Online ordering Archives - Online Ordering For Restaurants | ActiveMenus

How to Tell Customers About Online Ordering

Ben Beddow — Sat, 14 May 2022 22:35:59 +0000

How to Tell Customers About Online Ordering

Ben Beddow

Published May 14th, 2022

Your digital ordering platform is all set up, integrated with your POS system, and ready to take orders and direct them straight into your kitchen! You might know that it exists, after all you’ve had the idea and have been researching options for how to take orders from customers online for some time now, but do your customers know it exists?

They don’t yet, and there is a need to spread the word far and wide so you can satisfy the public’s growing need and desire for the convenience of online ordering. The last piece of the online ordering puzzle is to advertise your new ordering method to both your existing and potential customers, and you should use every means at your disposal to get the word out. Here are 9 great ways you can tell your customers about your new internet storefront.

How to Tell Customers About Online Ordering

Direct People to It on Your Website

57% of customers check out a restaurant’s website before deciding where to dine, this means that there are potential customers right at the gateway to your online ordering system. Make sure that the button for your online ordering stands out on your website. You could even consider adding a popup to your site that announces your new, online ordering function to every visitor.

In-Store, Print Marketing

It’s old fashioned but it’s still used because it works! Print marketing in your location is an excellent way to tell customers about how you’ve expanded to the internet. These can be strategically placed throughout the location in places such as: on tables, at registers, at host stands, on takeaway boxes, etc. Print marketing can also be placed in the windows of a venue to advertise the new offering to those people walking by outside.

Receipts

Almost every customer looks at their receipt in some form or another and all POS systems allow you to add a custom note to the bottom of every receipt. Announcing online ordering services in this part of a receipt is a quick and easy way to get this information out in front of your existing customers.

Verbally Inform Guests

Encourage your employees to tell guests about your online ordering offerings, where appropriate. If a guest is expressing satisfaction with their meal then they will probably be happy to find out that they can eat the same delicious meal in the comfort of their own home.

Phone Greeting and Voicemail

If you accepted phone-in orders before the introduction of your online ordering system you can set up a greeting on your phone announcing this to everyone that calls your restaurant. Make it welcoming, short, and snappy before it then pushes them through. You can also mention your online offerings in your voicemail should a customer not be able to get through to the venue.

Social Media

Social media is a free advertising medium where you can reach and relate to your existing customers in a personal way. You should create posts about your online ordering, both photos and videos, encourage the sharing of those posts, and you should also mention it in your profiles on these platforms.

Review Platforms

A staggering 92% of customers read restaurant reviews and 90% of people research a restaurant before visiting it. One of the main places where customers will research a restaurant is through review sites. You should have laid claim to your pages on these sites already and if you have then you can edit your venues description to include information about your online ordering platform.

Emails

If you send out emails to your customer then you can tailor an email blast to inform them of your restaurant’s online ordering offerings. If you send out things like birthday emails or anniversary offers then your online ordering platform should be mentioned in these emails too.

Visit Local Businesses

Businesses in your local area know you and your business and there’s no better way to spread the word about your online ordering than actually spreading the word yourself. Go out and visit the businesses around you, connect with them, and tell them about your new offering. Print marketing such as flyers can also be helpful when doing this as it gives them a permanent reminder of the purpose of your visit.

How Do You Encourage Online Ordering?

You may get the word out using the above methods but how can you give customers that extra nudge to place an order? Loyalty programs are one way with research showing that 45% of customers say that loyalty programs would encourage them to use online ordering systems more often.

In order to encourage customers to place orders you can also integrate deals and promotions into the above methods of promoting your online ordering platform. These offers can be structured in many ways, from percentage discounts to BOGOF offers and can also come in the form of a first time loyalty signup promotion to get them onto your loyalty program.

A Last Word

Once you’ve figured out how to take online orders your customers need to know about it. But promoting online ordering for restaurants is not a one-and-done event like setting up the platform is. In order to keep the orders flowing your platform needs to consistently be on display so that your customers, and potential customers, are always aware that your online storefront exists.

The above methods can be used continuously to promote and encourage restaurant online ordering and things as simple as a social media post or email can give your online ordering a momentary boost, excellent, perhaps, for when things have lulled in the middle of the week.

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The post How to Tell Customers About Online Ordering appeared first on Online Ordering For Restaurants | ActiveMenus.

How to Set Up Online Ordering for a Restaurant

Ben Beddow — Tue, 03 May 2022 06:18:56 +0000

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How to Set Up Online Ordering for a Restaurant

Ben Beddow

Published May 2nd, 2022

As the boundaries between the physical and the digital blur, brick-and-mortar businesses are finding that setting up an online presence for their venue is crucial to their future success. For restaurants in particular this trend was accelerated by the global pandemic of 2020, as they were forced to shift to sales avenues that enabled them to sell their goods or offsite consumption.

Consuming restaurant food at home has become much more normalized in recent times, and, since 2014, delivery and digital ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in, and the delivery market is predicted to grow at a rate of 9.96% per year for the next 4 years. So now is as good a time as any to join the online ordering party.

In 2020 3^rd party delivery services took over the delivery market, but since their shortcomings, like extortionate restaurant fees and listing restaurants without their consent, have been brought into the media spotlight it has been found that consumers are not partial to these 3^rd party services, with almost half of consumers believing that it’s cheaper to order directly from the restaurant and 70% preferring to do so.

With the facts all point toward a positive trend for independently offered online ordering more and more people asking how to set up online ordering for a restaurant? And what are the benefits of online ordering for restaurants? Here we’ll explain it all.

How to Set Up Online Ordering for a Restaurant

How to Set Up Online Ordering

Setting up online ordering can be a breeze. Specifically, setting up online ordering with ActiveMenus is a breeze! To start the process, which takes around 5-7 days, shorter if there are only a few refinements, all you need to do is fill out our Get Started form to let us know who you are and what services you’re interested in. Then you can either schedule a meeting for a time that suits you or wait for us to reach out to you about the next step.

In our initial call we’ll answer any questions you have and talk about those next steps regarding setting up online ordering for your restaurant. The data needed for setting up your restaurant online is as you might expect:

Restaurant name and address
Email address
Phone number
Hours of operation
Menu items, descriptions, and customizations (can be scrapped from existing online sources)
Special menu and item specification e.g. brunch menus that are only live for a limited time

This data is then inputted by our team and sent to you to check through for any edits. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct then you’re ready to go live!

This will give you a widget, with full online ordering functionality, that you can build into or link out to from your existing website along with anywhere else you may have an online presence e.g. social media profiles and review sites.

With this widget we also provide a website, customized to your brand, which you can chose to use if you wish. So if you don’t have a website, or if your existing one is in need of a refresh, then you still get everything you need to set your restaurant up for online ordering. If you find yourself dreaming of a more custom look for your restaurant’s website, then we can certainly do this, however implementing these requests can add 2-5 days to delivery time.

This online ordering is our base level package and the goal here is to get you a professional setup for receiving online orders as quickly as possible. If you have requested any of our other services, such as a branded mobile app, POS integration, or loyalty program integration, setting up these services will take extra time; up to 4 weeks in total, depending on the service.

Restaurant name and address
Email address
Phone number
Hours of operation
Menu items, descriptions, and customizations (can be scrapped from existing online sources)
Special menu and item specification e.g. brunch menus that are only live for a limited time

This data is then inputted by our team and sent to you to check through for any edits. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct then you’re ready to go live!

Restaurant name and address
Email address
Phone number
Hours of operation
Menu items, descriptions, and customizations (can be scrapped from existing online sources)
Special menu and item specification e.g. brunch menus that are only live for a limited time

This data is then inputted by our team and sent to you to check through for any edits. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct then you’re ready to go live!

How to Receive Online Orders

Once your widget and website have been created you will also have access to the OrderLogic app, downloadable for any iOS or Android device, where you will receive your orders. If you requested POS integration then you will use the app until the verification process for the integration has passed, this can take 2-4 weeks depending on which POS system you have.

Editing Your Online Ordering Menu and Storefront

We understand everything in a restaurant is constantly in flux and being able to update your menu on the fly, adjust operating hours for holidays and different seasons, and even change the appearance of your website is critical for an easy flow of restaurant operations. Once your online ordering is set up you will have access to the merchant portal, which is separate from the OrderLogic app, where you can perform all of these changes (and push them live instantly), generate reports regarding your orders through the platform, and adjust your financial information.

Setting up Order with Google with ActiveMenus

If you’re looking to set up online ordering through Order with Google then the set up process for this service is completely automated. You’ll have to give similar details as above, along with a few others specific to Order with Google, such as average prep-time.

Once everything is set up you can send some test orders, edit your menu, and enter your details so you can get paid and go live! Ready to get started? Follow this link to get the ball rolling with Order with Google!

A Final Word: What are the Benefits of Online Ordering for Restaurants?

In the beginning we brought you the statistics that show the continued growth of online ordering for restaurants. Here we’re going to leave you with some of the benefits for restaurants of having an online ordering system.

More Dine-in Customers: Customers that have placed online orders for a restaurant are 67% more likely to come in for a meal.
Increased Checks: It has been shown that digital orders are as much as 18% larger than their phone-in counterparts.
Increased Sales: With an online ordering system you’re opening up another storefront, at a low cost, that has unlimited seating. Pre-pandemic, 60% of operators say that they saw an increase in overall sales when they introduced an online ordering service.
Richer Customer Data: Through an online ordering platform you can track the customer’s journey from beginning to end and gain a better insight into their ordering habits.

Don’t delay, Get Started today!

More Dine-in Customers: Customers that have placed online orders for a restaurant are 67% more likely to come in for a meal.
Increased Checks: It has been shown that digital orders are as much as 18% larger than their phone-in counterparts.

Increased Sales: With an online ordering system you’re opening up another storefront, at a low cost, that has unlimited seating. Pre-pandemic, 60% of operators say that they saw an increase in overall sales when they introduced an online ordering service.
Richer Customer Data: Through an online ordering platform you can track the customer’s journey from beginning to end and gain a better insight into their ordering habits.

Don’t delay, Get Started today!

More Dine-in Customers: Customers that have placed online orders for a restaurant are 67% more likely to come in for a meal.
Increased Checks: It has been shown that digital orders are as much as 18% larger than their phone-in counterparts.
Increased Sales: With an online ordering system you’re opening up another storefront, at a low cost, that has unlimited seating. Pre-pandemic, 60% of operators say that they saw an increase in overall sales when they introduced an online ordering service.
Richer Customer Data: Through an online ordering platform you can track the customer’s journey from beginning to end and gain a better insight into their ordering habits.

Don’t delay, Get Started today!

The post How to Set Up Online Ordering for a Restaurant appeared first on Online Ordering For Restaurants | ActiveMenus.

Why We Built an Online Ordering Solution for Restaurants

Ben Beddow — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 21:31:50 +0000

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Why We Built an Online Ordering Solution for Restaurants

Ben Beddow

Published March 27th, 2022

After years of existence, online ordering for restaurants is still a rapidly evolving segment of the restaurant industry. It provides convenience for customers (who now expect restaurants to offer online ordering), an additional and upward trending revenue stream for restaurants, and it expands the restaurant’s presence from their brick and mortar storefronts into the virtual world.

But getting it right, so that the online ordering system works for both the customer and the restaurant, was a difficult balancing act.

We found that the same pain points were impacting the decisions made regarding delivery and takeout services for all types of restaurants: franchises, groups, and independent locations, ranging from quick service concepts, to ghost kitchens, to fine dining venues. As a result, we designed a white label, restaurant online ordering system that specifically addressed and solved the issues raised by the restaurants we spoke to.

Why We Built An Online Ordering Solution for Restaurants

Servicing Both the Restaurant and the Customer

The customer is king when they’re sitting inside a restaurant and they’re also king when they’re ordering online. 3^rd party order and delivery providers recognize this and put the customer experience at the top of their list, followed by their own profitability, with restaurant’s falling last in line in their list of priorities.

Before companies like DoorDash, GrubHub, and Ubereats came along and created this greatly improved online ordering experience, restaurants were using antiquated online ordering systems that offered a clunky and often frustrating experience for the user. It has been found that the majority of customers, 70% in fact, would prefer to order directly from restaurants rather than through 3^rd party service providers. But setting up and maintaining a proprietary restaurant online ordering system that also offers an exceptional customer experience was an expensive and time consuming task. So restaurants kept using 3^rd party solutions.

Another huge benefit for restaurants was that these 3^rd party services also took care of the customer support side of the off-premise orders they facilitated. Dealing with these customer service issues, and training their staff on the procedures to do so properly, had always been a huge headache for restaurants. As a result, restaurant owners were willing to send their own customers away from their website, lose the valuable customer data, and pay a fee of 15-30% for the privilege of having this problem taken off their hands.

Some restaurants have even chosen not to enter into this world on online ordering, reducing their exposure to the way customers order in the modern world, resulting in them missing out on the gains of their competitors and not realizing their full potential.

been found that the majority of customers, 70% in fact, would prefer to order directly from restaurants rather than through 3^rd party service providers. But setting up and maintaining a proprietary restaurant online ordering system that also offers an exceptional customer experience was an expensive and time consuming task. So restaurants kept using 3^rd party solutions.

ActiveMenus: Built to Service the Restaurant and the Customer

ActiveMenus offers a new solution for restaurants, enabling them to have their own, branded online ordering platform, both web and app based, that offers the amazing and seamless experience that their customers have come to expect from their previous experiences. Restaurants using the ActiveMenus services can also access built in rewards systems for their customer -of whom 45% said that mobile ordering or loyalty programs would encourage them to use online ordering services more often- as well as an automated marketing system that tailors marketing materials and special offers to individual customers using that all important customer data.

The ActiveMenus online ordering software for restaurants is designed to offer a seamless and exceptional user experience across all restaurants, but it has especially been designed to provide an unparalleled user experience for the customers of multi-location restaurants and franchises as well as the customers of multi-concept and multi-location restaurant groups.

ActiveMenus also offers customer support as an additional feature to all of the restaurants who use our services. Through this service the ActiveMenus team receives and handles all customer complaints related to the orders placed through our digital ordering solutions. Managing everything from placing new orders and their redeliveries, to customer refunds. This keeps these issues out of the restaurant’s hands and allows them to focus on their orders and their customers.

The ActiveMenus online ordering software for restaurants is designed to offer a seamless and exceptional user experience across all

restaurants, but it has especially been designed to provide an unparalleled user experience for the customers of multi-location restaurants and franchises as well as the customers of multi-concept and multi-location restaurant groups.

Delivery: Linking the Restaurant to the Customers

Delivery is a difficult undertaking even for the most popular and cash-flush of restaurants, and many restaurants, for this reason, choose to outsource delivery services. Other restaurants want to manage delivery in-house but delivery logistics can be nightmarish, especially when a large amount of orders come in and delivery times begin to suffer. This eventually leads to a brand losing customers because the restaurant isn’t meeting customer expectations.

Before a restaurant has reached that point in their delivery lifecycle there is the complex process of setting up and marketing a delivery service. This includes working out your delivery zone, knowing what you’re actually allowed to do in your locality, how to pay your delivery drivers, hiring delivery drivers, what insurance you need, what you’re going to deliver, and more. 3^rd party services handle all of these headaches for restaurants by taking the concept of delivery off their hands. Many restaurants opt for this option instead, and pay the 15-30% premium for doing so.

Those that do create and use their own, in-house delivery service find that they’re competing with the likes of DoorDash and Ubereats for drivers. This is because the driver experience when driving for these companies is so much better than it is driving for the restaurants themselves. Working for a third party service provider makes it easy for drivers to receive orders and make deliveries, they also receive their payments quickly through the app and the driver’s earnings are gamified, which only adds to the draw. restaurants simply can’t compete with this superior working experience and, as a result, they find it very difficult to hire and keep drivers.

ActiveMenus: Delivery That Works for Everyone

At ActiveMenus we’ve created a delivery solution that rivals the big companies in both service to the restaurants and the driver experience. Our app offers all the automation and features that keeps the drivers happy and restaurants that use our turnkey online ordering solutions can opt to take advantage of the ActiveMenus delivery logistics solution or not, but it’s not all black and white.

The ActiveMenus delivery solution also offers a hybrid approach, allowing restaurants to call on our network of delivery drivers to support their in-house team of drivers when there are large influxes of orders that will adversely affect delivery times and their brand image. This means that restaurants can manage the last mile delivery themselves but also call on the ActiveMenus network of delivery drivers when they need them.

A Final Word

The ActiveMenus restaurant online ordering and delivery solutions are designed to empower restaurants by enabling them to offer an exceptional and branded online customer experience that rivals that of the big tech companies.

Using the ActiveMenus solution a restaurant also gets back all of their valuable customer data and they can opt-in to services such as customer support, loyalty rewards programs and automated marketing services, as well as full service or hybrid delivery solutions.

Ultimately our goal is to make restaurant online order solutions work for both the customer and the restaurant, and empower the restaurant to provide the services and experience their customer demand, along with the high standard customers have come to expect from online services.

The post Why We Built an Online Ordering Solution for Restaurants appeared first on Online Ordering For Restaurants | ActiveMenus.