It’s a new decade, and if you haven’t taken your restaurant into the mobile world, it’s time to do so. Don’t believe us? Here are some statistics about online ordering and mobile ordering apps for restaurants which demonstrate the digital transformation which is taking place:
- Digital ordering and delivery has grown 300% faster than dine-in traffic since 2014
- 45% of consumers say that offering mobile ordering or loyalty programs would encourage them to use online ordering services more often
- 67% of customers who have placed an order online will visit the restaurant more frequently versus those who have not
- Restaurant visits paid by mobile app increased by 50% from 2017-18
- Mobile represents 60% of all digital restaurant orders today
One way to join this digital transformation which benefits both restaurant operations and the customer user experience is by incorporating a mobile ordering app into your restaurant. It may sound complicated, but with proper planning, adding an app into your business can be simple. The right app (and app provider) can provide a simple user experience, easy restaurant setup, and detailed order management.
Read on to discover the many advantages of a mobile ordering app, how to seamlessly integrate an app into your existing restaurant operations, and things to look for when choosing a mobile app provider.
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What are the Advantages of a Mobile Ordering App?
Above, we discussed how online ordering is making waves in the world, but here’s how exactly can a mobile ordering app benefit your restaurant:
- Customers can order anywhere: Today’s customers are on the go; in fact, a mere 45% of QSR customers prefer to place orders through employees. A mobile ordering app can cater to this modern lifestyle by allowing patrons to places orders from home, from work, on the way to the restaurant, and even at the table.
- Great user experience: Simply put, mobile ordering apps (when properly executed) are simple, and simplicity means a great user experience! Apps make it easy to present your menu in a visually appealing and intuitive format.
- Improved management: Mobile ordering apps can make it a lot easier to manage and analyze sales data. Discover which items sell the best and worst, and which days/times experience the highest and lowest sales. These improved insights can help determine if you should increase or decrease pricing for select items, if you should start a “happy hour” to boost sales during slow times, and more.
- Upselling opportunities: The numbers are in, and self-ordering and apps officially mean more money in your pocket. A whopping 20% of consumers say they spend more on off-premise orders compared to a regular dine-in experience, and the average online pizza order is 18% higher than orders made by phone call!
- Increased efficiency: Time is money. So is an incorrectly placed order. By adopting a mobile ordering app for your restaurant, you’ll experience more accurate orders which are placed faster than before. Efficiency saves!
How to Fit a Mobile Ordering App into Existing Back-of-House Operations
Incorporating a mobile ordering app into your restaurant can be surprisingly easy. It is possible to reap the rewards of an app without making drastic changes to your existing restaurant operations.
By launching a mobile ordering app and continuing to use printed kitchen tickets, you don’t need to update back-of-house operations, which can be costly and inefficient. The right kitchen printer featuring high reliability, fast printing speed, and modern connectivity options can stay in your kitchen for years to come.
Continuing to use your current back-of-house technology, like a kitchen printer, is sure to please your employees, who won’t need to waste time and effort learning a new system. You can give your customers a modern, digital experience while keeping operations running smoothly and without changing the daily tasks which your employees are used to and perform efficiently.
Tips for Choosing a Mobile Ordering App Provider
Now that we’ve covered the advantages of a mobile ordering app and how to smoothly incorporate an app into your existing back-of-house operations, you may be wondering how to get started. The first step is choosing the right mobile ordering app provider. While every restaurant’s needs vary, below are some general guidelines to refer to while searching for a mobile app provider:
- Affordable prices: This one speaks for itself. The reason you’re rolling out a mobile ordering app is to make more money, so be sure to choose a provider which offers affordable prices.
- A full offering: For a fully streamlined experience, choose a provider which provides self-service kiosks and kitchen display systems (if desired), as well as mobile apps.
An example of Star’s partner Flash Order’s white labeled iOS mobile app - White-labeled: Be sure to choose a provider whose app features high quality functionality, a clean design, and white labeling so that the app can feature your restaurant’s branding.
- Easy to integrate: One of the most important things to look for is an app which can be integrated with your existing POS hardware and software.
- Technical support: Finally, it is wise to choose a provider which offers dependable technical support, especially at setup and installation.
Flash Order, a Star partner, offers all the above and more. With a full portfolio including self-ordering kiosks, white-labeled iOS mobile apps, web app ordering, and kitchen display systems – all integrated with Square – Flash Order has what your restaurant needs to enjoy the benefits of going digital while continuing to use its tried-and-true operations.
