Gifts - we all love to receive them, and we all love to give them to our near and dear ones. Gifting in the digital age has not only become easier but offers us a plethora of opportunities to be diverse and stand out from the rest. Technology, on the other hand, has made sure that each one of us - receiver and the giver can exchange emotions in a seamless, holistic environment.

But selling Food has its own challenges, especially if you have recently pivoted or expanded to digital ordering channels. With immense competition and high bounce rates, it can be rather overwhelming for a restaurant owner to keep the momentum high both online and offline. But then with consumer demands changing 360 degrees, maybe it’s time to rethink sales strategies.

A Gift for All

As a restaurant may be a push sales strategy might have worked for your business, but have you thought about adopting a pull marketing strategy also known as pull promotional strategy? With restaurants going digital with sales channels like online ordering, curbside, contactless dining, and takeaway, it has become more important now than ever to invest in strategies that pull customers to interact with the brand. In this respect, personalized offers and digital gifts have managed to churn out some amazing numbers in the past year for the restaurant industry.

The Good Old, but Highly Effective Gift Cards

Restaurant gift cards make a classic online gift. Gift cards from the recipients’ favorite restaurant prove to be a very considerate, attractive, and thoughtful food gift. You can offer gift cards on your e-commerce platform that can be redeemed anytime in 12-24 months. After all, who wouldn't love to enjoy one more meal at their favorite restaurant, especially if it’s a gifted one?

For instance:  Panera Bread offers variety of gift cards that can suit any kind of requirement you have: eGift Cards, Plastic Gift Cards, and Bulk Gift Cards.

Think Gifting Food Subscriptions

Does your restaurant specialize in green salads? Vegan food-box on the go?  How about giving your customers the option to not only subscribe for themselves, but also for their loved ones?  A fitness or health enthusiast would love to receive such gifts, and the demand for such gifts has skyrocketed in the past few years, showing a 135% increase in the segment amongst the fitness demographic.

For instance: Green Chef is one of the highly recommended Food Subscription Box for those recipients who prefer Low-Carb eating. Purple Carrot aims at making plant-based eating mainstream and is a to-go option for Vegans. Butcher Box is a great choice for non-vegetarians seeking high-quality meats.

Make Some Space for Booze

Since the pandemic outbreak, bars and restaurants are allowed to sell sealed, unopened bottles of wine, beer, and spirits in 32 states as licensing laws have been relaxed across the nation. Twenty of these states also allow the sale of pre-made cocktails to go. If you are yet to get your license for selling alcohol, this could be the right time. Offer your customers the flexibility and liberty to send alcohol to their loved ones in the form of gifts, with special message and a nice packing.

Text Gifting

This is the new mode of Digital Food Gifting. You, as a restaurant, can offer to send a text message with some money and a picture to the recipient with the message. The funds would be tied directly to the recipient's account at the restaurant and transfer automatically when the recipient makes a purchase at your restaurant.

Ending Note

As a result of the digitization of the restaurant industry, many gifters are now able to focus on giving and supporting local restaurants. Nowadays, consumers value experiences rather than possessions. As the saying goes, it's the thought that counts and all of the above-mentioned digital gifting modes help gifters be more thoughtful and considerate with less effort.

Rather than settling for mediocrity, you as restaurant may be able to grow topline by providing what your fans want: a thoughtful gift, delivered by professionals. By utilizing SaaS tools, every restaurant - small and large - can participate in the technology-enhanced opportunities available today.