Online food ordering is not an unexpected rise, after all it is following the modern trend in ordering patterns in every sector from supermarkets to clothes. To select one example, in the year 2000 Dominos was receiving 100,000 online orders and by 2015 it was reeling in 600 million. This trend aligns with the idea that Ireland is heading for a more cashless society. Figures from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) reveal that consumers are increasingly using cards rather than cash. New food delivery companies are making huge inroads against traditional restaurants that provide their own delivery service. It’s clear that restaurants with online ordering are the ones playing the game. 

As you can tell the online ordering world has exploded and as much as I encourage you to dive in, you need to ensure you are choosing the right online ordering solution for your own business. The food industry has not only seen rapid growth in online ordering but a huge transformation with none better than Menuu Online Ordering.

Menuu Online Ordering has transformed the industry by being the first flat rate online ordering platform in Ireland. Menu offers: 

• Fixed Monthly Payments & No Commission
• Your Own Payment Gateway for Quicker Payments
• Full Access to Customer Data
• Loyalty & Promotions Engine
• Click & Collect to beat the queue

With that being said, I am here to give you some tips to driving your restaurant’s online ordering sales.

Provide Exclusive Offers

Customers adore a bargain more than anything. However, diverting customers from third-party aggregators to your own website can be a challenging job. These websites use aggressive advertising and sponsored features to boost your competitors’ positioning on their page. You should work to promote your online ordering platform by offering incentives to your customers. 

Menu Design

Your menu needs to stand out and feel unique to your customer. You need to refine and optimise the menu on your online ordering platform in a means to show off your meal deals and best sellers. Your menu should be visually appealing so add images of your food onto the menu as customers order with their eyes. Also, be sure to watch out for key food trends and modify your menu to make it exciting for customers.

Packaging And Driver Integration

The operations of ordering outside the kitchen must be efficient. You need to avoid any possible issues with packaging or the delivery of food for your customer. In order to accomplish this, your packaging must deliver on temperature control and quality. Packaging should also be distinctive and represent the brand. You should also inform your customers of an estimated time of arrival or collection for their food. Customers like to know how long they will be waiting for their food and excellent customer service is a vital ingredient to increase sales. 

Promote Your Online Business to In-House Customers

It goes without saying that you must be promoting your online ordering platform to customers. Tell your staff to let your customers know all about the website and app. In addition, attract the attention of your customer by printing flyers to give out and to attach to takeaway orders. Likewise, shop-front signs and in-door posters work effectively too. Another thing to do is to offer in-store customers an online discount code with their bill to build customer loyalty. 

Link All Social Media Channels To Your Online Menu

Your target audience most likely scrolls through social media in their spare time. You need to build the gap between your website and your social media channels by embedding a link to your online menu. Therefore, providing a direct pathway link between your website and your customers, without any distractions. 

Avoid The Bottleneck

It is well worth highlighting this to food business owners, however it does not apply to all. One method to increase revenue is to avoid the bottleneck of queues, in-house seating and turning tables for new customers. Therefore, developing a more cost-efficient business and changing your customers to online customers. For example, you could imitate the ways of a “dark kitchen”, which is a takeaway without table seating and is a trend on the rise. Another option is that you could limit in-house seating to optimise space and prioritise your online customer orders. 

One Click Option

Online ordering should really be a fast and easy environment. Customers can store their details and favourite orders onto your website and app. Time is money and simplifying the process benefits your customers heavily. This one-click step adds value by instantly improving the customer’s interaction with your business. 

Paid Advertisements

Combining online with offline marketing is key to developing your food business. In this case, online marketing tools such as Google Ads can successfully target your customers online and inexpensively. Google Ads highly influences consumer decisions and uses location targeting which is incredibly useful for takeaways and food businesses. 

Google Maps

One of the most trending searches for online ordering is “food delivery near me”. You must always claim your food business on Google to direct customers to your website. The location of your business will influence your customer’s preference, due to convenience and delivery zones. The best scenario is if your website features in the top results of the search engine to drive online sales. It too adds a visual element to the search page which is very appealing to customers when it comes to decision making. 

Customer Feedback Forms

With the new data protection laws in place, a challenge you must face as a business owner is extracting the contact details of your customers. A solution to this challenge is to feedback forms for your food business, both in store and online. Not only do you get free feedback, you ask your customer for permission to achieve their contact details for promotional material. Therefore, simultaneously boosting interaction between your business and your customer; and promoting your online ordering platform. 

Conclusion

The rise of online food ordering is unstoppable and with new food delivery companies continuously popping up, there has never been more competition. In order to stay on top and drive sales, you need to follow these tips to drive your restaurant online ordering sales. In addition, if you do not have an online ordering platform for your restaurant, you should set up one as it offers many benefits to your business.