Mobile ordering has been around for a while now and many of the bigger casual dining chains like Pizza Express and Wagamama have been the early adopters, leading the way with their own branded apps. We have seen over the last few years digital ordering becoming significantly more accessible and affordable for different hospitality businesses of all sizes including pubs and bars.
JD Wetherspoon is arguably one of the only significant pub contributors to join the mobile ordering revolution in the UK. Since the launch of its Order and Pay in March 2017, the pub chain has seen success from increased sales and revenue, evidently showing that there is value in offering customers the opportunity to digitally order their food and beverages from their tables or before arriving at the bar.
New research published from the CGA has highlighted that the British pub market is set to thrive in 2019 despite challenging market conditions. Part of this optimism is driven by pubs being able to quickly adapt to general consumer trends that we see driving change within the hospitality industry. Trends such as health, localism, veganism and technology are all things suited for pubs and what pubs can offer. The role of technology and payment apps within the pub industry is now coming into its own with the rise of the cashless pub. For pub operators, keeping abreast of what consumers want is key, and pub operators will have to get savvy to technology.
Pub operators shouldn’t be put off by the thought of implementing technology such as digital ordering; as it is a lot easier than you’d think. The beauty of a white-label platform like Preoday is that you don’t need to invest in a lot of kit to get started. At its most simple, a pub or bar needs an internet-connected device like a tablet, or even a phone to manage delivery orders, and a cloud software service.
A good digital ordering platform should also have the ability to integrate with existing EPOS tills or order management system. Integrations with EPOS will further streamline operational efficiencies and provide a flow of real-time information across the business and have a single view, which helps make informed business decisions.
Ultimately, the potential for pubs or bars to grow revenue and customer retention by using technologies like digital ordering is vast. They should not be put off by assuming that implementation is complicated and should look for providers who make life as easy for them as possible.
Part of this article was featured in The Morning Advertiser, view the full article here.
It’s not as catchy as: ‘When is a door not a door?’ (answer, when it’s a jar) but it speaks to the idea that in-car collection, and the technologies that support it, are flexible enough to bend to the needs of a business and its guests.
Delivery can be daunting to the uninitiated, and it might be tempting to sign up with a third-party ordering aggregator that offers the service, such as UberEats, but other options could suit your business and brand better. Here we present three different ‘levels’ of delivery, starting with the most basic – and cheapest method: doing it yourself.
