If you believe that the success of your café or restaurant depends primarily on the quality of the cuisine and reasonable pricing policy, you are undoubtedly correct. But only partly. Today it is necessary to consider such an important factor as the Internet. Thanks to it, potential customers can learn about the existence of establishments like yours. Therefore, it would be wise to leverage this by partnering with a mobile app development company to create a dedicated mobile app for your business.
What Ingredients Can a Gastronomic Establishment App Consist of?
First of all, the contacts of the establishment. The presence of an accurate address, phone number, and email address greatly entices potential customers. The cherry on top could be a detailed map showing how to get to the restaurant. In the case of having a network of similar establishments, ignoring the possibility of showing the user the nearest place is at least shortsighted.
A detailed menu with quality images and prices will allow you to count on customer loyalty. In this way, they can plan their budget, deciding in advance what dish will satisfy their appetite.
The option to order food for delivery or takeout should not be underestimated either. As a rule, such orders make up to 10% of the total daily revenue. However, the main thing in this regard is not to make a mistake associated with calling the customer back and subsequently clarifying the order. This action undermines the very essence of the mobile app.
The table reservation option is also not devoid of effectiveness. Because it represents a special convenience for users of your app: with a few clicks, they can not only reserve a table but also decide on a preliminary order.
Information about promotions, news of your restaurant/café/pizzeria, bonus system, and themed events—this is what will make the customer strive to become a regular. The Achilles' heel of this ingredient is excessive intrusiveness, so it is better not to overdo it.
A pleasing design with smooth animation will help the app attract even more customers. Because such things catch the eye and are memorable, becoming its business card. Of course, the animation can and should be related to food.
What Does a Mobile App Bring to Your Establishment?
If you have created a quality and up-to-date service, it positively affects the loyalty of your customers.
Foot traffic increases because your app icon is always on the customer's smartphone. As a result, they will visit the app more often and place orders more frequently.
You gain the ability to analyze your customers' behavior, preferences, and visiting days.
A mobile app works wonderfully for the benefit of your brand. If it is well-developed and meets all the current requirements, it will create a positive association in the customer's mind.
Thanks to the mobile app, you can leave competing establishments behind. After all, the niche is currently free and only beginning to develop. Thus, you are taking a step into the future. And this, in turn, is fraught with exclusively beneficial consequences for your business.
In the next article, we will examine the main reasons for creating a mobile app for a gastronomic establishment in more detail.
Last time, we briefly examined the advantages of having your mobile app for a restaurant, cafe, or pizzeria. Now, we intend to thoroughly analyze the main reasons designed to stimulate the desire to create it.
Push Notifications
The ability to send such notifications to customers is a kind of lever of influence on them, which can contribute to their visits to your establishment. This method is much more effective than SMS messaging because the user only needs to click on the notification to end up in the appropriate app category. Moreover, push notifications can be used to inform customers about various promotional offers, upcoming events, and new menu additions. It also makes sense to remind them of the option to reserve a table. However, if you push too hard, it may have the opposite effect desired, so it's important to consider aspects such as analytics.
Analytics
You can collect data about your visitors through the mobile app. Specifically, this refers to the ability to have information about which days the customer visits your establishment (or accesses the app), which dishes they prefer, and which category of dishes they usually find interesting. Based on this data, it will be easier to cater to customers' tastes. Thanks to a smart push notification strategy, you can ensure their frequent appearances at your establishment.
Quick Access to the Menu
Undoubtedly, this is a very convenient option. It allows the user to view juicy photos of dishes, read about their creation stories, find out what they are paired with, and see their prices. Of course, you can also add the option to order a favorite dish directly from the app.
Promotions and Events
The presence of a category related to events and promotions in your app can encourage users to visit the establishment. If you plan to diversify your restaurant or cafe, it's worth considering the possibility of holding various events within its premises: holidays, concerts, tastings, masterclasses, and creative evenings. Of course, you should notify app users about them, seasoning it all with the privilege of ordering or booking tickets.
Feedback
This is a risk, but it's justified. A gastronomic establishment will only benefit from having customer reviews in its app. Firstly, this will allow you to promptly address shortcomings. Secondly, it's an extra opportunity to demonstrate care for your visitors. How? Respond to complaints and suggestions, and immediately offer the customer to visit your establishment again under "tasty" conditions.
In addition to this, it's necessary to consider food-related trends. For example, food bloggers can photograph dishes and post pictures on Instagram. The most successful ones can be placed in a special section in the app. Also, for advertising purposes, nothing prevents you from creating an Instagram page for your establishment.