For years I've dreaded Black Friday. Long lines, crazed shoppers, and crowded malls make me want to hunker down at home with leftover turkey and wait for the chaos to subside. But this year offered a glimmer of hope. There was a dramatic shift in Black Friday purchases, as retailers garnered a record $3 billion in online Black Friday sales - 21.6% more than in 2015.*
This monumental digital shift has also made its way to the restaurant industry. More customers are ordering online, and have simply come to expect it to be part of a restaurant's offering. In fact, in 2016, more than half of QSR & Casual Dining customers ordered online.
But how does online ordering help restaurants? Here are three benefits of online ordering that no restaurant should overlook.
1. Increased Check Size: With elements like menu optimization and custom up-sell & cross-sell, there is a huge opportunity to grow sales through online ordering. Average check size for online and mobile orders have been noted to be 20% higher than in-store checks.**
2. Improved Marketing: Let's face it - it's nearly impossible to keep in touch with your guests once they leave your restaurant. But online ordering enables you to gather guest information, so you can really understand your customers and create meaningful dialogues with them. This builds loyalty, and gives you a strong advantage over the competition.
3. Efficiency: Online ordering allows your restaurant to process more orders, and frees up staff to help fulfill them. And, online orders are more accurate than ones taken over the phone or in-person.
It's clear that having online ordering available for your customers has compelling advantages. So as we approach 2017, make it a point to include online ordering as part of your restaurant's mix.
*Adobe 2016 Online Shopping Data **Bloomberg: How Taco Bell's Ordering App Turns Extra Onions Into Real Money
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Tillster provides QSR and Casual Dining restaurants with seamless online and mobile ordering solutions that maximize sales. Click here to learn more about our online ordering solutions.
