According to a recent Zagat dining trends survey, Americans eat out an average of 4.9 times each week, spending on average $36.40 per person.
In reality, consumer spending in the Quick Service Restaurant Industry has reached almost $300 billion.
This is in america alone in 2018, according to Statista. And increasingly, those dollars that are used for dining orders to go— are all placed through mobile phones.
It’s safe to state that online food ordering is undeniably increasing the wave into the future.
The ability to order food online is paramount in today’s busy world. While the numbers below show, there’s no denying the meteoric upward trend of this mobile ordering industry.
And when restaurants would like to compete, protect their share of the market, and grow their business. They can’t afford not to ever jump on the bandwagon and offer their customers in what they want.
This enables customers to order food directly from a common restaurant while earning loyalty rewards.
Consider the following:
- Over 25% of all the Americans order takeout or delivery at least once a week.
- Digital ordering and delivery has grown 300% faster than dine-in traffic since 2014.
- A whopping 53% of millennials say their visits to a restaurant are influenced in some way by digital technology. From being able to search a menu online, reading reviews, to scrolling through Instagram photos and posting their details after. The figure is 40% for all diners according to a Forbes Study.
- Approximately 45% of consumers say that they are ordering through mobile loyalty programs. Offering loyalty programs would encourage them to make use of online services more often.
- Almost 35% of diners would definitely or most likely use order ahead app at their favorite restaurant if it was absolutely available.
- Orders placed via smartphone and mobile apps will become a $38 billion industry.
- 1 in 4 consumers say they save money when ordering off premise (relating to a study conducted by Technomic)
These numbers clearly state that the ordering that is online is on the rise. And in fact critical to restaurants attempting to keep and match the needs of these customers.
There’s an extra startling statistic which says only 26% of restaurants surveyed had mobile ordering apps, based on a Forbes study!
To be competitive in an ever growing digital and tech savvy world, convenience is the key.
Since people use mobile phones for everything nowadays, restaurants are really missing out if they don’t have an online ordering app.