Making the most of mobile

Fast-food restaurants seem to have cracked the code and figured out how to leverage mobile marketing to their advantage. Pizza franchises such as Pizza Hut and Domino's offer their customers the ability to order via their mobile phones. Taco Bell now has an app with similar functionality. These companies have likely spent millions of dollars to introduce these changes, but they did so with the express goal of putting themselves first in their customers' minds.

How did they manage that? And how can you capitalise on it? Read on to find out.

The significance of mobile apps

Mehr als 40 % der Millennials nutzen ihr Mobiltelefon als primäre Quelle der Verbindung mit der Welt. Sie schreiben SMS, vernetzen sich, suchen nach Informationen, spielen Spiele, surfen im Internet, bezahlen Rechnungen – und bestellen Essen. Aus diesem Grund haben die oben genannten Unternehmen mobile Apps für ihre Unternehmen entwickelt. Mobile Apps ermöglichen es ihnen, jederzeit direkt mit ihren Kunden in Kontakt zu bleiben. Eine mobile Benachrichtigung kann sie auf Sonderangebote oder Aktionen aufmerksam machen. Die Person sieht es, klickt auf die Benachrichtigung und nutzt das Angebot.

Another scenario: A person is on their way home. They are hungry. Instead of looking for or calling a nearby pizza place, they simply pull up a Pizza Hut app, place an order, and pay for it. They can even choose a time to have the pizza delivered. How convenient is that? Apps are the lifeblood of a smartphone. An app that allows your customers to interact with you without having them call in and place an order is the most convenient way to get them to think of you when they are hungry. This increases your business and customer loyalty, and you are miles ahead of your competition. But isn't setting up your own mobile app expensive? Not necessarily.

How to set up your own mobile app

Bespoke mobile apps are great – if you can afford them. As most local businesses don't have that kind of budget, owners might feel that having their own mobile app is out of reach. But it isn't. There are companies that can help you create your own mobile app for a surprisingly low fee. Splick.it, ChowNow and Seamless are three of these companies. They set up branded mobile apps for you. Splick.it works with big brands like Fuddruckers and Pita Pit.

You take care of orders, loyalty programmes, and payment processing. ChowNow enables Facebook ordering, and Seamless facilitates searching for local sites that deliver directly from the website's homepage. Each company provides the ability to order through your website or your mobile app. This gives your customers the choice of how they want to interact with you. It also allows you to reach more customers. Splick.it says that their apps increase a customer's order volume by 30-70% compared to a walk-in customer. Imagine someone spending an extra 30% every time they order through your app. The investment is worth it.

How to retain customers

Loyalty programmes are an important part of any restaurant's business plan. They keep your guests coming back to you. Think of Starbucks' loyalty programme. People order a lot of coffee just to become a Gold member. For them, the perks are easy to earn and worth it. It's convenient to have a platform that has a loyalty programme integrated, like Splick.it, but there are other options.

With Swipely, Perka and Tummy Not only can you track your customers' loyalty points, but you can also see which of your items are the most popular. You can even tailor rewards. Swipely allows you to see which of your customers have spent the most money with you over a given period. You might want to make this reward different, for example, with a voucher for 25% off. Rewarding your customers makes them want to come back, but personalised rewards show you value them.

You can also make offers. You don't just have to offer them through your app. You can use websites such as LocalConnect to use to publish your offer on websites like Coupons.com and similar mobile apps. This way, you can place your offer in front of thousands of potential local customers. This is a clever way to attract both new and returning customers.

How to offer simpler payment options

The payment options are also integrated into the custom apps, but there are three more options you should utilise in addition to those available in the app.

With PayPal You can simply enter an email address, mobile number, or a PIN and pay for your purchases. Many national chains like Home Depot and Dollar General accept them.

With Google Wallet Can you pay with your phone instead of a credit card. It's similar to Apple Pay, but Google Wallet works with any mobile provider. Apple Pay only works with the Apple Watch and iPhone 6.

Both options work with „Tap to Pay“ technology. The customer simply needs to tap (in the case of Apple, tapping is optional) and their order is paid for. This definitely saves time and shows customers that you are far ahead of the competition. You will gain many customers who will keep coming back because you accept their preferred payment method. The business world is changing rapidly.

Every day we rely more and more on technology. There's no reason why small businesses have to be left behind. What was once out of reach for you as a restaurant owner is now available. Use the mobile methods mentioned here to grow your customer base and build your business. The ability to order and pay for things online is a matter of convenience.

If you invest in and utilise this opportunity, you will reap the rewards sooner than you think. Try to make at least one change in the next few months. Even if you only offer online orders, you should inform your current customers about it. Encourage them to give it a try. I promise you that you will be far, far ahead of your competition with this.