Many of our homes and businesses in Australia, the days of menus in a drawer and phoning in takeaway orders are quickly coming to a end, especially for the next generation of smartphone and tablet enabled customers. Online and mobile food and beverage ordering is exploding in popularity due to its ease, and local restaurants and cafes are discovering that mobile apps that allow customers to place takeaway orders offer a new revenue stream at a time when, for many, revenue is sorely needed.
Below are 8 reasons why local restaurants and cafes should have mobile ordering apps created as soon as possible.
1. Customers spend more when using online & mobile apps
Its quite simple, customers order more food when they order food using an app. If you want to make each order count, an app is the way to go!
2. Customers are already using restaurant and cafe ordering apps
About 40% of customers have already placed an order for food and/or beverages online and that number is increasing everyday. That means, the technology is not so new that many people are unfamiliar with it. Instead, comfort with online food and beverage ordering is growing quickly.
3. It keeps your business fresh
In general, the food service industry is well aware of the possibilities presented by restaurant and cafe ordering apps, but don’t know where to start. Information shows that, 70% of restaurateurs and cafe owners think it is an “up-and-coming” innovation, which raises the next more problematic point:
4. Your competitors may already be ahead of you
20% of takeaway service restaurants already allow customers to submit orders from their smartphones and tablets. Are your competitors snagging orders from your  customers that would prefer to order from you? In many markets, those with ordering apps are gaining ground, and those without it are losing it.
5. You can share information and generate business
Interestingly, some people want daily information (but only from certain senders)! Approximately 40% of customers reported that they’d like to get an email each day from a favorite restaurant or cafe detailing the specials for the day. An ordering app can include this functionality, and enable you to stay in touch (and top-of-mind) with customers. You can even use Push Notifications to let your customers know about these specials or your events to get more people through the doors during quieter times.
6. Smartphone & Tablet Mobile orders boost repeat business
Orders from smartphone and tablet users are more frequent than orders submitted to your restaurant or cafe other ways. Not only do Mobilise Solutions mobile apps get you larger orders, but they get you more of them! That is, mobile ordering apps let you maximize the value of each customer in the long term.
7. Smartphone and Tablet Mobile orders can become a significant percentage of your business
Some of the larger restaurants and/or cafes can get 25% or more of their orders from mobile devices. Mobile ordering isn’t a trickle of orders; it’s a meaningful amount of business. In fact, some restaurants and cafes see enough new business to dedicate a line in their kitchen solely to online & mobile orders. If you could use that kind of a boost to your restaurant or cafe, an ordering app just might deliver it.
8. Your business will make more money
Considering all of the above, this conclusion is a safe bet: a restaurant or cafe ordering app will directly help your restaurant or cafe generate more income. For a small expense up-front, you get a new revenue stream that helps you find new customers and keep old ones happy. It will also help you remain top of mind with your customers.
When it comes to the menu, sometimes the classics are the best. But when it comes to business, however, it can be costly to turn your back on an innovation that has reached the tipping point.