If you do not have a solid user retention strategy in the hyper-competitive restaurant industry, you’re in for a huge loss. User retention in the restaurant business is mostly about quality, convenience, and speed. If you master these three, consider yourself zooming through an upward trajectory.
Today, mobile marketing is the easiest way to boost customer engagement. Did you know that it took merely 5 years for mobile traffic to beat web traffic? So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 71% of businesses have switched to mobile marketing as a core business strategy.
When it comes to restaurant businesses, most already offer website and mobile app ordering services to their customers. It’s time you go up and beyond in offering convenience and speed to them and stand out from your competition.
WhatsApp integration with your online ordering system is a great way to do exactly that. Reaching out to your customers through an app they use nearly 20 hours every month is a smart move.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you, as a restaurant owner, can benefit from WhatsApp integration with online ordering systems.
👉 Also Read: Everything you need to know about Online Ordering System
WhatsApp has an active global network of around 2 billion users who use the application every day to talk and, increasingly, to purchase and pay for products — even restaurant orders — all from within the app. Nowadays, the instant messaging app is a crucial part of many consumers' everyday life, making it a perfect channel for restaurant chains to use.
Email and phone are still legitimate and valuable avenues for communicating with both new and current consumers. WhatsApp, on the other hand, throws up a plethora of new options. It helps you to transform what is typically a one-way conversation into an encounter that may be asynchronous and fully at the consumer's leisure, generating customer engagement and loyalty.
When used for sales, advertising, and customer service, WhatsApp provides for real-time data transmission and processing. It also allows customers to communicate without leaving their comfort bubble.
Furthermore, WhatsApp promises more customer reaction than other marketing channels given that 80% of messages are seen in less than 5 minutes of delivery.
However, you have to be very careful with your WhatsApp marketing strategy. Users of the WhatsApp Business API are relatively limited, although this is not due to a lack of demand. WhatsApp continues to restrict API access and thoroughly vets each business. Then again, if they do not want to lose active users, they must ensure that no corporation exploits the platform.
The stringent method of limiting WhatsApp advertising from getting too ‘salesy’ is why you should thoroughly strategize how you approach clients.
WhatsApp integration with your online ordering system can speed up operations as it helps automate the majority of the tasks for you. These include taking and confirming orders, verifying payments, and sending real-time order updates to the customers.
This means that your staff feel less burdened and can focus on other important things in a restaurant like catering to dine-in customers and preparing quality meals.
Customer data is critical for a company's long-term viability. However, consumer data is also critical for restaurant development and expansion. When this data is captured, analyzed, and improved, it allows restaurants to enhance their performance, gain a competitive advantage, and match services and products to consumer preferences.
Consider this: as soon as a customer messages you for order on WhatsApp, you gain access to their legit phone numbers and names. When they send you their location for order delivery, you can start building a ‘heat map’ of order frequency. This allows you to tweak your marketing strategy and menu based on that information.
You may increase brand loyalty by providing some amount of discounts and cashback through WhatsApp. Did you know that Starbucks' loyalty program increased sales by $2.65 billion?
By connecting users to your ecosystem through loyalty programs, you can easily build a long line of repeat and loyal customers.
👉 Also Read: 5 Loyalty Program Mistakes Restaurants Should Stop Making Right Now!
Security is among the major challenges in online catering systems. With WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, you can ensure that the interaction between you and your customers remains private. Further, verified badges and two-factor authentication can be used to boost security and build your customers’ trust.
Contactless dining is distinct in that it turns the concept of customer service on its head. Contactless dining, as opposed to service with a smile, is assisting guests in seeing your menu, ordering, and paying for their meal with very little face-to-face involvement. In other words, dining has gone digital.
You can add unique QR codes to every table that opens on WhatsApp. Customers can simply make an order and make payments with limited interaction with the staff. It also increases order accuracy.
From taking orders, and sending order updates to taking payments, WhatsApp can do it all. It has become more than a personal chit-chat application and opens up tremendous marketing and operational opportunities for your business.
RestoLabs is an amazing platform that helps you create your own online ordering and delivery system with WhatsApp and Facebook integrations.
So, it's time you ditch conventional marketing and order management methods and switch to RestoLabs now!
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