Mobile ordering at restaurants continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Providing customers easy mobile access to your restaurant is critical. A customized and up-to-date menu, complete with details, pictures, and descriptions is a great way to attract customers on-the-go.
Going Mobile Gives Customers Access
Since mobile ordering was introduced, the relationship between restaurant owners and their customers has evolved. It now includes a digital relationship, in addition to the personal relationship they may have already built.
A recent study found that millennials dine out most often compared to other generations. They are also the largest group of smartphone users. Therefore, to capture this group of customers, restaurants need to make mobile accessibility priority #1. This is to appeal to a millennial’s desire to use their phone to make decisions and purchases.
Mobile Growth
According to Business Insider Intelligence, orders placed via smartphone and mobile apps will become a $38 billion industry and make up nearly 11% of all quick-service restaurant sales by 2020.
An eMarketer study found that more than 38 million Americans used some type of mobile payment in 2016, and this figure continues to grow today.
Many fast casual restaurants already benefit from mobile ordering. Multiple pizza chains have reported an increase of 18% in overall customer spend when comparing online/mobile orders to phone orders, according to another Business Insider report. Over 48% of restaurants planned to add some form of mobile technology according to a TD Bank survey at the 2017 NRA conference.
Looking Ahead
“Digital orders will remain an outsized source of growth for the restaurant industry over the next few years, and operators who desire to grow need to embrace a digital strategy,” says David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America.
Upon the introduction of mobile ordering at restaurants, many operators were wary about quickly adopting the new technology. Adopting technology requires the appropriate time, attention, and money. Nonetheless, mobile ordering provides restaurant owners a significant return on their investment. At the end of the day, the cost and efficiency benefits of mobile ordering are worth it.
Activate Your NetWaiter Site
If you want to attract more local customers, keep them informed about your restaurant, and boost your mobile presence, check out NetWaiter’s platform and network. You can search for, and activate, your NetWaiter site and app here:
