Does your restaurant business need an app?

The latest statistics show that over half of web traffic across the globe is mobile based, with the majority of that being spent on apps. A significant amount of an individual’s focus during the day will be on their phone as they are browsing, messaging, gaming, listening, watching, and the rest. If you can get your restaurant app established on your customer’s home screen, then you’ll soon notice the value of that virtual real estate. You can be present in your customers’ lives on a daily basis as they navigate their phones.

Reports from Deloitte in 2020 suggest that restaurants need to get onboard the digital ship. Around 40% of customers would rather order online, and tend to spend more money when they do. Nearly half of all take-out and drive-thru customers want to pay on their mobile, along with a third of dine-in guests. Average spend goes up by a fifth when digital ordering services are in place at fast food restaurants, and frequency of visits goes up by around a tenth. The statistics speak for themselves, and to keep a large proportion of your customers happy, it’s best to have an app in place.

What are the popular restaurant apps?

There are various types of apps out there, such as; independent restaurant apps, third party aggregators like Uber Eats / Deliveroo etc., restaurant review apps like Tripadvisor and reservation apps like Opentable. McDonalds, Dominos, KFC, Starbucks, and Greggs are all in the top 15 apps, with marketplace apps Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat making up 3 out of the top 4 (according to similarweb, October 2021). The majority of the most used apps are for chain brands food outlets that are utilising ordering, loyalty and table service features to increase order volume and customer satisfaction. They know that an app keeps their customers engaged, and their brand front of mind.

Should I build my own app?

It is possible to build your own app – although it will take considerable time, money, and resources. From doing in-depth research, the procurement of a development company to build your app from scratch, design work, going through a refinement process, testing etc. You would also then need to dedicate resources to managing, providing ongoing support, and enhancing the app.

This is where a white-label solution becomes the go-to option – if you don’t have the money and resources of a McDonalds or a Starbucks. Create a fully branded, customisable app on a white-lable platform. It’s cost-effective and a lot easier to manage. You’ll have ongoing access to support and your software is regularly updated and enhanced – meaning your tech stays relevant and runs smoothly. All this with a fully branded and customised front-end.

Do I need to set-up both Android and Apple apps?

iOS operating systems make up about a quarter of the market share globally, with Android making up around three quarters. This proportion can vary hugely by region.

Developing both independently can be a complicated process, they use separate programming languages and involve different launch processes. Apple takes a little longer to approve their apps, both handle data in different ways, have varying levels of permissions and rules around what the app can include. They are often not in sync when you build them yourself, or perhaps one is released before the other. It can lead to a disruption in service as your customer base will have a split of Android and iOS users.

Another perk of using a white-label solution is that you will get your Android and iOS app developed alongside each other, with the system being ready to set them up and keep them both up to date.

Get up and running quickly

Developing an app from the ground up can take the best part of a year, or more. Briefing the development plan, procurement, design, testing, deployment and all the bits in between. It all adds time to the process. A white-label provider can get your app live in a matter of a few weeks or less. Don’t miss out on digital orders by getting your app up and running quickly.

Final Word

In order to plant yourself in your customers’ lives, you should be planting your app on their home-screen. A restaurant app is the route to a seamless service, bringing more customers back with push notifications (between 20 and 30 times higher open rates than email campaigns), creating higher order values and conversions, and encouraging long-term loyalty. Free up your staff from manually taking orders and liberate your customers by giving them a streamlined digital ordering experience.

If you would like to find out more about setting up your brand’s digital ordering service drop us an email: sales@redbox.systems or give us a call on +44 (0)1134660024

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