Cloud based software best for online ordering

Online and mobile ordering has moved from nice to have to must have, and customers now expect the convenience factor that comes with it. But is there a right or wrong way to be doing it? In short, yes.

Here are three ways you can offer online and mobile ordering to your QSR customers and the positives and negatives of each.

1) Aggregator sites: These are third party sites that host hundreds and even thousands of restaurants and food businesses. When a customer visits an aggregator site, they start by entering their location. From there, a number of options close to the customer will appear. They can then filter choices by food type, price, location and rating.

Aggregator sites are problematic for a number of reasons, and don’t have your best interests at heart. Here are some drawbacks:

They take a 10-15% cut of every sale that’s placed through their site, putting you out of pocket.

You’re competing directly with other similar restaurants in your area.

It’s hard for your brand to stand out and be recognised as all restaurants are put into the aggregator site's brand format, not yours.

You have no control over how your menu is displayed or how the ordering process works, taking the customer experience out of your hands.

Now, let’s talk about some better options….

2) Self built: Some restaurants and franchises choose to hire web design & development agencies to custom build the entire online ordering system specifically for them.

While this ensures a custom built user experience and can be uniquely tailored to your brand, it can come with a very expensive price tag, sometimes reaching the $100,000 mark.

Essentially you’re paying for a one-off project, which means if you need to make changes in the future, it’s likely you’ll incur further costs. Internet software and technology is a fast, constantly improving field, and you could run the risk of paying a lot of money for a system that will be out of date within a year or two.

So we’re getting warmer, but surely there’s a better option that this? On to the lucky last...

3) Cloud based software:

Do you have a subscription to business email, point of sale, or accounting software? If you do, it’s likely it’s cloud based, just like Mobi2Go.

Cloud based online ordering software enables you as the restaurant owner or staff member to access software and servers located in a secure data centre, managed by the software provider. It’s a subscriber based service delivered in real time over the internet.

Delivering online ordering via cloud based software has many positives:

It’s cost effective. You pay a reasonable, monthly subscription fee.

Customers find it easy to use because it’s been user experience tested to deliver an amazing online ordering experience.

It matches your brand. The software “storefront” is designed to integrate seamlessly into your existing website’s style and branding.

It gives you the control to make changes to your menu as needed without paying anything extra. You gain access to support staff to help out if you get stuck on anything.

The software is constantly being upgraded to evolve with the latest developments in online ordering technology.

You’re driving customers directly to you website, eliminating the risk of losing them to a competitor on an aggregator site.

Don’t have a website yet? No problem. Some online and mobile ordering providers will build you a one-page website to help get you started. Start your free trial with Mobi2Go here.

Thanks for reading. Follow Mobi2Go on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, check out our blog for more insights into the QSR and online technology space, or learn more about Mobi2Go online ordering software made for hospitality.