QSRs are all about saving time – it’s in the name. And one of the key ways that customers like to save time is by ordering online. Check out these stats from Deloitte:
64% of customers prefer to order via an online app while they’re in the restaurant. A similar number (57%) prefer to order online for delivery.
40% of customers prefer to use a restaurant’s own branded online ordering service.
Whether customers order from your website or your mobile app, the message is clear: this is meeting a major need for time-strapped QSR customers. By providing this extra level of convenience, QSR brands are also fostering customer satisfaction and loyalty. But there’s more that can be done.
Customers aren’t looking for any generic ordering experience, either; they want one that reflects their own tastes and interests as well as the brand’s personality. With that in mind, this article will discuss how QSR brands can create an online ordering experience that resonates with today’s guests.
7 Ways to Create an Awesome Online Ordering Experience
Optimize Your Website for Mobile
As of 2022, 71% of QSR customers had placed at least one mobile order. Added to the stats mentioned above, this equates to a significant amount of orders coming from mobile screens. So show your mobile customers some consideration by optimizing your website for mobile – even if you also have a dedicated app.
How do you build a mobile-friendly website? Without venturing into the specifics of web design and development, we can give you a high-level overview. Essentially, you want to ensure responsive design, which automatically adapts your website’s layout – including font size, image size and placement, and the order of elements on the screen – to the size of screen it’s currently being displayed on.
You should also take into consideration page loading times; a slow load or a page that keeps refreshing can be the ultimate in frustration for a hungry and time-pressed customer. Finally, pay attention to how users navigate through your mobile site; the general rule is to minimize scrolling and zooming in/out as much as possible.
Streamline the Ordering Process
This leads into our next topic: menu navigation and design. Whether we’re talking mobile app or a website, it's especially important to understand how customers move through your menu and simplify this as much as possible. Don’t make customers scroll through endless horizontal options. If you do, you risk confusing and overloading your mobile customers. A better idea is to organize offerings into a limited number of common-sense categories and go for visual depth rather than length.
Also, pay attention to the words you use in your menu. While text needs to be concise – especially for mobile screens – it should also be clear and on-brand. The goal should be to make the entire process easy for your customers to use. A golden rule in interface design is “Don’t make the user think too hard”.
Design User-Friendly Interfaces
We've talked about designing user-friendly kiosk interfaces elsewhere in this blog. Online ordering design follows many of the same principles. The user interface should be visually appealing and intuitive. By that, we mean it should be easy for the users to use without having to think a lot about how they are going to use it.
Once again, the goal is to make things as streamlined as possible. Many apps use voice search or smart search functionalities to make finding items fast and easy. Personalization – which we will discuss in detail below – allows you to post guests’ favorite foods and most recent orders so they can easily reorder them.
A small but important detail of user interface design lies in indicating progress. This is often done using numbered order screens and order summaries, which help orient customers in the order flow.
The four points we've just discussed fall in the realm of user experience design. It's a complicated topic and one that many businesses outsource to experts. But it can make or break your customer experience, so it’s worth spending time and budget on researching and testing to get it exactly right.
Post Accurate Menu Information
Our next tactic for a better online ordering experience is simple: keep your menu up to date. This mitigates potential customer frustration from unexpected price differences and discontinued or temporarily unavailable items.
It’s also a good idea to clearly post dietary and allergen information for menu items; this will help customers make an informed decision without calling the restaurant for additional information.
Another important consideration is the type of images you use. Opt for high-quality, accurate, and appealing pictures of menu items. You can also use personalization to feature images that are customized to each user’s order history: showing lush salads to vegetarian guests and juicy steaks to meat eaters will leave a much better impression than vice versa!
Finally, don’t forget about the role of AI and data analytics behind the scenes. Guest data can help you personalize how each user experiences the menu, as we’ve just described. It can also help you craft a better menu and understand which menu items are the most popular.
Don’t Skimp on Personalization
We’ve sprinkled references to personalization throughout this article, and it’s something we mention frequently as a way to improve revenue and customer experience. QSRs are embracing personalization, and websites and mobile apps are ideal vehicles for delivering a specialized experience. So, let’s just do a quick recap of ways you can personalize the online ordering process:
Save the customer’s favorite menu items and make them easy to find for fast re-ordering.
Remember their customized orders (e.g. favorite burger or taco toppings) and offer them.
Feature menu items and images aligned with the customer’s order history.
Suggest menu items based on their preferences and those of similar guests.
Create tailored offers to each customer and present them on the app or website.
Offer Multiple Secure, Integrated Payment Systems
In 2021, the average American had nine payment methods – e.g. credit cards, debit cards, cash, etc. And studies have shown that the decrease in cash payments that started during the pandemic have continued. Add in digital options like e-wallets, PayPal, and the like, and it’s easy to see why offering multiple payment options is a must for QSRs.
Data breaches have made consumers leery about sharing their payment information. Of course, restaurant operators and third-party ordering platforms have to meet industry and legal regulations for secure data processing and storage. But it’s better to go a step further and explain to your customers, in clear and simple language, why you will need their data and how you’ll safeguard it. Using secure online protocols and displaying your online trust certifications will also help customers feel comfortable with giving you their payment info.
Provide Clear Communication and Confirmation
Once payment is complete, there’s still one more facet to a great online ordering experience: clear post-order communication. What does this look like?
Taking customers to a summary screen with comprehensive order details (order items, payment amount and method, expected delivery/pickup time).
Sending order confirmation texts, notifications, or emails.
Providing real-time order status updates.
Offering customer support channels for inquiries, changes, or issues with orders.
The Secret Sauce: Continuous Testing and Improvement
Once you’ve developed your online or mobile ordering experience, you’re not done. When you release it ‘into the wild’ and get real customers using it, you’re going to find areas of improvement. The most direct way to find these areas is by user testing (usually done during the design and development phase) and by gathering feedback from actual customers (i.e. via a post-ordering survey).
You can also use analytics to monitor various metrics, such as the time users spend per screen, how many orders are abandoned, and how quickly users can complete an order. This information – combined with conversion rates, order completion rates, and customer satisfaction scores – can provide real insight into how well your system is performing.
Once you get feedback and stats, use them to refine the ordering experience. Don’t think of this as a one-and-done project; think of it as an iterative process. Just as you regularly update your menu, you’ll also need to make regular adjustments to your online experience to keep up with changes in technology and user needs.
Your Online Ordering Experience Is Worth It
Creating an exceptional online ordering experience takes effort and investment. By implementing personalization techniques powered by the latest technology, you can meet the demands of modern QSR customers. Paying attention to design (make it user-friendly and intuitive) and communications (make them clear and frequent), will eliminate much of the frustrations associated with online ordering. And this will improve customer satisfaction, setting you up for repeat business and a boost in revenue.
If you need help with your online ordering experience, contact Tillster. We specialize in high-performing digital ordering solutions for QSR and fast casual chains.
