14 January 2010
On-Demand E-Mail Marketing Solutions for the Restaurant Industry
Posted by Crystal under: Recession Tips & Tricks .
Today’s software market is developing at a rapid pace: particularly in a restaurant industry, each year new software solutions are introduced. For instance, if a restaurant wants to have an interactive and fully functional marketing solution, accessible via any computer with an internet connection, and deliver cost-efficient branded communications to restaurant’s patrons via web-interface, there are software solutions that do just that. These companies include Fishbowl, iPost, Return Path, Ipsos Interactive Services, Pivotal Veracity, to name just a few. Here are some of the common features that such cutting edge marketing solutions deliver for the restaurant industry:
Customized Targeting & Messaging Capabilities. This feature allows the restaurant to have a messaging capability to produce recurring brand-oriented messages, which foster customer loyalty, increase guest frequency, enhance brand awareness, and increase restaurant’s up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. As a result, a restaurant acquires an extremely flexible targeting and segmentation capability: for instance, when a customer uses your system, such as when ordering on-line, that information is saved, and future offers can be targeted according to the characteristics of that particular customer. The software takes into account the history and preferences of each customer and creates highly targeted messages.
On-Line Ordering. This feature allows guests to order delivery, takeout or even catering services right from restaurant’s website. The on-line ordering process is extremely easy for the customer to navigate; it also allows the customer to produce highly customized orders, order in advance or do group ordering. The software allows for flexible delivery times, flexible charges, and multiple payment methods. As a result, the restaurant benefits by reduced staff requirements, increased order accuracy, and acquired capability to save customers’ information and their favorites for future re-orders or other marketing purposes. Just like with any software, in order to utilize it fully a restaurant needs to put in legwork to make sure the system works the way it should. For instance, it is very important that your on-line menu is detailed in item descriptions and contains enticing pictures. In that case, your customers can utilize such features as search by keyword, ingredient or any item. The truth is that if you don’t offer online ordering, somebody else will, and you will lose easy business.
On-Line Reservations. More restaurants offer online reservation services by allowing customers to reserve a table with a click of a mouse. Guests can explore the menu, look at promotions, and make a reservation. Studies have shown that on-line reservations help increase table bookings and in-store traffic, eliminate errors, decrease staff requirements and reduce phone calls. It is also important to remember that on-line reservations give restaurant access to a larger number of potential customers through various networks such as eats.com, opentable.com, etc.
Guest Relations. On-demand marketing solutions allow the restaurant to identify guests, send personalized communications, launch and track campaigns, and foster 1-to-1 guest relationships. The software enables the restaurant to improve guest relationships by setting up proper Customer Relationship Management systems and responding to any inquiry quickly via e-mail. By personalizing the communication with restaurant customers and delivering high quality e-mail marketing campaigns, the restaurant becomes capable to consistently retain existing customers and acquire new ones.
List Building. It is essential for any company to have an accurate list of its customers. E-mail marketing programs do this heavily detailed work for you: the software enables the restaurant with a web enrollment feature, which allows online enrollment capability where consumers can easily join a restaurant’s e-mail program via the web. From there, you collect preference and demographic information about your customers.
On-demand e-mail marketing solutions are guaranteed to improve restaurant’s performance indicators, such as increasing in-store traffic, enhancing customer frequency and loyalty, increasing check averages when ordering on-line, and so on. Such customer relationship management will open new target markets, improve your bottom line and be a win-win solution for both the guest and the restaurant owner.
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