Attract Customers to your Food Delivery Business
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many restaurants to rethink their business model and adapt to a new, albeit temporary, reality.
As a result, restaurants everywhere are beginning to pivot, and many are rightly adding or implementing a takeaway model. But for the enterprising restaurateurs who have chosen this path, a perennial question remains: how do you stand out when the competition is growing by the minute?
To help provide an answer, we’ve developed a few ideas that will help you attract customers during the lockdown and, crucially, retain them once you fully reopen your restaurant.
How to attract food delivery customers
Enable Customers to Claim a Reward When You Open Again
To keep customers engaged, and maximise your sales, consider setting up a promotion whereby they can be recognised for their loyalty throughout the lockdown.
Try, for instance, announcing that every customer who orders 3 takeaways will get 15% off, or a free side or drink, when they next dine-in. The aim is to use an attractive reward that will incentivise repeat business. To get the most from a promotion like this, be sure to remain in contact with your customers, letting them know how close they are to securing their reward.
Ask customers to leave reviews of their delivery experience
Reviews have never been so important, not least because they’re vital social proof of the credibility of any business. You should seek your customers’ feedback on the speed and accuracy of your delivery service, and the friendliness of the delivery person. Positive feedback in each of these key areas can go a long way toward attracting new business.
Consider offering something in exchange for a review like a discount off of their next purchase.
Show social responsibility
One way to demonstrate customer care is to offer contactless delivery in an effort to reduce unnecessary human interaction. Each of the major food delivery companies, including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, are taking this exact approach.
We integrate with several trusted businesses on our AppStore which will allow you to operate a completely contactless order and pay experience for your customers.
- Deliveroo - One of the leading food ordering apps in the UK that allows you to add your menu items and deliver using either your own delivery team or Deliveroo’s team of thousands of delivery drivers and cyclists. The Deliveroo app is a free integration and the App is free for your customers to download.
- Hopt - Hopt is an order and pay app where your customers can order and pay for pick up or delivery. Your menu from your Epos Now POS system automatically updates whenever you edit it on your back office, and orders into the app go directly to your POS system, kitchen printer and Kitchen Display Screen.
Leverage Social Media
Now that the majority of people are at home all day long, they’ll be spending a lot of their time on social media. This means you need to find a way to get in front of their thumbs and remind them that you’re still there for them. Try to be creative so that you can reduce your spend on ads.
For instance, invite your customers to share photos of the meals they’ve ordered from you, and encourage them to use a hashtag you’ve created. This will raise brand awareness, make it fun, and genuinely increase your chances to attract new customers. Perhaps people can vote for their favourite photo and you can reward the aspiring photographer with a free dessert when they next order from you, be it physically or online.
Create and Foster a Community Feeling
We may have to stay apart from each other physically, but nothing can stop us gathering online and maintaining a sense of togetherness. Many of us will need to feel that they can still meet and communicate with new people during self-isolation, albeit not in person.
Expanding on our previous point, why not email those of your customers who place an order with you and invite them to join you in a Facebook group designed specifically to keep people connected throughout the pandemic? There, they can share how they are coping with the lockdown and you can engage in their conversations in a friendly and informal way. It will make your business a lot more personable and strengthen your relationship with your customers.
There is opportunity in the challenge
We know it’s a challenging time for everyone, but Epos Now’s ethos has always been one of seeking the opportunity in the challenge. Now is the best time to get creative in your marketing efforts and test what will resonate with your customers. This could be an invaluable experience that will inform your future campaigns, whilst helping you to get through this temporary new reality.
For more information on the developing COVID-19 situation and its impact on businesses, as well as for access to useful resources, please visit our dedicated page here.