Did you know it is projected that online ordering food revenue will rise to be $220 billion in 2023? Another study shows that two-thirds of customers would prefer to order food from a restaurant’s own mobile ordering platform rather than using a third-party system like Grub-Hub or DoorDash because they want to support the restaurant directly.
Here are 7 benefits of online ordering:
1. Allows customers to skip the line
From long drive-thru lines and increased wait times in restaurants, customers may not have the time or choice to wait and appreciate the ease of online ordering to skip the wait. This also helps customers who don’t enjoy the pressure of feeling rushed to order by allowing them to take their time to browse the menu.
2. Higher ticket average
Since online ordering gives customers more time to view the menu at their own pace and without the fear or guilt of possibly being judged for ordering larger sized portions, they’re more likely to order more food. Studies have shown that online orders are 20% larger than in person orders. You can also run specials on certain menu items to help influence their purchase.
3. Easy access to view the menu from their phone
As mentioned above a huge benefit of online ordering is that the menu becomes more accessible to the customer which allows them to really look at everything your company has to offer, instead of just ordering what they always do. This can also help with order accuracy as the customer will be able to see if they’ve forgotten to order anything.
4. Improved customer experience
Online ordering can also help improve the customer experience, as mentioned above, it improves order accuracy which decreases the errors a restaurant will make with an order. It also allows the restaurant to contact the customers directly to relay any information about their order like an ETA. Restaurants can even offer loyalty programs or special promotions online that aren’t offered in person, which can give customers a greater benefit to ordering online.
5. More customer control over order
Having online ordering significantly lowers the chances of human mistakes and incorrect orders because customers can see exactly what they’ve ordered. Depending on your ordering platform, customers can even set up a specific date and time they want to pick-up their order, giving them even more control over their order.
6. Receive more customer data
Knowing your target customer base and what their habits are is vital to the success of your business. Which menu items are your best sellers, which items should be seasonal, and which items should you take off the menu? What promotions and offers should you run? Tons of questions, including these can be answered by looking at your customer data that can be pulled from your online ordering platform. You can use this information to promote customer loyalty, increase growth opportunities, and learn how you can improve your processes.
7. Greater reach
Space may be limited at your restaurant, but with online ordering, anyone can order from you. You can also choose to offer catering options to spread the word of your business and gain more clients.
While there are many benefits to online ordering, creating that mobile experience that your customers won’t forget should be a top priority for every business. Having a partner like EZ-Chow can help you create a platform that’s built to bring out the best of your brand and deliver a customized online and mobile ordering experience.
To learn how EZ-Chow can help you with these initiatives and more, get started by contacting us here.
