Serving the “Need States” of Online Customers, Part 3 – Impulse Customers

Posted by Tim on December 1, 2014
This is Part 3 in a series of articles about attracting the “need states” of online restaurant customers - the needs and key decision-making points of each customer segment.  Part 1 addressed Special Occasion Customers.  Part 2 addressed Routine Customers.  Today we address Impulse Customers.

Impulse Customers.  These are folks that make spontaneous dining decisions.  Here’s what you need to capture their attention:

  • Good Web Visibility.  This is especially needed with mobile devices where the likelihood of an impulse purchase increases. Make sure your website is mobile friendly.  Your NetWaiter site is already optimized for mobile devices, so you can redirect visitors directly to your custom NetWaiter page if needed.
  • Price Point.  The price point for this type of customer is often lower.  They may also trend towards ordering more snacks, rather than full meals.  They want to see options that fit their lower price points when searching your online menu. 

Impulse customers can also be found locally.  Make sure you do things that attract these patrons.

  • Email Marketing.  More and more people live their lives through their smartphones.  Reaching them while they’re ‘on-the-go’ isn’t a bad thing.  If they like what they see, they may be inclined to take action right then.
  • The LTO.  Limited time offers tap into the marketing tactic of “get it now or miss out.”  Offer them a special online-only deal, with a very limited window for them to take advantage.  Just make sure the offer gets to them before lunch/dinner.
  • Make It Effortless.  With NetWaiter, over 68% of customers choose to pre-pay online for their pickup or delivery order, if provided a choice.  Pre-payment makes it a smooth, quick transaction.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the need states of customers change.  Every customer, at one time or another, will be in one of these three need states we discussed.  Appeal to each one of these need states, and you will reliably attract more customers.

Important Stats on Mobile Devices and Restaurant Technology

Posted by Tim on November 14, 2014
Recent research by the National Restaurant Association reveals stats that show just how important your restaurant's online ordering business is to certain customer segments:

Consumers that own smartphones or tablets:
  • 90% of 18 to 34-year-olds.
  • 89% of 34 to 44-year-olds.
  • 62% of 45 to 55-year-olds.
  • 60% of 55 to 64-year-olds.
  • 34% of those 65 and over.
Takeaway: Mobile devices are quickly becoming the instrument of preference when it comes to online ordering.
 
Consumers that report they use restaurant technology more than they did two years ago:
  • 53% of 18 to 34-year olds (Millennials).
  • 43% of 35 to 44-year olds.
  • 26% of 55 to 64-year olds (Baby Boomers).
 
Takeaway: Millennials are still the sweet spot for online ordering, but the customer base is expanding in all age segments.

What Influences Customers Online?

Posted by Tim on November 7, 2014
What influences a customer when making a purchase online?  Although these stats* apply to all online purchases, they are very much applicable to restaurants and restaurant online ordering.


Site Speed and Visuals:
•    After waiting 3 seconds, 57% of visitors will abandon a site if it’s still loading.  80% of those people will never return.
•    Visitors will leave a site within 10 to 20 seconds if it doesn’t immediately resonate with them or provide value.
This is why it’s critical your online ordering site is fully branded to your restaurant.  Customers need to ‘connect’ with your brand immediately or you may lose their business.  If your website links to a portal – you’re most likely losing a lot of business.
•    92.6% say visuals are the top factor influencing a purchase decision.
Showing high quality images of items on your menu can really benefit online sales.

Checkout Process:
•    67.4% of shoppers across all types of sites will abandon the checkout process.  That means just over 30% of visitors complete a purchase they start.  
With NetWaiter, nearly 80% of visitors complete a transaction after they select their first item.  That’s a HUGE difference.

Top Reasons for Abandonment Include:
•    41% - Hidden charges at checkout.
•    10% - Lengthy checkout process.
NetWaiter’s goal is to get the customer through the ordering process in as few clicks as possible – hence our very high conversion rate.

Other Interesting Information on Abandonment:
•    Men are more likely to abandon a purchase.
•    25 to 44 year-olds are the worst offenders when it comes to giving up on a purchase.
Considering the importance of this age group to online ordering.  This is why it’s critical to make the online ordering experience quick and easy for customers.
*Credit to The Marketing Donut and other sources.

What It Takes To Attract Millennials

Posted by Tim on November 7, 2014
Millennials – adults 18 to 35 years old – are the ideal candidates for restaurant online ordering.  Many of them don’t remember a time before the Internet.  Most of them have a connected device within arm’s reach, day or night, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.  Restaurant online ordering is natural for them.

There are, however, some things you need to know about this group – things that can make a difference for your restaurant and your online ordering business…

20% Less.  Millennials, as a group, currently eat out 20% less than other demographic groups. The Great Recession affected them profoundly.  They aren’t afraid to cook for themselves; however, they don’t like to cook all of the time.

The Amazon Generation.  Millennials don’t remember a time when there was no Amazon.com.  The result: they expect a user-centric, friction-free experience with their business transactions.

Loyalty.  Millennials are loyal, so much so that they don’t need or care a lot about loyalty programs.  A friction-free experience is much more important.  As a group, millennials are the least likely to review sites such as Yelp when making decisions.  They know what they want.

Window of Opportunity.  More than 50% of millennials make their buying decision in the six-hour window before they eat, with 29% of that group admitting that the window is closer to one-hour.  17% of millennials don’t even plan that far in advance.  Getting your message to them when they are deciding is important.  Millennials also like businesses that communicate with technologies they prefer – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Key Lessons:
•    Millennials expect consistent and convenient service more than discounts and loyalty clubs.
•    Communicate frequently and with the right platforms to reach millennials.  Stay top-of-mind so they choose your restaurant whenever they decide to place an order.
•    Make your takeout and delivery as convenient as possible.  Millennials may dine at restaurants less, but they don’t always want to cook for themselves.  Your restaurant’s online ordering site is the key to their dilemma.

Serving the “Need States” of Online Customers, Part 2 – Routine Customers

Posted by Tim on October 29, 2014
This is Part 2 in a series of articles about attracting the “need states” of online customers - the needs and key decision-making points of each customer segment.  The last piece addressed Special Occasion Customers.  Today we address Routine Customers.

Routine Customers.  According to a recent survey in the restaurant industry, about 30% of patrons account for 60% of the traffic in a restaurant.  These are the customers you want.  What interests these Routine Customers?

• Convenience.  There are things you can do to enhance convenience beyond just the ability to order from a mobile phone – specified takeout parking and a separate pickup line for takeout orders inside your restaurant are both great.  If possible, you can step it up another level and add curbside delivery in your parking lot.

• Outreach to the local area.  We know of a sandwich shop that partnered with a property manager, supplying complementary salads as part of a tenant appreciation day at a local office complex.  Each complimentary salad included a card with an online ordering promo code.  Every person within the office complex immediately knew about their restaurant, how good their salads are, and had a discount on their next online order. 

• More outreach. Respond to what’s going on in the community.  Harsh weather?  What kind of special offer can you email to your customers to help alleviate their pain?  A well-known burger chain in California sent their mobile truck to the site of some local flooding a number of years ago and handed out free burgers.  Talk about developing word of mouth!

Up Next: Part 3 - Attracting impulse customers to order online.

New Upgrades for NetWaiter; Mobile Ordering Enhanced

Posted by Tim on October 18, 2014
You may have noticed NetWaiter recently released some upgrades to its restaurant online ordering system.  So far, the customer feedback has been great and we hope you’re hearing good things too.  Here are a few of the upgrades:

More Attractive Site – NetWaiter has created a smoother, more attractive site for customers as they navigate their way through your online ordering site.  The general ordering process has not changed much, however, please feel free to evaluate your custom site design to determine if any ‘refreshing’ may be warranted.

Enhanced Mobile Ordering – Your site is now more user friendly on mobile devices.  Your previous mobile site has been upgraded for easier navigation and performance.  NetWaiter has also extended the Group Ordering feature to be available from mobile devices.  Previously, customers could only join a Group Order from their mobile device.  Now you can initiate a Group Order from any device/computer.

Stronger URL Branding – Previously, when a customer visited your NetWaiter online ordering site, the URL would be shown as www.netwaiter.com/Your_Restaurant. Now, your restaurant name is shown first, to better reflect your restaurant and brand: Your_Restaurant/netwaiter.com.  You do not need to make any changes to the links you have on your website – customers will automatically be redirected.

Serving the “Need States” of Online Customers, Part 1 – The Special Occasion Customer

Posted by Tim on October 18, 2014