I’m one of the many that loathes the sight of faces bathed in the white light of smartphones while I’m out at a restaurant. While I’m sitting at home on the other hand, there’s nothing more satisfying than meandering along a restaurant’s website to make my order online.

I’m not the only one…

Online ordering is on the rise and if your restaurant – especially if you offer delivery or a strong portion of your orders are pickup & takeaway – doesn’t offer online ordering, you’re missing the boat.

Here are some stats on online ordering:

1. In the last 5 years the number of online orders has DOUBLED, bringing the total number to over 900 million for just delivery orders. That’s not dollars… that’s the number of orders. During this same period, phone orders have dropped from 1.29 billion to 1.08 billion.
2. The average online order is up to 12-15% higher than the standard phone order.
   Think about it – how many times does the person at the pizza place say “will that be all?” or “anything else?” while you’re trying to order? They want to get off the phone because the other two lines are ringing and you want to get off the phone because you’re hungry. The result? Quick orders mean less money spent.
3. Reduced reliance on ever-increasing cost of labor.
   Let’s face it – whichever side of the current minimum wage standoff you sit – restaurants can’t really afford to continue to eat labor costs. Think about a quick service place in Massachusetts on a Sunday where minimum wage due to their Blue Laws is $16.50 per hour! Online ordering is typically a fixed fee per month or in some cases on a per order basis.
4. Massive marketing returns.
   If you aren’t collecting email addresses and marketing to your existing customers, you’re ignoring a huge opportunity to help your regular customers visit more often. Collecting email addresses is sometimes awkward but one way you can guarantee a customer gives it to you and opens the email you send is for order confirmation. A non-assuming zero barrier way to grow that email list. It sure beats spending $1000 on mailers…

Accepting online orders isn’t the wave of the future, it’s the wave of now. Roughly 50% of Pizza Hut orders come in online and after speaking with even my local shops here in the Southwestern corner of New Hampshire, the figures are about the same.

If you’re looking to incorporate online ordering, reach out to me. We have some great tools through Heartland’s partners and as a self-proclaimed geek, I have a lot of insight into this space. I always try to bring not just my company’s products and services to my customers, but my personal experience and skill as well.

Basically, choose Heartland, you get me… well as much as you can tolerate that is.