The Restaurant M-commerce

With Smartphone-use on the rise and our ever-growing dependency on technology, it would seem only justified to say that ‘mobile commerce’ or ‘m-commerce’ is the ‘in thing’. What started off as an experiment has now turned into a fad, nothing short of a mania.

Loosely meaning ‘the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless handheld devices’, m-commerce has definitely come a long way. Originally coined by Kevin Duffey in 1977, the term has come to represent an entire cult existing in majority all over the world. Mostly due to smartphone users turning to their phones rather than their desktops and laptops as their primary source of Internet use.

The medium that has expanded the popularity of m-commerce by leaps and bounds is mobile-ordering. Especially mobile-ordering for restaurants. Be it mobile apps, mobile websites or QR codes.

While discussing about the various privileges that mobile ordering for restaurants offers, the most obvious one that pops to one’s mind is convenience. A phone with an Internet connection is all one needs to order food, thanks to custom-made mobile apps for restaurants. No more waiting till one is near a desktop or laptop.

Since customers are with their mobile phones all the time, mobile ordering for restaurants can be a huge relief for some as it makes their hectic lives easier. No wonder, restaurants using m-commerce are apt to show a marked increase in customers and orders.

Ever since smartphones have come in, phonebooks have gone out of trend. Because afterall, everybody uses their handy devices. How restaurants can exploit this situation is by using the perks offered by m-commerce and putting their mobile-app right on the customers’ home screes which would make mobile ordering easier for eateries. It’s not only too easy or always available but also up-to-date and right a click away!

Recent surveys have shown that customers using apps for mobile-ordering from restaurants tend to order in more than usual because they don’t just go through the menu but also get to view enticing images of food. Hence, custom mobile apps are a great way to show customers how great food is at one’s restaurant and in turn watch one’s order size grow steadily.

Eateries need to keep few things in mind though, while promoting mobile ordering for restaurants.

1. “Keeping it quick” would be extremely helpful for customers because they usually use smartphones to look up things in traffic, at work or while travelling and hence quick access and efficiency is a must. Hence mobile apps/sites should include the most important things at a single click.
2. Highlighting the menu alongwith including mouth-watering visuals of food would prove to be extremely effective as it is one of the most important factors of mobile ordering and is considered a wise strategy as far as m-commerce is concerned.
3. Choosing the right mobile partner is very crucial as that is an important factor in roping in clients and as well as keeping them coming back.

It’s never too late to join the bandwagon of m-commerce as it’s where all the potential clients are. And they’ll be drawn only when one goes above and beyond great food and makes an effort to connect with them on a one-on-one basis and showing one’s commitment in actually serving them.