By Joshua Sharp, Contributor
Since food delivery, online-only restaurants, and “ghost kitchens” are becoming more popular, it’s only natural for your restaurant to beef up your digital presence, too – especially in the time of COVID and dining room restrictions.
And while improving your online presence can sometimes be a lot of work, it is a great way to maintain sales and reach out to a wider audience. To help you with the transition, here are some tips that you can follow.
Use Floating ‘Add to Cart’ Buttons
Floating “add to cart” buttons are helpful because regardless of where the visitor is on the screen, it’s there to inspire them to initiate quick action.
If they scroll down to read reviews from other guests, the button will follow them as they browse. The same goes when they scroll back up to read the description of an item, look at restaurant’s event calendar, etc. A floating add to cart button reminds your guests that they can order food from you, but it does not distract them from reading or taking other action.
Have Cart Details on Hover
Most online shops and restaurants have a complete list of shortlisted products, alongside their details, in the cart. However, your guests may think it’s a hassle to have to navigate to the cart page every time just to check what they’ve already ordered. This is where implementing a hover cart details feature is helpful; guests can get a quick glance at their menu order and their billing information.
Provide Smooth Checkout Options
A lot of people add items to their shopping cart, but don’t go through with the purchase. This could be because they are still uncertain putting in the order, but in the case of restaurants it’s more likely that the checkout process is convoluted or inconvenient. Your goal should be to make the checkout process as simple and intuitive as possible. This encourages users to push through with buying everything on the cart. Not only take credit card information but also allow for non-card ordering options, too, like PayPal and Venmo.
You can try placing the CTA at the top of the screen in the conversion path for maximum visibility.
Set up a Loyalty Program
One way to promote online sales for your restaurant is to have a loyal customer base, which you can set up with a loyalty program. We typically think of loyalty programs as a way of getting guests to visit your dining room, but they’re also a great way to get consistent online orders, too. It gives people an incentive to continue purchasing meals from your restaurant because they have a connection to your restaurant’s brand. Every purchase can be equivalent to credits or loyalty points, which they can redeem when it reaches a certain amount.
Offer Seasonal Discounts
More people are turning to restaurant delivery in an attempt to avoid long lines, big crowds, and the risk of infection. As a result, there is a marked rise in the amount of sales that you can make during the holiday season. You should take advantage of this moment by offering seasonal discounts. Think of giving out free shipping vouchers, free products to go with every order, or contests and giveaways. This will help you take advantage of the rise in online ordering.
Be Open to Feedback
Make sure that your website has functionalities that allow guests to update you regarding their purchase. Comments on the way their meal was delivered, the quality of the food, and the packaging are important because it can help you improve your business. You can send push notifications or follow-up emails after they receive the product asking them to leave a review so that they know that they can give their feedback.
Create a Separate Takeout & Delivery Menu
Investing in takeout and delivery is important because more people rely on food delivery services to avoid the risk of getting exposed to infection when dining in.
As a restaurant, it may be difficult to transport some of your food products (such as soups or desserts) because they might spill or melt. It’s good to be clear from the get-go that these products are not available for transportation so that less time is spent on placing their orders.
Conduct Basic Reputation Management
It is impossible to control what every single user has to say about your restaurant. However, you can mitigate the impact of a bad review or comment by being responsive and owning up to any personal faults that have played a part in their unsatisfactory experience. Be professional and offer to remedy the situation.
About the Author
Joshua Sharp is a blogger and professional writer who is currently working as a journalist in a local college paper. He is passionate about traveling, meeting different cultures, and making social connections.
He started his career in writing as an author of the blog and has since moved on to write for media, art, public relations, and news sites. He is open to new gigs, so feel free to approach him for essay writing services in the UK at any time!
