The Psychology Behind Online Ordering
Many restaurant owners only look at online ordering for the convenience that it offers to their customers when it comes to whether or not to start this technological advance for a restaurant. What you may be missing out on are the hidden benefits that come to restaurant owners by offering this service. To take full advantage of this new service, you need to look at the psychology behind online ordering.
Typical Phone Orders
Think about your typical phone order. It usually consists of a person calling in a usual order, such as a large pepperoni pizza and a 2-liter of soda. This is an order that the customer probably already place, and the person doesn’t think much about changing up the order when he or she places that call. The caller probably doesn’t feel right asking about specials or thinking about altering what they usually order because it’s just easier to go with what they already know is good.
Typical Online Orders
People are visual eaters. Those who call in orders go with the food items they know from your menu because they have probably ordered them before. These customers have a pretty good idea of what’s going to arrive at their door when the delivery person gets there.
However, an online order changes things. That’s because the person doesn’t feel constrained to order what they know. Further, the customer doesn’t feel as if he or she bothers the person on the other end of the line as the customer tries to decide what to eat.
Going online allows the person the time to look over the whole menu. The customer gets to see pictures and read descriptions of the entire menu you offer to those that eat out. This means that hungry customers no longer go with just the basics, but are more willing to try different items. Customers see the wings or different breadsticks that your restaurant offers, and they add those to their usual order.
Online Orders = Larger Orders
Often, online orders turn into larger orders. There are more enticing things on the menu for someone for someone looking over it, and this time they may add a side dish or two to the main entree they normally order. That dessert they normally wouldn’t be able to eat right after their meal while eating at your place may get tacked onto this online order since there will be no time constraints when eating at home. With online orders, you can create enticing menu ordering options where they may save a small amount, but you’ll get a larger order.
Making Your Online Orders Appealing
Online ordering is as appealing and attractive as you want to make it. Create clear and beautiful pictures of your different menu items. These pictures entice someone who is hungry and ready to order. Great photos give the customer an insight into what the order should taste like and look like.
Consider writing up clear descriptions for the different items on your menu. Clarify in the food’s description if there are different variations that customers can order for a menu item, such as a lunch portion versus a dinner portion. This helps to make online ordering hassle-free so that a customer doesn’t have to call in to ask whether or not a dish comes with a different sauce or if the sandwich has onions on it. Online ordering streamlines the overall ordering process.
Add-Ons
You should also make use of add-ons. Think of what happens any time you order something online or even make a purchase in the store. That television you put in your shopping cart often causes different add-on items to pop up that you may want to order along with it. They offer you a warranty on the television with a few different lengths of time available. They offer a new HDMI cable to plug it into your cable box. They find items that you may find value in ordering at the same time as the item you purchase.
As a restaurant owner with online ordering, you can do the same thing. Your online menu may entice the customer who orders a light menu option to order a side salad to go along with it. The customer who orders pizza on Sunday for a football party is more likely to order wings or ribs to go along with it if your menu offers those items during the ordering process.
The psychology behind online ordering may make it seem like it’s only a benefit to your customers by giving them more choices, but it’s actually giving you and your restaurant more benefits. Online ordering frees up your staffers from taking more phone orders. You may find your restaurant making larger orders by offering excellent pictures and descriptions. Add-ons help show customers other items they may want to add to their order.
All of these things add up to more business, more revenue and more money. Online ordering changes your business for the better.
Ready to do more with online ordering? Contact us today about setting up through us at Orders2.me and change the way your restaurant handles ordering forever.