I’m getting the Granbury newsletter (but no repsonse to my request for a trial, nor a discussion of support issues I’ve heard here and elsewhere…)
This article is in the latest. I’ve not read it thoroughly, but the abstract is that many customers feel more in control when they order online, and that, in part, is the real reason online ordering breeds repeat customers. Convenience does not seem to be that important.
Is this an example of people looking for reasons to complain? “I can PROVE my order was placed right, you guys messed it up. Give me something for free, or I’ll never be there again!”
I use online ordering a lot, with a credit card, but I’m really hesitant to offer online ordering because of the security issues, and the liability. Honestly, I’m not the type to demand unreasonable compensation if my info is messed up, (stolen, hijacked, scammed) but it also seems I’m not a typical person. Online ordering poses too much risk to me, as a new startup small business. I hope I can be convinced otherwise, based on this report.
Ah. Now that I’ve actually read the paper, it tells nothing from the CUSTOMER’S standpoint, only the restaurant side’s PERCEPTION of what the customers feel.
BIG difference.
I just put up a question on my Facebook page, relating to this. Steve Tuba Hoog is my name there, so please, if you want to answer do so, or just watch the results. I’ll report here in a week or so.
We have had Phoenix Point of sale since August '05. As far as Granbury service/support goes they have been less than responsive since they became Granbury, but they have addressed and solved any issues I have had recently when they did get to them. We have had zero (knock on wood) issues with our credit card security. Of course the day we got the letter from Firefly talking about credit card security and what solutions they offered we called them and got that taken care of.
I’m with you on online ordering. The small regional chain I’m a part of has 10 units offering online ordering and the avg online vs conventional orders don’t show any significant increase in avg ticket. So other than convenience for our customers, I don’t see why I should put any money/time /effort into it. That and the online setup we are using really isn’t that convenient to use. Coupons are a nightmare to use online with the system. So I’ve stayed away. If a customer asks why I don’t offer it, I just tell them we love to hear their voice.
More restaurants are seeing the benefits of online ordering systems. Customers like being able to take their time and restaurants like the inflow of customers and the efficiency it gives them. Customers do not generally look for an excuse to complain; usually they don’t like to! Online ordering works both ways because the customers orders exactly what they want and the restaurant then knows exactly what they need to make. If a customer complains afterwards, and the restaurant made the order they received online from them, they have not right to complain at all.
Online ordering is something that larger restaurants have been trying. It is hard for smaller restaurants to get into it because they don’t have the customer base to support it. However, if you are located in a city or have goals of having a large customer base, you should at least think about trying something like this. Customers are become a lot more technology savvy and showing that you are a restaurant that is willing to try the newest upcoming thing will impress them. I would suggest researching more and then decide if it really would help your business or not.
We have been doing online ordering now for about 18 months. In that time we have had close to 2000 unique customer IDs order and online is about 10-11% of the business. That jumps to 15-20% when we do an online promo during our off season.
Average ticket is LESS than our overall average. The difference is about 10%.
We have a number of regular customers that clearly like to order online and others who do it sometimes and still more that only do it when there is a smkin’ deal. The good newws is that you can see all that in the data and target your offers accordingly with email. FAR less expensive to do than direct mail!
Online ordering is huge for me and gains more and more each week. My average ticket is higher than my phone orders. I would say it is easier for the customer to browse and not be rushed so they grab many of the extra items that we would try to upsell over the phone and get resistence from.
I have Revention and it is fully integrated. There are a few flaws when dealing with coupons but I can also have coupons that require a code rather than just sit there for average browser to find. We also have the Android and iPhone apps for the online ordering and it actually works a little smoother than the normal web version.
Big 3 are seeing 40% or more online orders and their PPO is quite higher on those orders. I am only at about 10-15% online with exception to my campus store which is more like 25% - the kids just use it…dont have to stop doing what they were doing with a couple clicks food is on the way.
Having the right system is key. There are some stand alone online providers out there that help you look really good too, if your not impressed with the online service your POS provider provides.
I can see this being a market thing…Small seasonal ski town might not need it as much as a bigger market in metro locale. You have to know the market.
Our online market is much more locals than tourists. The tourists tend to not know the address of where they are staying (they know the name of the condo but not the street adress) so it is easier to just call. Locals, once they use the system tend to like it.
I have been very pleased with the Prism online system both regular internet and mobile. The average ticket has been rising, but is still not up to our phone average.
I think it is a “necessary evil”. About 15-20% of my sales are online orders and the Ticket average is generally about 20% higher. People like to be able to take their time and look around without the pressure. These days, people just don’t like to talk on the phone. I mean how many people send you a text instead of calling. Happens to me a lot, heck I even do it. I had the same concerns about security. We use dialup terminals and have Revention. I use Brygid for online ordering. My orders come in on an epson IP printer. It works well, albeit a little inconvenient having to enter the order into the pos. But credit cards are ran through a third party gateway. Security is my number 1 concern since Firefly.
Less screw-ups.
Customer feels in control.
Avoid the “can you hold please” which makes everyone crazy.
Allows the customer to have time to really view your choices which (to me anyway) = a higher check.
Database auto-build.
Specials are “in your face” upon entering the site.
I could go on and on … maybe I should start selling these things ; )
Live in the past and get left behind; technology isn’t going away guys/gals…
Stay far away from Granbury! We purchased it 2 years ago. There still do not have it working correctly. They refuse to honor their contracts. We are in the process of suing them. Anyone wanting to join in. contact us. They now want us to $15,000.00 more to fix their program and raise our support by 500%, and their support is the worst.