Why Online Ordering Is An Opportunity To Showcase Your Brand At Its Best

KEY INSIGHTS

• Think of your online ordering platform as your own space online to position and promote your brand – and to engage with customers
• Videos are an effective, easy to use tool which can take your customers ‘behind the scenes’
  
• Many of today’s next generation online order platforms have the functionality to enable you to embed your social media profiles
  
• You can highlight your special offers, meal deals, signature dishes and more and link these to your online order platform
  

The next-generation online order platforms which have arrived on the marketplace over the past 18 months have attracted record numbers of signups from foodservice businesses – an upsurge driven in part by the demand for easy contactless payment options, and obviously also by the growth in the takeaway and delivery markets due to lockdowns.

Even as the easing of those remaining distancing restrictions encourages a return of customers to dining in, contactless payment is clearly here to stay, thanks to its convenience for customers as well as its ability to ease the burden on wait staff in the current climate of staffing shortages.

And with the latest payment platforms designed to seamlessly integrate with your own website, online ordering therefore presents a great opportunity to showcase not only your food but your brand credentials to potential customers. To make the most of its potential, here are some helpful hints:

PRESENT REAL IMAGES OF YOUR FOOD, STAFF, VENUE & CUSTOMERS

Think of your online ordering platform as your own space online to position and promote your brand – and to engage with customers.

As a foodservice venue, your brand identity is typically composed of four key elements: your food, your service (exemplified by your friendly staff who interact with customers) the appealing ambience of your venue (unless of course you’re takeaway/delivery only, and your demographic customer base.

Bearing in mind the old adage that one picture is worth a thousand words, showcase your online menu with plenty of authentic images of your food, staff, venue and customers. Don’t rely on stock photos – customers want to see what the food they’re actually ordering looks like, and people are becoming more skilled at identifying stock images as they see them used over and over again online.

USE VIDEO TO GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF YOUR BUSINESS

Videos are another effective, easy to use tool which can take your customers ‘behind the scenes’ – into the kitchen, introducing them to the chef and showing them how their food is prepared. Featuring videos on your website as well as social media platforms is a great way to generate more customer engagement, start a dialogue with customers, showcase specials, chef’s creations and signature dishes, introduce staff and promote your brand values.

EMBED YOUR SOCIAL PROFILES ON YOUR ONLINE ORDER PLATFORM

Many of today’s next generation online order platforms have the functionality to enable you to embed your social media profiles such as Facebook page, Instagram feed and Youtube videos. This provides an easy means to showcase your food, staff and venue and make the most of your social media posts by running them across multiple platforms.

ENSURE YOUR PLATFORM IS OPTIMISED FOR MOBILE USE

With the majority of customers wanting to order from their phones, having a mobile-responsive order platform is a must. So if your online order platform is integrated within your website, make sure that the whole website is mobile-responsive – it needs to adapt to multiple screen sizes and load times, so that it’s easy for customers to use irrespective of the screen they’re viewing it on.

HIGHLIGHT SPECIAL OFFERS, MEAL DEALS AND SIGNATURE DISHES

Today’s online ordering systems are designed to make upselling easier by suggesting side dishes, beverage accompaniments, entrees and desserts which complement your customer’s main choice, as well as remembering their previous orders and being able to suggest favourites. Make the most of this functionality by highlighting your special offers, meal deals, signature dishes and more on your website and social posts and linking these directly to your online order platform. You can also run loyalty programs or special promotions in dedicated sections with their own landing pages.

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