Restaurant Technical Resolutions
Last year, the adoption of technology in the industry was generalized, with the firm of delivery associations by the main actors, changes in the real world to better adapt to the impact of technology, the total climbing of the wars ofdelivery and larger brands that finally got into the mobile telephony car through loyalty programs.
Resolution #1: Owner of the relationship with the client + focus on the data
Thanks to the growth of digital orders, customers have apparently infinite options. Brands must comply with them in their terms, and try to attract, delight and retain whenever possible.
The best way to navigate this dynamic is to own the relationship with the client and the data behind it. It means to understand exactly who their clients are at the deepest levels, and take advantage of that information to inform everything, from menus planning, through the design of stores, to content marketing.
It sounds intimidating, but it is very likely that you already have some information on stalking in its existing systems. The six key variables to understand the customer base of a restaurant are the following:
- Loyalty (how long have they been spending)
- Frequency (how often they are spending)
- Channel (how they are spending)
- Order history (what they are spending)
- Location (where are they spending)
- Part of the day (when they are spending)
Together, these data points paint an image of their different customers and how they affect your business. The appropriation of the relationship with the client – and a data -oriented approach – are the basis to unlock these perceptions.
Resolution #2: Understand the paper – and the nuances – of the delivery by third parties
Orders and online delivery are here to stay, with the expectation that the market grows at ~ 4x. Mega brands such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s have promoted the initial benefits, namely ticket size and a general business increase (that is, new clients that would not have entered the store before).
This increase in income is certainly welcome, especially when the industry faces the growing labor pressures (through the minimum wage) in 2019. However, the cost is double, since restaurants lose both the margin and the property of the relationship with the client.
As analysts observe, the data of these orders strictly belong to third parties;They use them to better understand and capture customers, keeping them faithful to their service through the restaurant brand (the exception): Yum! Brands, which has an investment of 200 million dollars in Grubhub, bought access to the data).
Of course, you can’t ignore delivery directly. You need to be where customers are, and give them all the opportunities to get involved with your brand. Instead, counteracts the third parties dependence and launches your own platform.Thought in a traditional marketing context, third -party platforms are the ideal tool of ‘Top of Funnel’. They give you a digital presence on a platform with a great range, while paying a cost for traffic sent in its own way. It is a great way to make people know your brand and help them measure the quality of your food and service.
Increase this with a first -hand platform gives your brand the opportunity to turn these diners into a much more data channel. Investing enough time and resources, you can make it an effective way to retain customers.
Resolution #3: Organize with a CRM
Part of being the own relationship with the client is reduced to being organized. A CRM unlocks data through its different systems (post, delivery, loyalty), providing a unified vision of your customers. A complete image of your diners – who they are, what they like, when and where their orders – is the starting point to take advantage of their clients’ data.
Instead of a general offer for all diners that are no longer there, what would happen if you could address vegetarians who are no longer with an exclusive offer in their favorite place? Instead of offering a discount to customers from your loyalty program (why do you offer discounts to your most faithful customers?) What would happen if you could increase the frequency of orders by knowing exactly how many points they need to obtain a free reward?A CRM helps you deepen the specific behavior of customers, and helps discover the exact trends that influence your business
In general, we know that resolutions can be difficult to maintain. Therefore, even if you are not prepared for a CRM, or if you have not yet designed its delivery strategy, you should know that the success in both aspects is due to the property of the relationship with the client. It is much harder to be wrong if you keep your customers at the center of your restaurant technology strategy.
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