Is it worth the investment to have a mobile app for your restaurant? That’s the question you need to ask yourself if you are a restaurant owner. If you are skeptic and still think it’s just a trend, and obviously app development companies are promoting the advantages of having an app for their personal benefit, think again. And most importantly get informed.
To help you get properly informed regarding the huge advantages of owning your very own business app, here are some facts you need to take into consideration before deciding.
With an App you can offer simple online reservations for your customers
Although many of the restaurants require reservations, you should be aware of the fact that not all customers like calling your restaurant just to make a reservation. Actually, most people hate talking on the phone and waste time, therefore you’d be surprised to find out how many customers you may be missing out on by offering only phone reservations. Therefore, the possibility to reserve restaurant space via a mobile app will open you up to a wider range of customers and attract more customers.
An App will help you get personal
While your customers are using your app to keep thing simple and convenient, you are collecting the data you need to create a personalized marketing offering that works. What happens is that at a certain point, your customers will actually look at your restaurant ordering app as their ‘personal concierge’, offering them discounts and recommendations on what they want, when they want. And this type of service always brings customers back for more.
With an App you can cultivate loyal customers
Having an easy way for customers to pre-order, pay, and collect, leads to the great opportunity to build a long-term relationship. Restaurant ordering apps are the hook to create loyal customers, and loyal customers will share their experience with thousands through social media channels - which obviously translates into a lot of potential new customers.
Having an App is simple and affordable
Most of the time implementing a new technology to your venue is simpler than you may think. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly.
At AlphaApp we understand that running a small or a medium sized business is hard enough as it is, therefore we have designed a tool that offers huge benefits with little or no additional work needed from you. Also, we understand that it is your money and your right to choose what to pay for. So, we are upfront on what we offer and flexible in how we offer it. Basically, your price for your App. That simple.
An App provides a less complicated internal order fulfillment
Beyond making more money, mobile apps make it easier to fulfill your orders.
Just think about this: instead of having someone constantly answering the phone and manage to understand exactly what the customer on the other end is saying as well as relying on their handwriting to accurately understand what they need, the people responsible for filling orders could clearly see the order (as well as any other requirements given by the customer) in the app.
Additionally with in-app payment, there’s one less thing your front desk staff or delivery guys have to worry about.
An App increases sales amongst millennials
According to Food Tech Connect, 98% of 18 to 34 year-old individuals who’ve paid a bill via mobile would like to repeat the experience. However beyond the act of simply paying, 35% of them like to place their orders on smartphones or tablets, and 40% actually prefer a mobile payment over other options, particularly for restaurants offering faster service. The bottom line is that when possible, millennials prefer to pay for their order straight from the app itself.
An App provides easy menu access
According to research, 62% percent of customers are less likely to stop into your restaurant if they can’t easily see your menu on their mobile.
And instead of only relying on mobile-responsive web pages, you should make sure your menu is easy to access in your app.
With an App you can attract customers with irresistible food offers
With a mobile app, you can connect directly to your customer and keep them informed about new flavors and dishes at your restaurant, so their taste buds will start craving your new, delicious looking food and therefore will place an order to taste the new food. This happens more often than you think.
With an App you can send push notifications and solve eating out decisions
If it’s weekend you can plant the idea of eating in your restaurant Friday night or lunch/dinner on Saturdays and Sundays. For example, in case you are having a special offer on a popular dish, you can send a push notification to your app users to let them know. So, next time when they will consider choosing a restaurant, they’ll already be thinking about eating your food and validating it with the fact that they can also save money on it.
An App boost your brand
A key part of all marketing strategies is brand awareness, with the goal for many being the achievement of top-of-mind status. However with so many competing brands, and the huge marketing budgets of corporations, neither brand awareness or top-of-mind awareness are easily achieved by small businesses.
The great thing is though that having your own mobile app is one of the easiest ways of exposing customers to your brand at least once a day. And even though they might not use your app every day, as long as they have the app installed, they see your app icon almost every time they use their phone.
As a conclusion, having a website doesn’t mean you don’t also need a mobile app. As consumers shift to using mobile devices more often than desktops, your approach to digital marketing must evolve as well.
Be aware that having a mobile app could be the difference between getting customers to walk through your door, or walk past your restaurant. Also, not only that customers want an app from you, they actually expect it.
Offer your customers a mobile app, and watch your clientele and restaurant grow!
Contact AlphaApp here, and get your fully functional business app in less than 24 hours.