eCommerce and restaurants: What can I do to stay relevant?
With the world rapidly changing all around us, restaurant owners are getting nervous as to how to stay relevant. How do you compete with fast food chains with big marketing budgets and teams to deal with online marketing for you?
By now, we all have seen changes in customer behaviours. We know that people prefer to order online, whether it be food, electronics, or clothing. But you are wondering: how can I, too, be part of this new culture? How can I adapt my restaurant to embrace and also succeed in this new age?
The answer? eCommerce!
What is eCommerce and how does it work?
Before we go into explaining how you can use eCommerce to compete with those around you, let’s look at what eCommerce is, how it works and how you use it.
What is eCommerce for restaurants?First thing’s first: eCommerce refers to electronic commerce, which is the ordering of products and services online. That means that you can go onto your computer or smartphone, choose a restaurant or shop or brand and buy any products you need – right from your couch!
Now, some of us are more technologically inclined than others, but shying away from technology might just be your downfall. And turns out: you can teach an old dog new tricks. You just need to have a little more patience.
So, if you should decide to implement eCommerce into your business (and you should), how will that work then?
How does it work? Well, this can work in one of three ways:
1. Third Party Aggregator2. Do it yourself3. Outsource (New Trend)
What differentiates this from traditional business methods, is along the lines of cost, access to customers, market, convenience, reporting etc.
There are many decisions to make, but we won’t be covering the best way to launch your business online today. Right now, we just want to cover the basics.
The whole point about evolution, is not to die out
This is why we adapt. We take the best parts, keep it and keep improving it and then we take the bad parts, or the parts we don’t need to move forward, and toss it. Lose it. Adapt to new environments and become part of the new ecosystem that this way of business will forge.
So now we have explained the terminology, let’s get to what you really want to hear: What’s in it for me?
Fair question. This is where the term ‘future-proof’ comes into play.
What does future-proof mean?
Well, in short it refers to a product or service that won’t die out, go out of date or fall into disuse. For example, how many of us still rent DVD’s from a video store? Even though there still are some of these stores open, there used to be one around every corner. Kind of like KFC for videos!
Today, however, we just subscribe to Netflix or Showmax and stream what we want to watch online. Renting DVD’s have become out of date, because it is more convenient to watch whatever’s on your suggested list on Netflix, than to go to the store, browse through all of those DVD’s, fight with your wife on whether we’re watching that new Romcom or the new Tom Cruise action film, and then going home and falling asleep anyway.
That’s a lot to take in.
So, to really understand the value of an eCommerce system, we need to look at the advantages of running a restaurant online.
We must also impress in upon you: Things will only be going forward from here. There will only be more development in eCommerce, so there is no going back to “the good ol’ days.”
It’s 2020. Wake up.
What are the benefits of eCommerce for restaurants?
There are various advantages of eCommerce in for businesses. Here we have compiled a list to boil it all down and make it applicable to you and your restaurant.
Advantages of eCommerce for Restaurants (in South Africa)
1. You can reach new customers2. Improved customer care3. Add an Additional Revenue Pipeline 4. No more confusing phone orders5. New insights into consumer behaviour6. Satisfied customers will always share their experience online7. Managing your restaurant online is easy8. Not bound to location 9. Outsourced deliveries 10. Cost cutting – Overheads and staff11. Customer convenience – ordering & delivery12. Digital world of commerce – where the consumer is 13. Efficiencies and automatic workflows
Final words
To sum up all that we have said – eCommerce is there to simplify your life as a business-owner, as well as to improve the customer experience. It’s a win-win situation for both the business and the customer.
It’s well worth the investment, effort and time.
BuzZ eCommerce: https://www.buzzgroup.co.za/services#BuzZeCommerce