One of the most competitive markets to be in is the food business. Because of this, how a restaurant markets itself can be the difference between success and failure. You might have the greatest tasting food in the world, but if you’re not actively marketing your product in the correct way, you simply won’t make it in the food industry. Word of mouth can be a great thing, but it can’t be the only thing. In today’s society, using technology in one form or another is key to your success.
In 2016, two markets that will be greatly affected by the use of technology are the retail sector and dining sector. There are new stores and online offerings popping up every day promising better deals and better meals. You have to adapt and innovate to stay relevant, and marketing is the first step in that.
Restaurants need to market themselves to be accessible and appealing to an ever growing consumer base that prioritizes efficiency, creativity, and competitive pricing. The creative side of their marketing strategy in part comes from chefs who push the envelope, but what about the efficient side? That’s where restaurants can use technology to better market themselves. While reservation apps have been a staple for years, and a great starting point, there are now services coming out that make it even more convenient. Apps like Allset have allowed restaurants in the San Francisco/Palo Alto to cater to an entirely new group of people looking for a quick and nice sit down meal. Sure, there is always delivery and takeout, but sometimes you simply want to get out of the office for a bit and clear your mind.
The app allows you to book your table, pre-order your food, and pay for it all within the app. Diners looking to have a nice lunch, but who are typically on time-sensitive schedules, can now have their figurative cake and eat it too. Allset has managed to infiltrate and innovate a rather basic sector by essentially eliminating wait times and businesses using the service are already reaping the benefits of the app.
One restaurant that uses Allset, Les Clos, even reported a 30 percent increase in their lunch orders and a 25% increase in sales. Just by including an innovative way to have a quick lunch. By essentially cutting out all wait times, restaurants can appeal to an entirely new crowd and bring in customers that just simply didn’t have the time for a sit down meal before. As a bonus, Allset even helps restaurants due to the fact that they will better be able to predict how many customers are coming in and increase their table turnover time; a goal for all restaurants.
Savored (purchased by Groupon) is another app that restaurants could utilize to drive business to their establishment. While Savored is no longer in existence, the idea is still pertinent, and as made obvious from the buyout, successful. The app allowed users to make reservations, but it gave users extra incentives to dine at certain restaurants. The incentive was that the user could save up to 40% by reserving tables at particular restaurants.
Saving money is a huge factor in swaying the on-the-fence diners and Savored, and the restaurants that utilized it, managed to capture that market perfectly. If you’re looking for ways to market your restaurant, using the power of apps to offer discounts is a great way to do that.
The retail sector can greatly be helped by the use of apps, as well. Drug stores like CVS and Walgreens now have apps that allow customers to use their app to refill orders and prescriptions. While it may seem like a small feature, by offering this additional service they are separating themselves from the competition and appealing to busy customers who may not be able to get into the store to refill a prescription.
Coupons have been around forever, but thanks to apps there are entirely new ways to offer coupons to customers. RetailMeNot is a great example of a service that was once only available on a website, but the company now has an app that allows customers to browse coupons on-the-go. Stores that make an active effort to get their coupons on RetailMeNot can use this to their advantage to encourage purchases for on the fence customers browsing their stores. Just like with restaurants, anything that can save a customer money is a great marketing tool to utilize.
As we enter the new year, businesses must learn the new complexities in targeted ads.. Advertisers use targeted ads based on your searches and location, but those same people are looking to take that to the next level. No longer is location (city or state) based advertising enough, now advertisers are looking at ways to deliver pertinent ads when consumers are near stores. In a shopping center with a Macy’s nearby? Advanced location-based ad marketing could pick up on that and deliver deals and sales to the Macy’s across the plaza from you.
As technology continues to advance at blistering speeds, business sectors that rely on shoppers will need to continue to step up their game to differentiate themselves from a market that continues to grow daily. There will always be a new restaurant or clothing outlet, and marketers will need to stay with the times to appeal to not only new customers, but to retain their already loyal fanbase.
