The internet is a very powerful marketing tool if used correctly. Most of your customers use it every day. They communicate, shop, research, socialize and do what ever they can get done online. It’s easy, convenient; in most cases, simplifies their lives. They use Google, Yahoo and MSN instead of the phone book. They twitter and tweet. They use Skype instead of Phones. Now, they want to order their food online from you as well.
How does all of this affect Your bottom line? People are learning that ordering meals online is much more convenient that picking up the phone, getting a busy signal over and over, then finally feeling rushed to give them your order so they can get the next call in line. Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass., reported that revenues from online retailing, excluding travel, will top $250 billion by 2011. Additional research has shown that Online orders averaged 25% more than phone orders. Why? Because customers don’t feel rushed into placing their order, they take their time browsing the menu at their leisure. When this happens, they tend to order more.
The big chains see the trend and have already invested time, money, and resources to appeal to web-savvy customers. They are taking your customers. “We launched online ordering in 2001, and since then we’ve had more than 25 million orders transacted on papajohns.com,” said Papa Johns spokesman Chris Sternberg. “In 2006 we transacted more than $200 million worth of business through our online ordering site.”
The big restaurant chains all have online ordering. The also all collect their customers’ names and email addresses. They then use those emails to market to customers for free, and keep them hooked by sending coupons and online promotions. While you might want to think that your restaurant is immune from the ever expanding influence of the Internet, you’d better think again. If you don’t have online ordering now, your competition soon will.
Now with the economy going south, people are eating out much less, but if you can make it cheap and convenient for them, they will come. Now may be the best time to take a good, hard look at how the Internet can help your business, help you stay in close contact with your customers and make it easy and convenient for them to find you and order from you.
Visit us today at http://www.ezwaiter.com to see how we can assist you to getting the most out of the internet for your business.