Online Ordering Perks and Ease

Did you know that 70% of consumers would rather order online directly from a company than through a third-party app?* Companies are standing by to make deliveries, or you can leverage your own website. There are advantages to each strategy, depending on your business model. Let’s review the basics.

*https://upserve.com/restaurant-insider/online-ordering-statistics/

That’s the official term for companies like GrubHub. One of the latest to hit the region: Favor, a part of Google Express, which offers tiered memberships for consumers. These services all handle both the ordering process and delivery, if requested. You can also partner with other companies to do the delivery piece, while you take the orders through your own website. Options include UberEATS, DoorDash and Postmates. And yet another type of service is now launching: aggregators of aggregators. These one-stop shops list local aggregators’ cost and delivery time for easy review.

You’ve got customers—and potential customers. Your website should be designed to come up high on a search engine to help people find your business and sell them on your unique attributes. Your own ordering (website and app) can also “explain” your offerings, and use carefully selected photos. On the other hand, aggregators help funnel customers to you by offering dozens of options, by advertising their services, and by using social engagement to attract masses of people looking for their next meal or snack. They can also feature your photos and offerings in their apps.

In theory, your online ordering system is always operating perfectly. In reality? Reputable companies that build your system—especially if they specialize in restaurants—should help make it reliable. The aggregators, for sure, have teams behind the scenes to keep things up and running. They may also be better equipped to handle order crunches, before or during football games, for example.

If you have a delivery service already in place, and it is a large part of your revenue, you may want to host your online ordering rather than use an aggregator, some experts say. That way, you “own” the customer experience to a greater extent.

Most aggregators make their money when a restaurant receives an order through their site or mobile app. Merchant fees usually start at about 10 to 15 percent per order; some companies charge monthly fees to customers and/or operators. Alternatively, companies can offer restaurants lots of “extras.” These may include things like short-term premium placement on their platform if you pay a bit more: for example, during a sports matchup or weekend prime times. Make sure you—and perhaps even an attorney—understand all the terms of any contract from length to costs to cancellation.

Some aggregators price-distinguish between e-users and “walkers” (people who pick up rather than take delivery). That means, offer targeted discounts to the customers you want most. Last but not least: With an aggregator, there’s currently no way to tell— data-wise—whether a customer is new or a repeat. If you carry a loyalty program, this could be a drawback. Ask, because services and their benefits change very quickly!

MyShamrock.com gives you access 24/7 from anywhere:
1. Supports all major mobiles and tablets; you can start on your mobile and finish on desktop/laptop
2. Info at your fingertips; e.g., Where’s My Truck?, transaction/invoice lookup
3. Create and edit orders, review order history, get product images/ nutritionals, and much more!