Why Should You Invest In An Online Ordering System

Online food ordering is a trend that is showing no signs of slowing down. Based on a COWEN research, this sector represents 30% of the daily takeaway ordering, and the number is still growing to date. Still unsure if you should jump on the bandwagon?

Profitability of Online Ordering Systems

1. Growing Your F&B Business

Today, increasing number of people order food online thanks to the advancements in technology. According to a recent study, 69% of customers order food online using a mobile device. Sometimes we crave for certain foods and just want them right here right now. But what if your customer calls you to place an order while your restaurant is busy with your dine-in crowd? Fret not, with an online ordering system, there’ll always be “someone” virtually taking your orders.

After studying the purchasing patterns of transactions over Oddle’s online ordering system, we have noticed that 22% of the total delivery and pickup orders come in after the restaurants’ operating hours.

Want to know the best part? You can capture more than one-fifth more orders even after your restaurant closes because your restaurant ordering system which runs 24/7 has saved the day. Read this next to find out more about taking in more orders even after your restaurant is closed

Don’t you want to get rid of lull hours? Staff idling around, unused kitchen space, electricity meter still running; it’s a big headache, we know. So how can you better optimize your kitchen capacity and start making money during those periods? This is where an online ordering system comes into play. You will be able to arrange for pickups and deliveries during off-peak timings, and your customers can pre-collect their food and skip the long queues during the lunch or dinner crowd. This way you can maximize the potential of your restaurant by keeping yourself busy during the no-longer-lull periods with orders streaming in from your online ordering system. It’s a win-win!

2. Boost Sales & Marketing

Thinking of boosting your F&B business’ sales and marketing? This is where your very own online ordering system allows you to kill two birds with one stone. Your online shopping cart, becomes a complete visual display of your mouth-watering menu offerings. Even if a customer does not intend to order through your online ordering system yet, your online ordering menu still serves as a marketing source for him/her to decide on whether to dine in or order online in the future. This indirectly boosts sales even for dine-in.

 mage from Park Bench Deli

Let’s not forget, you are also able to remarket and retain your existing customers. Orders that come through your online ordering system goes into your customer data pool. Access to such insights allows you to send them emails of new menu items or promotions and convert them to loyal returning customers.

More Cost-Savings For You

Not only will your online ordering system bring in profits, but it can also save money for you too! As compared to marketplaces, most online ordering systems do not charge transaction fees. Without these per-order cuts, you don’t have to keep paying for repeat customers, hence allowing for a more sustainable growth for your restaurant in the long run. Moreover, you no longer have to waste staff-hours taking orders on calls and manually confirming them with your customers. Your customers will be able to order on your shopping cart, contemplating however long they want, without your staff having to wait for their decision. Once your customer finishes placing their order, it will trigger a notification on your app and with just a click of a button, you can send them an order confirmation email. You could even avoid costly no-shows by making your customers pay online immediately as they order.

To top it off, another cost-saving factor online ordering systems have is the freedom of delivery. You can minimize delivery cost by choosing to deliver nearby orders in-house – instead of outsourcing it to a delivery partner. Thus, saving on the per-transaction delivery costs, especially during off-peak hours when your restaurant can spare a hand or two for delivery.

Written by Laurentia Khoo, digital marketing intern at Oddle, a leading white-labeled, e-commerce platform that democratizes online ordering for F&B owners.