Key Takeaways
- Most customers prefer to phone in their takeout/delivery orders.
- More customers prefer to place online order directly from a restaurants website as compared to a third-party site e.g. (Grubhub or Doordash)
- Increase profits by creating a plan to convert customers from placing their orders on third third-party site e.g. (Grubhub or Doordash) to your restaurant’s website
As much as restaurant owners would prefer that customers order online, most still prefer to call their orders in by phone. In our latest consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” we asked 9,165 consumers how they prefer placing orders for pickup and delivery. We found that 52% of those surveyed reported that they still prefer to call in their orders. However, many customers prefer to place their orders online, with 49% of respondents preferring to order directly from a restaurant’s website and only 30% preferring to order from a third-party site such as Grubhub or Doordash. The remaining 1% responding “Other” mostly comprises those reporting a restaurant’s app as their preferred choice.
Interestingly, a closer look at survey respondent age reveals that the older demographic, aged 50–64 and 65+, has a lower propensity to purchase from third-party websites. However, that isn’t because respondents don’t place orders online. According to the data below, the older demographic is almost as likely to order online as younger people. We can only assume this has something to do with the older population not trusting third-party sites they may not be as familiar with. What do you think?
The fact that consumers prefer placing orders directly from your restaurant’s website versus third-party sites is great news. The more orders you can drive from your restaurant’s website, the more you can avoid the high profit-draining fees associated with orders placed via third-party sites.
The key is taking action to get more customers trained to order directly from your restaurant’s website and not from a third-party site.
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One easy and cost-effective solution to deter customers from re-ordering through a third-party site is to provide any customer who has placed an order on a third-party site with a special offer in the bag or on the pizza box providing a discount if they place their next order directly from your restaurant’s website.
Example: A box topper or flyer that says $5 off your next online order at yourwebsite.com
Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,
Access Mail Shark’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.
What Else You’ll Learn:
- How much does Covid still influence customers dining decisions?
- From where do consumers report their favorite pizza is from?
- How long do customers want to wait for their delivery orders?
- How often do your customers want to hear from you?
- What Google rating can hurt your business?
- How do customers prefer to place orders?
- Do consumers sign up for loyalty plans?
- Are customers still using coupons?
- & Much More!