Nowadays, if you want customers to remember you and dine at your restaurant again it’s not enough to simple have mouthwatering menu items. Customer experience and service are key factors that can influence the success of a restaurant.
The Online Food Delivery market worldwide is projected to grow by 12.33% (2023-2027) resulting in a market volume of US$1.45tn in 2027. Restaurant online ordering apps are powerful tools that can provide you with a competitive advantage in the food and drink industry. Specifically, it gives you a leg up – extending your customer experience beyond the front doors of your restaurant to stay relevant in the minds of your guests who downloaded your app
If you’re thinking of investing in an online ordering app for your own restaurant you need to consider few things, lets deep down and check what are the things we need to consider.
Here are seven things to consider when creating your mobile solution
Icon and Landing Page Design
Your icon is the cover of your app and the first thing your customers will see, so it’s important to get the design right. If your app doesn’t have an identifiable logo, your brand may get confused with other restaurant online ordering apps, and that is something you absolutely don’t want happening. Likewise, once you have gotten your customers on your app your landing page design comes into play. It’s the first screen users will see when they load your app, so not only does it need to be neat and easy to navigate, but the tools and functions the app provides should be apparent to users from when they first use it.
Consistent Branding
Your app is a continuation of your restaurant brand and should not be seen as separate from it. This means it should be similar in appearance and style; with same fonts used in restaurant menus and the same colors and design elements used by the restaurant. Keeping these in mind when building restaurant online ordering apps are essential to being more identifiable to users who know your brand.
Hassle Free Navigation
Location, directions and opening hours might seem like a no-brainer to include in restaurant online ordering apps, but how you go about doing it is important. If it’s a hassle for users to find the information they are looking for on your app, they are unlikely to use it again, so think carefully about placement of important information on your app.
Must Visit: Turn Your Restaurant to an Online BusinessAdditional Information
A customer who downloads restaurant online ordering apps are clearly showing interest in the restaurant brand, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to include an “About” section to your app for your guests. This gives them a chance to get know more about your restaurant and the people behind, resonating with your brand even more.
Push Notifications
Being a restaurant owner, you know that offering specials and changing up the menu once in a while is key to keeping guests coming back. Restaurant online ordering apps make it possible to let your customers know about new menu items at any time or place with push notifications. This both keeps your brand in the minds of your customers and gives incentive for repeat orders.
Loyalty Programs
A big perk of restaurant online ordering apps is that they even the playing field for smaller restaurants to deliver loyalty programs that rival those offered by larger corporate chains. Mobile provides an extra convenient way to track accumulated points and let customers view what incentives are redeemable for their loyalty. This encourages guests to keep coming back to pursue rewards, bringing more repeat orders to your kitchen.
Mobile Coupons & Discounts
Special deals only available through restaurant online ordering apps are a great way to get customers to download your restaurant app. Likewise, your existing users are also incentivized to keep using the app to claim the new discounts available so if you haven’t thought of integrating a coupon/discount programs into your app, this is your sign to do so.
Restaurant online ordering apps are the next step in the evolution of the food and drink industry, and restaurants of all sizes across America are taking notice. As a restaurant operator, investing in your own restaurant app instead of relying on third-party apps like DoorDash and UberEats means you have a chance to make your brand more memorable in the minds of guests and drive more orders to your kitchen, and who doesn’t want that?
Get your very own online ordering app with Applova now.