How QSRs Can Optimize Online and Mobile Ordering

61% of consumers are ordering takeout or delivery at least once per week, and this is set to increase – revenue from app-based food orders is expected to rise 62% by 2025.

QSRs now have to provide the best possible online and mobile ordering experience. After all, a recent survey found that 27 percent of consumers stopped ordering from restaurants after a bad takeout experience. 

Here are a few how QSRs can optimize online and mobile order process:

Give it the Space it Needs

As we’ve touched on in another post, two of the biggest trends dominating QSR design involve building spaces that emphasize convenience and allow for adaptability. You need to make things easy for your customers and give yourself the ability to meet their expectations.

This means creating space for pick-up and delivery, including:

• Separate lines and/or pick up windows for pick-up, reducing disruptions for operations and diners.

• Updated signage, apps, and POS, which cut down on confusion. 

California’s Del Taco, for example, has a “Fresh Flex design,” which features third-party delivery pickup stations and drive-through lanes for mobile and delivery orders. 

If you’re not sure how to best approach a redesign of your space, or if you’re concerned about what impact a renovation might have on operations, don’t worry. Archmill House has helped QSRs of all sizes refresh their interiors with a process called re-imaging. This is a quick, cost-effective way to update your interior design and streamline online and mobile ordering, including the creation of designated areas created specially for these needs. 

The Archmill House team has years of experience with re-imaging projects and can advise you on how to refresh your store’s look and feel with existing fixtures and furniture pieces. Get in touch today for a quote.

Treat it as a Brand Building Opportunity

Many QSRs are using investments into online and mobile ordering as brand building opportunities.

Shake Shack, for example, has introduced a new layout called “Shake Track,” which features drive-up and walk-up windows designed for picking up digital orders. This might sound basic, but creating an easy, seamless pick-up experience can have a huge impact on the way users perceive your brand.

Looks also matter, and anything that seems haphazard or sloppy can have a negative impact. Many QSRs have taken to subtly hiding plug-ins and charging stations in drawers, creating easy access but also ensuring a neat appearance.

Archmill House’s Rapid Re-Image program helped numerous QSRs incorporate new elements and technology in a way that fits and enhances the brand. See what we did for Popeyes and get in touch today for a quote.

Personalize the Ordering Experience

The process of placing a digital order lends itself to personalization, as many QSRs allow customers to create profiles on their websites and apps. This is an easy way to enhance the customer experience, allowing users to add favorite items, go-to orders, allergies, and even birthdays.

Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have been big proponents of personalization, as their mobile apps let users create savable, custom orders, which encourage rapid ordering.

Many QSRs also allow users to build their own orders, including combos, pizzas, and burgers, among many others. This trend may have started with Chipotle, who gave customers the ability to make their own burritos and promptly saw a 5% growth in sales.

Reward the Mobile Customer

Personalization doesn’t end with making your own meal. With the digital ordering process, you can collect customer data at both the individual and segment levels, allowing you to target users with expanded menus, special offers, and personalized messages. Regular newsletters can also be sent to this user base, informing them of seasonal menu changes, new products, promotions, and other brand news.

Numerous brands have taken this a step further by developing loyalty and reward programs, which can encourage repeat visits and boost sales.

Don’t Forget Their Phones

Unsurprisingly, up to 90% of consumers use their phones inside stores while shopping. QSRs are leveraging the ubiquity of the smartphone (as well as geolocation) to keep track of a customer’s location to have their order ready for when they arrive, minimizing wait times and maximizing customer satisfaction. Starbucks has also experimented with text messaging to notify their customers when their orders are ready.

Customer authentication can sometimes be a bottleneck in the pick-up process. Some QSRs have used QR codes, but ultrasonic data transmission is a cutting-edge alternative that can even further simplify the process – guests don’t even need cell service or wifi.

To get started, re-imaging can be the easiest way to optimize your space for online and mobile ordering. Archmill House’s Rapid Re-Image program lets you refresh your space without the cost and time delays of a full renovation. See what we did for Popeyes and get in touch today for a quote.