6 reasons online ordering is key to QSR success

In the race to remain competitive in the fast casual and QSR market, many franchises are turning to technology to help them hit their sales targets and delight their customers.

Pizza Hut made over $10 million in digital sales after investing in a super bowl ad to launch their new online ordering app and website. They surpassed last years sales figures by halftime.

Customers now expect the convenience factor that comes with online and mobile ordering, but there are huge benefits to franchise owners and even single store cafe and restaurant operators too.

Here are 6 reasons why it’s time for you to get onboard with online and mobile ordering.

1) Increase your sales

At the end of the day you have to answer to your bottom line, and online and mobile ordering helps boost this. Owner/Operator James Tucker of Habitual Fix is impressed with the impact online ordering has made to their overall sales.

“We’ve gained around 20% of our sales through the Mobi2Go online ordering system, which makes up a significant portion of our revenue.”

Furthermore, sales data shows that customers who order online spend more than in-store. Mt Vic Chippery owner Dale Keith can vouch for this.

“In the first three months of introducing the Mobi2Go platform, we received over 800 orders and these has an average order value $10 greater than orders spent in store.”

2) Speed things up

Giving customers the option to order and pay online ahead of time helps to reduce those long lines during your busy periods.

Online and mobile ordering is just like opening up extra lanes on the freeway during rush hour. With a steadier flow of traffic, you can serve more people during your busy times. It’s also a nice time saver for your customers.

3) No more phone orders

Phone orders take up a lot of time and there’s a high margin for error. With online ordering, customers do it all themselves. Both customer and the store are sent a digital record of the order, eliminating miscommunication errors and freeing up your staff to be more productive. Nick Rogers, Operations Manager of Burger Wisconsin loves the new-found efficiency in the kitchen.

“Phone call orders used to be about 70% of our ordering method. We needed two staff members per store to handle the phones. With Mobi2Go, we’ve seen a reduction in phone call orders, meaning we’ve freed up labour that can be used elsewhere in store. The staff love it”.

4) Uncover trends and business intelligence

Online ordering gives you powerful reports on key performance data. You can uncover useful information like which menu items are selling best, the types of devices people are using to order, which stores are putting through the most sales and your “VIP” repeat purchase customers. These insights will let you know how your business is performing and how to plan promotions and loyalty programmes.

5) Improve customer experience and loyalty

Encouraging customers to stay loyal is tricky, but online & mobile ordering can help with this. The system saves customers previous orders, meaning their favourite food is there waiting for them to order again next time. Mobi2Go data shows that customers who order online are more likely to make repeat purchases, and purchase frequency increases even more when customers order via mobile app.

By making the ordering process as easy as possible for your customers, you’re delivering a positive experience. Next time they come back they might even bring their friends and share it on social media.

6) Customers expect it

Online and mobile ordering has moved from “nice to have” to “must have”. People aren’t just hungry at meals, they’re also time-starved. Online ordering helps makes their life easier. If you’re not offering this service to your customers, they might head somewhere else for lunch.

If supercharging your sales, serving more customers, reducing phone orders, uncovering business insights and increasing customer loyalty are problems you’ve been trying to solve, there might be one simple answer. Online and mobile ordering. If it’s good enough for Pizza Hutt, right?

Thanks for reading. Mobi2Go is an online and mobile ordering platform made for the hospitality and quick service restaurant industry. Used by businesses in over 300 cities around the world, Mobi2Go is generating millions in monthly revenue for clients.

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