5 Ways Online Ordering Raises Ticket Prices

Incorporating an online ordering system into your business will almost always mean your restaurant will be getting more orders. And as online ordering continues to grow and dominate the delivery and take-out food markets, the sheer number of orders you receive through online ordering portals will continue to rise. But that’s not all an online ordering system will do for your business: a well designed online ordering system will also mean that each order you receive will probably be bigger and more profitable than traditional over the phone to-go orders. Here are five ways that online ordering boosts your ticket prices and raises your profits in the process.

1. Online Ordering Makes it Easy for Customers to Add to their Orders
When one of your customers uses an online ordering system to place their orders for food, it is super easy for them to add more menu options. With your restaurant’s full to-go menu at their fingertips, your customers can browse and easily add entrees, appetizers, desserts, and more. And the technology involved is super intuitive and easy to use, with most online ordering portals having a simple “add to order” button to make sure that customers can easily figure out how to get exactly what they want. Whereas over the phone to-go orders can get confusing for both your serving staff and customers, online ordering makes it super straightforward and easy to add more items and keep orders straight. Which is the number one reason why your customers will order more with an online ordering system than they would in an over the phone to go order: it’s just easier, plain and simple.

2. Online Ordering Makes it Easy for Restaurant Owners to Highlight Dishes
While your serving staff probably does a great job of highlighting specials and popular dishes when they take orders at tables in your restaurant, it can be a lot harder to point customers towards specific dishes over the phone. But with an online ordering system, it is easy to highlight signature and special dishes on your menu. Just like your staff is able to convince customers in your restaurant to try out things your kitchen is known for, spotlighting signature creations has a huge effect on customer appetites. By highlighting some of your most popular and delicious entrees, you can encourage customers to give them a try. Which usually means more food ordered, and bigger ticket prices.

3. Online Ordering Provides Pictures of your Menu
One of the biggest reasons why dine-in customers usually have bigger ticket orders than to-go customers is that people who call your restaurant to place an order over the phone have a good idea of what they want, and can’t browse your menu for inspiration. But with an online ordering solution like Orders2Me, your customers will be able to see pictures of your food, browse your full menu, and get a closer experience to what they would get if they ordered from your restaurant in person. Pictures will pique the interest of hungry customers, and if you showcase your dishes well, they may decide to indulge and add extra food to their order they weren’t planning on getting. Which of course means extra profits for you.

4. Online Ordering Lets Customers Move at their Own Pace
One of the worst parts about ordering food over the phone is that customers often feel rushed, pressured to put in their orders quickly, and generally unable to browse and move at their own pace. Online ordering systems defeat this problem, by letting customers take as long as they like to select and put in orders. With more time on their hands, your customers can more fully explore your menu, and will have the chance to add to their ticket. And without the inherent pressure that can arise from over the phone orders, your customers can decide what they want in a low-stress environment. Once they can move at their own pace and not feel pressured to get an order in fast, your customers will almost always opt to try more things and order more food, putting in bigger orders in the process

5. Online Ordering Directly Prompts Customers to “Add” Items
There is a reason why every fast food chain has the phrase “would you like anything else?” or some variation as standard procedure for every employee, after every order. Sometimes, customers just need a little push to indulge and add things to their ticket. And online ordering systems give this little push, by directly prompting customers to “add” extras to their orders before they check out. Drinks, appetizers, and desserts are all great to put on display here, and you can easily encourage customers to make a full meal out of every order with this online ordering perk, boosting your revenue in the process.