Online Ordering: Why It is Crucial and How to Do It Seamlessly
We lead a life that is surrounded by technology. With technology, people are able to simplify processes and make them more convenient, whether they are communicating with friends and family or paying for groceries or food. Restaurants have also used it with great success. Systems like POS systems, digital menus for online ordering, and inventory tracking are automating routine tasks that were once tedious.
A high level of competition and consumer taste buds led restaurants to adopt new technologies even before many people were aware of the novel coronavirus. With the pandemic reacting to the industry and struggling to recover from job losses and business closures, technology is more crucial than ever to help the industry succeed.
A growing number of companies are now offering online food delivery services, and this is the best way to thrive amid these saturated market conditions. As a restaurateur, you can boost your revenue flow by expanding your clients base online.
Approximately 60% of restaurants fail in their first year. Companies that survive are often challenged by increasingly high customer expectations, health and safety standards, and financial risks. But restaurants are gradually recognizing the advantages of online ordering systems.
Restaurant services are increasingly accessed via technology by today's diners. For restaurants to compete in today's market, the ability to accept online reservations, take out, and pick up is a must. This blog will discuss the significance of online ordering for restaurants and how one should adopt it for seamless transactions.
Online Ordering is The Gateway to Restaurant's Growth
We all might have gone from this situation:
You are craving pizza, The craving has struck, and now that you heard about this new spot nearby, you're ready to place an order. The restaurant's website is the first result when you type in the restaurant's name into Google. Your first impression of the website is that it is easy to navigate and features an order button at the top. Your food will be delivered fresh by a friendly driver after you place your order. Isn't it amazing and super easy? Yes, it is.
The customer could experience this when they crave one of your specialties but prefer to eat it at home rather than visiting the restaurant. This is the sole reason why the online food delivery business is growing because customers today prefer "convenience" over anything else.
A study conducted by CHD Expert reflects that restaurants will experience various revenue sources:
- Takeout delivery will be estimated to generate $124 billion in sales in upcoming years.
- Takeout with delivery from a restaurant will soon reach $32 billion
- Takeout with delivery from third-party delivery apps will cross the $13 billion mark
What do these statistics stand for? The survival of your restaurant business depends on swiftly adapting to the growing online ordering trend. In order to save huge commissions on each order, more and more restaurants are adopting their own delivery app and joining this trend to grow to utilize the possibilities offered by digital ordering.
Online Ordering is Imperative for Survival
Customers are highly inclined towards digital solutions, whether they want to make payments, order food, or communicate with distant friends or relatives; penetration of mobile technology is increasing day by day.
Using applications to order food is becoming more popular each day. In a restaurant, as in many other sectors, the technology enables them to personalize their services while they reward and enable their customers to take part. Here are some reasons why restaurants need to jump on the bandwagon of online ordering:
- Able to connect with a number of customers using a single interface
- Fulfill needs of modern patrons
- Can create a strong customer base in a short time
- Online ordering is the key to unlock higher sales
- Enhance online visibility
- Monitor each order and track the delivery provider's activity
Above are the major reasons why restaurants today or tomorrow have to opt for digital ordering because it is the best way to beat the competition and stay ahead of the curve. From streamlining repetitive tasks to the digital menus to enhance the customer experience to eliminate order error, digital ordering has much more to offer.
Now that you understand why having an online ordering solution for your restaurant is critical. But how to implement such technology that ensures an amazing online experience to customers and prevents your business from slipping through your fingers.
Don't Close Your Restaurant, Better Implement Technology
The future of the restaurant industry is technology. The advent of new technologies has given restaurants the ability to provide their clients with an experience that is more personalized and more fun than ever before. Restaurant entrepreneurs are joining the digitization in the restaurant's bandwagon due to the unprecedented change in the industry.
Are you keeping up with your competitors?
If yes, then it's wonderful. But some novice and small restaurant owners are unaware of modern technology solutions and often believe that it's a time-consuming and expensive affair. Well, this is not true. Here we will discuss how to get started with online ordering and make your restaurant business stand out from others. Here we go.
Partner with Third-party Delivery Websites or Develop Your Own
Ordering food has become a cakewalk since popular food delivery apps like GrubHub, Postmates, Zomato, Doordash, etc., have become household names. More and more restaurants, especially new and small restaurants, list themselves on these apps to bring more sales and customers.
From creating a digital menu to secure payment options to customer ratings and feedback, third-party delivery apps have it all. But payment of commission on each order is the major reason why restaurants opt for their own solutions. If you want to go for custom solutions, make sure you have incorporated all the modern features to deliver a slick customer experience.
Electronic Payroll
Automating your employees' pay can also streamline the process. Paying employees online or by direct deposit has become a common practice in many restaurants. Cheques can be saved, time is saved, money is saved, and accounts are easier to track. Automation of payroll would be a wonderful tool to make your restaurant's outgoing finances more efficient. Once you develop a good system, you'll have more time on your hands.
Digital Menus
Restaurants usually update their menus about three to four times a year. This can be expensive as we all find it time-consuming. Hence, opting for a digital menu is the ultimate way to go as it saves time, cost, and energy. Having a digital menu board makes it easy to update dishes anytime, so you don't have to wait for your next menu print when you want to introduce a new menu item.
Digital Payment Systems
In addition to introducing a digital ordering system, you should also implement an automated payment system to pay when they order. There is an average delay of 12 minutes between the moment a diner requests the bill and the moment they leave a restaurant.
This is costly to a business because tables are occupied unnecessarily and potentially drive away other clients since many diners aren't prepared to wait more than 15 minutes. Diners will soon pay up and leave when your payment system is automated, so you'll be able to seat your next group of diners sooner.
Tapping into the Possibilities that Online Ordering Is Offering
It is no wonder to know that online ordering has become a norm and transformed the restaurant industry from its roots. The sheer number of startups and funding in this particular industry is overwhelming. Launching an online ordering system surely offers you business resiliency, efficiency, and consistency.
