Food delivery in Australia is basking in somewhat of a golden age, its evolution accelerated by the onset of Covid and the subsequent lockdowns which followed.
This is both a blessing and a curse.
Where there are now means to reach more customers than ever before, your menu being literally at their fingertips, you are not alone in a new and improved delivery landscape that can, at times, border on saturated, leaving your menu shouting for attention in an already deafening arena.
So, what can you do to stand out from the rest?
We’ve got some tips that can cement your restaurant’s online delivery service at the front of the queue.
Thinking of offering online ordering in your restaurant? Don’t do it without reading Lightspeed’s 8 Steps To Supersize Delivery Orders & Revenue eGuide. It’s free and it’s yours, today.
1) Make the most of your digital menu
Lightspeed’s data shows that customers who order online spend 25% more than their dine-in counterparts.
You’re going to want to get in on this action, however, you only have around 5-10 seconds to grab a customer’s attention before they move onto the next restaurant so it’s crucial you do everything in your power to latch onto them as quickly as possible.
This can be achieved in many ways.
- Firstly, make sure your food is photographed as beautifully as possible and that there is a consistent design element throughout your visuals. This will help draw them in.
- Next, keep your food’s descriptions short, snappy, but accurate. Make sure your pricing is clear and that any deals or discounts are offered at the very top of the page.
- Finally, remember to brand your digital menu. This will create an awareness of your restaurant for both new and returning customers, helping you stand out in food delivery apps.
2) Boost your average order value with upselling
Once you’ve got customers looking through your menu, you’re going to want to take advantage of the situation.
Now is the time to upsell.
Usually, with dine-in customers, waitstaff can be a little reluctant to upsell as it can be seen as a touch aggressive sometimes. With a digital menu, however, this issue disappears.
- Prompts: Configure your order flow to prompt upsells for certain items, for example, if a medium pizza is selected, have the next step be a prompt to upgrade to a large.
- Combos: Offer meal combos, adding chips and a drink to items like burgers, wraps or sandwiches.
- Extras: If you feel like your kitchen can handle it, why not prompt the customer to add their own personalised extras to their meals? Price them at $1.50 each and let the customer go wild.
3) Use your tech to make it easy
A good POS system can go far when it comes to handling and navigating the treacherous seas of online food delivery.
Lightspeed Delivery lets you sync your digital menu with the major players in Australian online food delivery such as Deliveroo, Doordash and UberEats meaning you don’t have the hassle of juggling multiple platforms; they’ll all sync directly into your POS, just like a dine-in order.
This also means that your staff will be familiar with the order, production and end of day workflows as it uses the same system.
You can make changes and tweaks to your menu, manage your inventory and track your margins in there too, all without exiting your POS.
If you want to give your online ordering a fighting chance, download our free eGuide 8 Steps To Supersize Delivery Orders & Revenue.
