We have shared in previous blogs the importance of personalization and target marketing. If you haven’t already jumped on the data train of collecting customer information, hopefully you will today! Most customers don’t give a second thought to giving you their phone number or email. They want to know when you have discounts, events, double points and what your daily specials are. Customers look forward to that Happy Birthday email that includes a free treat or discount. There are multiple ways to go about collecting this information so your restaurant can pick and choose what will work best.
Reward Programs
Reward, or loyalty, programs are a great way to collect data. Before customers can sign up, they usually have to enter at minimum their name, email address, and phone number. With this information, restaurants are able to track customer ordering habits along with frequency. This is great for both the customer and the restaurant. Restaurants are able to see what customers are ordering and better meet the customers needs, while customers are being rewarded for their loyalty with coupons and/or free menu items.
Mobile Ordering
If you don’t have a rewards program yet, mobile ordering is another great way to collect customer data. Customer’s have to sign-up before they can access the mobile ordering platform on your website or app, giving you access to their name, phone number and email. You can then collect data on who is ordering, how often they order and what they order.
POS Systems
POS Systems help keep restaurants on track and running smoothly. They also offer data regarding what is being ordered, time it takes from when someone orders until the food is brought out and can even pair with other restaurant software, allowing you access to even more data. You can tailor this to your restaurant’s needs and collect information that will be beneficial to you.
Collecting this data allows you to better know and understand your customers. Restaurants can gain insight on what dishes are most popular, what times of day get more traction, get better feedback and give their customers higher quality service. After you have collected the data, it is important to go back and see what you can do to improve. Optimizing your menu, having customers opt in to weekly newsletters, and using the data to personalize your marketing to customers are a few ways to utilize the data to benefit your restaurant. This is where you will begin to see an increase in sales and see the potential and power of technology in rest.
