There's no doubt technology is making the world go round and food trucks are no exception. Knowing about new technologies and leveraging these to increase patronage are different sides of the same coin - the case here is to understand what kind of investment will fit into your operation, or perhaps, help you keep your business afloat in today's highly competitive landscape.

When we talk about food trucks, as a business model, they face peculiar set of challenges, such as finding effective locations, more so if they are often changing locations, and attracting new customers on a daily basis. But technologies like Online Ordering and Delivery have made the lives of truck owners exciting whilst adding enormous value for their customers.

If you own a food truck and looking for a groundbreaking method to amp up your sales in the coming holiday season, having a strong online presence bundled with effective marketing strategies is what you must focus on.  Because online and mobile ordering among the millennials is rising adding an effective online ordering system to your food truck is an important topic to start thinking about.

Before you integrate food ordering system to your existing mobile food business, here are a few thoughts to consider.

Online Ordering and Food Trucks: a match made in heaven

Hungry customers want to be able to find a reasonable place to eat nearby, place their order online and expect it to be delivered at their chosen location in less than 45 minutes.

What’s more reasonable and enticing than delicious, customizable burgers from a food truck nearby? If you’re available for online orders, expect 40-55% increase in the order count, especially during weekends. All you need is to select the right location and be active online! The following are a few reasons why you must invest in online ordering:

More Orders: Given the current statistics on online and mobile ordering, it won’t be wrong to say that people tend to order more online compared to offline mode. Maybe it’s the comfort, lack of time, or the sheer convenience, online ordering has become an indispensable part of daily life. Making the process of ordering simple can turn a simple lunch order into a fun, interactive, and memorable experience.

Ease of Access: Having a user-friendly website provides your customers with a one-stop destination for their buying journey. From discovering your restaurant on Google, to considering what to eat,  and placing an order, your website or a mobile app will be the only destination for customers to connect with your business.

Increased credibility: If your food truck business has a strong online presence, it will automatically attract people wandering in the digital world. There are definite chances of attracting people through social media as well as in offline mode for a particular location. The results, however, depend upon the quality of food and service that you offer to your customers at the end of the day. If they like your food, they’re definitely going to spread the word, and you can leverage such gestures of your satisfied customers to gain credibility.

Real-time analytics: Customers are the biggest asset of any business and hence, paying attention to customer needs is always necessary. Using a robust online ordering system for your food truck gives you an opportunity to connect with your customers, attract new ones and nurture your relationships with them in an organized way. With integrated online ordering, you get the insight on their preferences, needs and buying behavior that you can use to personalize your communication with them.

Study The Technology

Before you simply sign on with an online ordering software provider, know what is in store for your food truck since not all of the platforms are created equal. While some could be beneficial for large restaurant chains like Starbucks, others could come with certain limitations, only suitable for small establishments.

However, most of them usually integrate seamlessly with a wide range of POS systems. You need to understand all the available options before you make your decision.

Make the changes, if you have to!

Once you’ve chosen and tested the online food ordering technology for your food truck business, you might need to make some changes to current operations to maintain good customer experience.

As you launch online and mobile ordering, you might need to add more staff to make sure that your team is able to handle the additional flow. Depending on your operation, you might need to hire a dedicated person or persons to handle online food orders. Marking orders as "in person" or "online" can help speed up the process.

Get the word out there!

Online business doesn't work without good marketing. Obviously you’ll have to dedicate a few extra hours every day to connect with your customers online. The benefits of online ordering are numerous, but your customers can’t sue it if they don’t know it’s available. For a food truck business, social media is a great place to start. Reach out to your existing followers, and attract new ones with regular posts on popular channels like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. If you have the budget, allot some for targeted ads to attract potential new customers to your website. If you already run ads, update the posts and mention online ordering.

Want to encourage customers to order online? Try these 7 free marketing hacks for food trucks.

The Best Online Ordering Platform for your Food Truck!

Every food truck business is unique and targets different types of customers. If you’re new to online ordering, a good way to start is to partner with an online ordering software provider that can provide the feature-heavy, intuitive and powerful system at a reasonable price. Make sure your regular customers know they can order from your website and/or mobile app and encouraging customers to order more frequently by offering discounts.

Want to learn more about Online Ordering? Click here for access more resources on online ordering.

Have you implemented an online ordering system in your food truck? How has it worked for you? We’d love to know your experience…..

To learn more about Restolabs, book a live demo with one of our online ordering specialists today!