The ability to click and do something is on the rise. Thanks to smartphones and mobile ordering, we are looking at a customer experience that is pretty much unrivaled by any other device.

Naturally, people prefer services that are mobile and offer higher convenience. The demand for ‘mobile’ has skyrocketed.

To progress in any industry there is a significant need to know your customer. Same holds true for the restaurant industry and thanks to the mobile apps ‘kyc’ has become so much easier. By using a mobile app you would be able to know a lot more than their basic demographics.

The benefits of mobile apps significantly outweigh any perceived disadvantages. By having a mobile app for your restaurant you can engage your customers at a platform that they really like to use. The data generated from the app not only helps to plan and run things better but it also provides critical insights when it comes to understanding your customer.

Google’s stance at rewarding websites that provide a better mobile experience, shows the necessity of providing a good mobile experience to your users. Your expertise in providing such an experience to the users will considerably influence your business, now.

Now there is this urgency to capture their attention and mobile phones. Let us look at the features that make mobile apps a necessity for business.

Mobile Apps provide the Fastest way to Order Food

When it comes to placing an order for your food, mobile apps are better than websites and much better than phone calls.Just by clicking the screen 3-4 times, your customer can place an order.

The customer can place an order, by simply taking their phone out, opening your app and clicking the user interface just a few times. Meanwhile, the customer doesn’t need to pause everything he is doing or even talk to someone over the phone. Without disturbing the entire meeting, one can easily place complicated lunch orders.

If you are able to provide such an experience where the customer can order without being rushed (it happens while taking orders over the phone) and from the comfort of their homes or offices. You will provide a first class ordering experience that doesn’t disrupt their privacy.

Reaching out to your Customers

There is no perfect way to do this. But you always want to use a channel that is cheap, easy to configure and not too spammy.

People hate spam! That makes it a challenge for restaurant owners to effectively reach out to people without breaking the marketing budget. The challenge becomes more serious when you have to find a platform that won’t be considered spammy by your customers.

In the end, you don’t want your creatively written message to end up in a spam folder.

Mobile apps redefine the way you communicate with your customers. When you consider traditional channels like running a newspaper ad or printing leaflets for your store, they are not as cost effective as their digital counterparts.

When you consider emails and SMS, there is still an uncertainty that you are reaching your target. As you compare the engagement levels of these platforms the chances of the person at the receiving end even opening them is very low.

Sending a large number of SMS on a regular basis means higher costs with no fixed guarantees of customer engagement.

But when ads are costly, leaflets are limited and emails and SMS are spammy. What other channel is left that provides higher customer engagement.

Mobile apps provide a wonderful way to reach out to customers. The push notifications provide a way for restaurant owners to effectively reach their customers at almost no cost.

Since it is your app you don’t have to pay extra for advertisements. And your message will reach directly to your customers in a form that is not considered spammy by your customers.

User Retention and building a Brand Image

This is something that is of great importance for your business in the long run. A mobile app is your restaurant’s beacon out in the world. Even if the customer is not ordering from your restaurant. But he has your mobile app installed, then through push notifications, you can constantly build that image.

Reshaping business built on interactions

There would be a decline in the traditional ways of taking orders in the restaurants. It is evident from the decrease in the use of phone ordering by customers. The automated system of online ordering takes the orders directly from the customers and transfers it to the kitchen. It eliminates chances of inaccuracy that can occur when the orders are taken in manually. The future of restaurants is mobile ordering and with the developments in AI and voice to text algorithms. There will be major changes to the way we place our orders. The interaction of customers with restaurants is reshaping due to the popularity of mobile ordering.

Conclusion

Mobile ordering is something that you need to have in your restaurant’s arsenal. Apart from the above benefits, mobile ordering would also help you to achieve the following:

• A mobile app will help you increase your average spend per order and bring more repeat business.

• After retaining the customer, the average order frequency increases and your ticket size also goes up.

• With the combination of mobile ordering and delivery, you can expand your reach and capture previously untapped segments.

For last 3 years, Restolabs has been powering online ordering for food services. We also provide mobile ordering solutions with mobile apps for your restaurant.