Ensuring the digital experience is done correctly
Mobile apps are the most effective means of enabling digital ordering, whether the guest chooses to collect the order personally or opts for home delivery. However, mobile apps are progressing to incorporate loyalty programs, guest feedback, and online ordering into a single platform.
Overall guest satisfaction indeed increases as a brand engages with its guests more through digital means. The 2023 Paytronix Online Ordering Report indicates that guests who utilize a first-party app tend to spend more, offer better tips, and return more frequently. Apps positively affect a brand’s ratings on Google and Yelp.
Digital touches play a crucial role, whether they occur on the front end by presenting relevant offers to guests or on the back end where the restaurant team can create strategic offers. In general, a great digital channel experience leads to happier guests who return more frequently.
Utilize a pre-existing mobile platform Unless a brand possesses the financial resources and IT personnel required for the development and upkeep of a tailored mobile app, it is more logical to opt for a white label app that can be adapted to reflect the brand’s unique appearance.
However, not all mobile platforms are the same. It is crucial to look for a platform that provides a thorough mobile experience with shared data across essential functions such as online ordering and loyalty. The app should feature SMS capabilities to allow for one-to-one messaging communication with guests. Ultimately, it is the genuinely individualized mobile experience that will cause a substantial change in expenditure between digital and phone orders.
Moreover, a great mobile platform should have the capability to recognize individual mobile subscribers based on the store they visit most often. This allows the brand to display featured menu items, distinguish these items across different stores, and present tailored offers to guests who are most likely to frequent that particular store.
Single sign-on The significance of on-demand access is paramount. With a progressive mobile platform, guests can conveniently download a brand’s app and sign up for their loyalty program simultaneously. Single sign-on simplifies the ordering and rewards processes while removing time-consuming obstacles that could change the guest journey.
Guests may become frustrated by the requirement of too many passwords, which can hinder their ability to redeem or collect loyalty points they have earned and affect the data obtained from that transaction. As every guest touchpoint is processed via a unified sign-on, brands can utilize this data to gain insights into the guest’s identity, the factors influencing their decision to visit the restaurant, and their interactions with the brand.
Guest feedback A key feature of a premium mobile app is the capability to track and react to guest feedback. By incorporating a direct and immediate feedback loop into the app, guests are provided with a means to share their feedback that goes straight to each store operator. Quickly addressing negative feedback is crucial for preventing unhappy guests from turning to Google and Yelp, where they are likely to leave public complaints.
Even though they sting when you get them, every bad review is really a chance to enhance the overall brand experience. To mend the relationship, a brand can provide a discount for the next visit. This frequently guarantees the guest’s return, ideally to discover that the negative aspects of their experience have been addressed.
With rising overall ratings, customer satisfaction and orders also rise. The 2023 Paytronix Online Ordering Report indicates that brands experienced a significant change in guest behavior when reviews received responses, even if those responses were produced by AI. Guests who receive a response, including those who provide unfavorable reviews, have a 23% higher order frequency and give ratings that are 22% higher upon their subsequent visits.
Tailored messaging When communicating individually, it is necessary to tailor both the messaging and the visuals for each guest. It involves dividing customers into segments and presenting relevant offers to individuals at the appropriate time. This involves being aware of which day of the week guests prefer to arrive and subsequently timing promotional efforts according to the likelihood of individuals wanting to dine out on that specific day.
The opposite consists of being able to encourage people to pay visits. As an example, strategically aim to encourage a guest who comes biweekly to visit on their week off. With a good offer, these guests can become weekly visitors.
In addition, there are localized offers tailored to each store. This could serve as a fundraiser for a local charitable organization or a school event. It might also take the form of a more tactical offer, like informing people that being a fan of Taylor Swift is valued with an offer whenever Taylor comes to town. To demonstrate interest and respect for guests, messaging should be as contemporary and pertinent as possible.
Ease of use A mobile application simplifies the process for guests to display their offers to restaurant staff. Staff also finds it simpler to address issues like logging in with an incorrect phone number or taking advantage of offers regardless of their ordering method.
It is advisable for a mobile app to include self-service design elements that facilitate real-time publishing of content and special promotions by marketing personnel. Additionally, it ought to utilize advanced segmentation to aid in crafting hyper-personalized messages and promotions, as well as provide access to geofencing tools for delivering store-specific promotions and messages.
Features that are centralized
It’s invaluable to have real estate on a guest’s phone, so it’s best to capitalize on it. An excellent mobile app should bring together all aspects—such as online ordering, loyalty programs, and gift cards—into a single, easily accessible location. It also facilitates the tracking of all facets of guest engagement, enabling a brand to utilize that information for rigorous testing and learning. This can serve as a significant resource for understanding what is effective and what is not.
With great analytics, a brand can examine all aspects, ranging from empirical data footprints to transaction details. Survey tools enable a brand to ask guests for subjective feedback, like their preferences regarding a particular menu item, in real time. As a result, the brand can strategize its upcoming actions.
Today, the digital ordering channel has evolved beyond merely serving as a means for customers to place orders. It forms part of the continuing dialogue between guest and brand. This is a crucial reason for brands to possess their own first-party mobile application. Brands are finding that their most valuable digital customers are also their most loyal ones, highlighting the need for the entire guest engagement ecosystem to be aligned in order to maximize value.