Every industry is scrambling to catch up with the advancement of technology. One of the most important things we have learned throughout this tech revolution is that online services are here to stay, and made life easier when the entire world was bottled up due to the pandemic. The COVID-19 invoked an enormous shift in the real world, igniting a gigantic leap in the digital world. The restaurant industry was no different and came out with all sorts of ideas to minimize human contact via technology. Digital ordering, therefore, has revolutionized the entire dining industry by making the ordering process systematic and boosting restaurant sales even at a time of crisis.
It is crucial to point out that digital orders in restaurants were increasing at a rate of 23% annually even before the pandemic. Considering the current scenario, digital ordering got a further impetus with an ever-growing customer belt, exponential sales curve, and of course, rising revenues.
Hence, restaurants these days are opting for the new digital life. Restaurants understood the development quite well. As a result, not only did they start providing efficient contactless services, but they also showed promising economic growth in this period of financial crunch.
5 Ways Digital Ordering Helps Boost Restaurant Sales
Did you know that the Indian online delivery market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 28.94% in the next five forecasted years? The stat is quite evident of the fact that digital ordering is changing the game of the global restaurant industry. Here are a few ways digital ordering lifts your restaurant sales.
1. Easy Ordering With Websites And Third-party Applications
Modern technology has made everything accessible with a click. If someone stumbles onto your restaurant’s website, they will likely click on something if the content interests them. Most people could end up ordering from your restaurant if they find your website attractive. So, it is important to maintain the quality of your website.
Attractive pictures of interiors and appealing images of food grab users’ attention, thereby increasing the probability of making a sale. Not just this, an easy-to-navigate user interface makes the customer experience more enjoyable, which likely results in customers ordering from your outlet.
On the other hand, delivery partners like Zomato and Swiggy provide their digital ordering platform to support restaurants in increasing their sales. In addition, they help in improving your lead by advertising through Pay-Per-Click services or putting up your restaurant in the ‘sponsored’ section of their platform accessed by millions. Furthermore, the discounted prices of your items increase the chances of closing orders.
2. Easy Integration With POS Facilitates Better Order Management
Integrating with a POS lets you receive food orders through multiple online channels. It is usually the first thing that restaurateurs must look forward to enhancing the efficiency of their restaurant business.
When you receive orders online via POS, you get two significant benefits. First, the entire procedure is automated. The orders are received in a central dashboard, making them easier to manage and avoid discrepancies.
Second, the POS software allows restaurant operators to track their business and draw meaningful insights to expand their business. The provision of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly detailed reports help the restaurant operators gauge their sales, analyze them, and make the desired improvements for the future.
3. Greater Customer Retention
Majority of the time, when a customer receives a food discount notification or a limited-time exclusive deal on their devices, the probability of ordering increases. This is one of the best tricks restaurants can implement to increase sales. They make sure to perfectly market their incentives through emails, SMS, social media, websites, etc.
Since digital ordering is always associated with a restaurant POS or third-party applications, there is always an option of carrying out attractive loyalty programs for regular and loyal customers so that they feel valued from time to time.
Loyalty programs can be easily integrated with online ordering and delivery services such that they provide visit-based or order frequency-based points to the customers for them to redeem later. This way the customers are motivated to keep coming back to your restaurant for more attractive and better discounts.
4. Improved Delivery Services
Restaurants that have enabled digital ordering services establish hassle-free delivery and pickup. The steps to order online, browse through the menu, provide the location, and make the payment are basic. This surely gives an edge to online ordering over traditional practices. As a result, the customers are more satisfied and it aids sales.
Since digital ordering applications like Swiggy and Zomato and other online ordering platforms are usually integrated with the restaurant POS software, tracking every order and providing customers with efficient delivery services becomes easier.
5. All The More Convenient In Time Of COVID-19
In the wake of COVID-19, digital ordering has proven to be a boon for restaurateurs. With the introduction of online ordering platforms and QR code ordering, the restaurants aim to minimize the touchpoints and give their best to protect their patrons from the contagious virus giving peace of mind to the buyers.
Moreover, with digital menus that can be accessed easily by scanning QR codes, customers are quite at peace while dining. Digital ordering has thus increased restaurant sales from online and offline channels by regaining customer trust.
The ever-increasing number of tech-savvy customers is fueling the need for digital ordering. To be successful in this world, it is important to blend. So restaurateurs, if you want to capitalize on your full potential, why not keep this trick up your sleeves and leverage the most out of digital ordering to enhance your restaurant sales!
