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.

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Use Online Ordering to Tackle Sales this Fall Sports Season

Use Online Ordering to Tackle Sales this Fall Sports Season

Posted by Tim on September 19, 2014
Fall is a triple witching time for a restaurant’s takeout and delivery business.  Summer travel schedules are mostly done, allowing for more routine dining.  Takeout and delivery gets a boost in business from the double punch of college and professional football games. Then add October for playoff baseball and the World Series.  Some people love ordering in and enjoying the game at home, rather than visiting their local watering hole.

What sells during game time?  Wings see a 45% increase in takeout orders during football season, while orders for beef and broccoli see a 26% jump in the Chinese food category.  Pizza, of course, is off the charts during sporting events.

What can you do to draw that online takeout business to your restaurant?  Here are some tips:

•    Promote specials to customers ordering online.  Order an appetizer for a game and get 50% off a second appetizer.
•    Craft entree and combos that are particularly applicable because they work well for takeout.  These online combos should be “guy-oriented” – like pizza, wings, sandwiches, chips and guacamole - things that go well with sporting events and groups of enthusiastic spectators.

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