Commentary

“No restaurant segment or brand is immune to focus on enhancing the customer experience,” McDonald’s CFO Kevin Ozan said late last year. He went on saying the brand would invest two-thirds of its capital in accelerating guest experience.

The economic tsunami that hit retailers with a mighty force was unavoidable. It caused the closure of thousands of stores from across the world - from well-known brands to unknown stores - the waves did not discriminate.

…or just not feeling all that well?

Did you know that mobile food ordering has now eclipsed ordering via the telephone in most markets? Additionally, the reach of restaurant categories that weren’t typical delivery options has been extended; historically Pizza, Chinese and perhaps Italian sandwiches were common, but much of what you will find in the mobile sphere nowadays wasn’t available for delivery. In the mid-90s, McDonald’s offered bike delivery in China, but that was certainly an early move in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) space to explore the field. But the playing field has changed and every food outlet, ranging from a well operated QSR, fast casual to a luxury, Michelin-starred restaurant has the potential to see growth “in the bag” as bags leave to cater to those who ordered to go/takeaway for delivery.

It’s no secret that the mobile phone is one of the definitive technologies of this generation, which has made its offspring, the mobile application or simply mobile app, increasingly quintessential in the arsenal of QSR digital order marketing.

While it is true that the modern business can only thrive when they focus on customer experience, product quality and technological prowess, there’s one often overlooked quality that QSR brands must master if they wish to woo the digital ordering crowd: Authenticity.

The great digital ordering war is brewing – at least that’s what QSR executives and trend forecasters are predicting as foodservice digital ordering reached 117 million visits and $1.2b last year.

The foodservice digital ordering in Australia has racked up 117m visits and $1.2b last year, based on The NPD Group.

How Can QSRs and Restaurants Use the Global Pre-Ordering Trend to Their Advantage?

Written by Peter Buckingham CFE CMC.

Written by Steve Champion, director of ER Strategies Pty Ltd.

Written by Simon Fonteyn, BCOM BIPVal, MMGT, AAPI - Managing Director, Leasing Information Systems.

Written by Simone Allan, Founder and Director of Mondo Search.

Written by Peter Buckingham, managing director of Spectrum Analysis Australia Pty Ltd.

Written by Thomas Webb.

Written by Michele Walton, Nutrition Communications Advisor at Australian Food and Grocery Council.