Your restaurant serves the best food in the city, has the best waitstaff, chefs and an ambience that can make heads turn. Ten years ago, all of that might have been enough to guarantee high order volume and profitability but not in 2022. Things have changed drastically since the pandemic.
The global market size of the online food delivery sector was 107.44 billion U.S dollars in 2019 and it is expected to reach 154.34 billion dollars by the end of 2023. People choose convenience over other factors now.
Most restaurants, food joints and takeaways have deployed an online ordering system. Hence it has become necessary for restaurants to invest in online ordering systems. With the market being so competitive, your reluctance to adopt new technology could result in loss of customers and reputation.
Apart from the convenience factor, the ideal online ordering system helps increase order volume, streamlines operations, enhances brand value while offering easy customization options. You can even create personalized offers and discounts and provide better customer support.
Last but not least, the best online ordering system allows you to keep all the profits unlike the aggregator food apps. In this way, you can enjoy greater freedom and be a step ahead of your competitors. Now comes the hard part. How do you choose the best online ordering system for your restaurant? We will discuss that in this blog.
What Is an Online Ordering System?
In plain language, an online ordering system is nothing but a software that allows your organization to accept and execute online orders. Generally, an online ordering system has two elements, namely a website and an admin interface.
Customers can view the menu and place online orders through the website. On the other hand, the admin interface allows a restaurant/eatery/cafe to accept orders and fulfill them. Online ordering systems for restaurants and other food businesses are not optional anymore. After Covid-19, every business is expected to have an online ordering system to meet the requirements of the changed world.
This may sound harsh but if you want your business to survive in this changed world post 2019, you need to invest in an online ordering system. These systems are relatively cost-efficient and easy to set up. Want to set up an online ordering system but don’t know how to go about it? Keep reading for some valuable tips.
10 Tips to Choose the Best Online Ordering System for Your Restaurant
#1 Know your budget
Be it an online ordering system for restaurants or any other food business, you must always take into consideration the budget. Never exceed the budget. You will need funds for marketing, promotions, paying employee salaries, and running daily operations.
Be practical while choosing the best online ordering system for your restaurant or food business. When will you be able to recover the cost of the software? Will it deliver the expected results? What is the estimated ROI? Think about these aspects before arriving at a decision.
At the same time, you must not settle for a generic or free online ordering system that fails to deliver the required results. You may save a dollar or two here but it will cost you heavily in the long run.
There are many free online ordering solutions in the market but don’t fall into the trap because those may not be customized for restaurants. Moreover, there is nothing free. There is always some catch involved. Either they will charge you for extra services like eCommerce integrations or fees for upgrades. Free ordering systems do not provide customer care services, who will turn to when your software stops working?
If you are managing a restaurant with online orders, there is no room for error. Opt for a customized online ordering system with a paid subscription because you will receive technical assistance and robust customer service. Over time, such companies will introduce new updates and features that will be beneficial for your food business.
#2 Hardware compatibility
Don’t forget to consider this aspect while shopping for an online ordering system. These days customers use a plethora of devices to access the web and place online orders. Your software should be compatible with digital devices like tablets, smartphones, and also various platforms like iOS, Android etc.
You must first run the software on the devices at your organization, familiarize your staff with it and see how that goes. Make sure that the user-experience is uniform across all platforms. Discontinue the subscription if you face continuous glitches and difficulties.
#3 Easy integration
Another aspect you should be mindful of is how the software integrates with existing technology at your business, including apps and other hardware. If you experience any technical errors or inconveniences while using the new software, there’s a red flag right there. The primary objective of an online ordering system is to boost sales while increasing customer convenience. Look at popular food delivery apps and compare them with the one you test.
Does it offer the same features? Does it meet your expectations or exceed them? If customers do not find your app’s interface easy to use and order, they will not hang around for long. Even the appearance and features should be attractive and impactful, encouraging them to order again & recommend it to others in their social circle.
#4 Crucial features
Ask yourself this question – What kind of features would you expect from an online ordering system as a customer? Online ordering systems for restaurants must have a few key features that will enhance the customer journey.
First, the software must have location navigation enabled. An effective location navigation feature facilitates easy fulfillment of online orders plus your staff will know if they can deliver to a particular area. Without accurate location navigation features, orders won’t be delivered on time, thereby tarnishing your reputation.
An online ordering system should simplify the process of uploading menus and making changes to it whenever you want. Know that most people do not carry cash these days. Your ordering software should accept various payment modes like credit/debit cards, internet banking, UPI, mobile payments, Apple pay, smart speakers, social media payment options and others.
Lastly, the ordering software must have a time tracking feature that tells customers when their order is about to arrive. This will enable them to plan their activities accordingly. Time management is crucial for restaurants and other food businesses because customers will highlight the slightest of mistakes on social media.
Time tracking becomes all the more important when catering for marriages, celebrations and bulk orders.
#5 Analytics
In 2022, data is money. The more you know about the market and your target audience, the more revenue you can generate. An online ordering system for a restaurant must provide you with customer data to improve your services & increase profits. Most importantly, the data should be actionable and precise because cluttered, raw data is of no use.
The right data will help you introspect your business processes and conduct a SWOT analysis. Understanding customer behavior will help you create personalized promotion and marketing campaigns while creating ideal products/recipes. Hence, analytics can enable effective decision-making to get outstanding results.
#6 Marketing functionality
Things that catch people’s attention is what sells like hot cakes, this is true in today’s times. Your restaurant/food joint must catch people’s attention and encourage them to interact with your brand.
The best online ordering system for your food business can improve your marketing efforts. You can create innovative promotional and loyalty programs to entice customers and keep them hooked to your services. Ensure that you have a solid strategy for your marketing campaigns because that is what will separate you from the herd.
#7 Adaptability and simplicity
An ideal online ordering system that should provide exceptional user-experience? Who are the users here? Both the customers and the business are the end-users. The ordering software must be scalable and adaptable to meet the business as well as customer requirements.
Your online ordering system should be simple and easy to use. If your staff and your customer are not able to navigate the software and utilize its functions, it is of no use. Talk to different providers, try different systems and settle for one that fulfills all criteria. Do not compromise on convenience and functionality.
Read Also: Why Restaurant Need to Use QR Code Menus?
#8 Pick-up options
Many food joints and restaurants provide the option for customers to collect their packages from a place of their choice. Don’t skip this feature thinking people will make an effort because your food is super delicious. As stated above, convenience is what differentiates businesses from each other. Check with the provider if their online ordering system has a pick-up feature.
#9 After-sales support & maintenance
Technology is an integral part of people’s lives and new updates/upgrades are being released each day. As a restaurant/takeaway owner, your job is to streamline operations and overcome challenges. You can’t turn into an IT expert in the blink of an eye.
Managing a restaurant along with online orders is not an easy task. When you shop for an online ordering system, ask the providers if they provide after-sales support and maintenance services. While running restaurant operations, you may encounter integration issues, ordering tracking problems, server malfunctions and other problems.
If the software service provider handles these issues in time, you can go about your business without any stress. Moreover, industry trends and customer preferences change frequently. A responsive service provider will customize your ordering system as per the changes to enhance customer satisfaction. Restaurant owners must never overlook post-sales customer service while choosing an online ordering system.
#10 Reporting features
Do you know how many orders your business fulfills on a daily/weekly/monthly or yearly basis? If you are not aware of your business’s order volume, how can you make powerful decisions related to raw material purchase, staffing, marketing etc?
With an online order system for restaurants, you will get accurate data about order volume on weekends, weekdays, public holidays, festive occasions and so on. The reporting feature will shed light on the total orders, takeaways, pickups, deliveries in figures that will facilitate proper decision making.
With these reports, not only can the restaurant owner serve customers better, but also measure success & ROI while boosting marketing/promotional efforts.
Key Takeaways
The tips above are not just for restaurant owners. If you are in the food business, you can benefit from these tips. Running a food business is about coordinating all business functions like operations, marketing, promotions, staffing etc. It is impossible for one man to micromanage so many tasks single-handedly.
Your food business app and online ordering system should work together to ensure smooth sailing. As per research, 20% of customers spend more on online orders than regular dine-ins. You have to admit that 20% is not a small number.
Furthermore, you can target customers more intelligently with an online ordering system without being pushy. Customers have the luxury of using your app/online system at their convenience and ordering accordingly. Follow the 10 tips above to see the desired results. Need more help? Schedule a consultation today.
