It’s Clear that Online Orders are Larger

Online Orders are Larger than Phone OrdersAt TakeOut7, we receive that input daily from our restaurant clients. We also do our internal data tracking, comparing phone orders to online orders. There is no doubt that online orders are larger than phone orders. It’s clear that the results are there, but not clear as to why.

Let’s Explore these Larger Online Orders:

  • Consumers Discover New Items

When consumers explore the menu online, they discover items they didn’t know the restaurant served. This seems simple, but when ordering by phone, the consumer may not have a menu in front of them, so they order what they recall the restaurant serves.

  • The Consumer is Pressed for Time

When ordering online, the consumer has time to browse the entire menu, consider the add-on items, and make their menu choices at their leisure.

  • Time to Select Add-on Items

With plenty of time to order and without feeling rushed, the online consumers have time to select add-on items that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Think of a busy restaurant at rush hour. The order taker primarily has another role in the restaurant. Their primary role is hostess, waiter, chef, or manager. They are all busy and multitasking. Like it or not, they tend to rush the ordering consumer. The consumer doesn’t have time to think through the add-on items they might otherwise order. It’s no wonder online ordering outproduces phone orders.

  • Order Accuracy

I recently read an article that stated Domino’s Pizza claims 34 million variations in their pizza menu. With that many variations, there are bound to be ordering mistakes. Subliminally, ordering consumers sense there will be mistakes in their order. As a result, consumers tend to simplify their phone orders. Simplified phone orders lower the amount of money the consumer would have otherwise spent.

  • Many Consumers, Especially Millennials and GenX-ers, Simply won’t Order VIA the Phone

These groups (with Millennials now being larger spenders than baby boomers) have grown up in a world where convenience is king. To them, phones exist for texting purposes and not for talking. They set up dates without ever speaking directly to their date over the phone. They order their clothing and groceries online, so it’s not surprising that they will only order food online. In a Millennial or a GenX-ers case, the size of the order is beside the point; their goal is to get the order placed.

Simple Improvements Could Increase Revenue

Restaurateurs do everything possible to increase their revenue. In doing so, it is often hard to see the forest for the trees. Simple improvements with the potential to make massive differences can easily be overlooked.  It’s become clear that online ordering is a simple and easy way to get more money per order while increasing consumers’ satisfaction with the restaurant.