How Not Having Online Ordering is Costing You Sales
Updated August 2021
This is the tale of two Mexican restaurants and it should be prefaced by telling you that I love Mexican food. A lot. I would eat it probably every day if my husband didn’t object so strongly to the idea. Chips + salsa + a spicy margarita = happy Kristine. Pretty much my entire family feels the same way and it’s probably no surprise that one of my high school jobs was working at a popular Mexican restaurant mostly so that I could eat for free and because I was there all the time anyway so I might as well just work there? 🤷♀️
Anyways, flash forward to the present day and I’m going to pick on two local restaurants that shall remain nameless to protect the innocent. I am not going to put them on blast just so that I can have enchiladas at the touch of a button but I am going to be super brutally honest: not having an online ordering system is costing one of them sales. And you, too, if you aren’t currently offering your customers a way to buy from you without sending a fax, making a phone call or -gasp!- showing up in person.
Recently, while doing the “what should we have for dinner” dance, I was reading online menus and had narrowed the choices down to two places. When dining in person, I slightly prefer the atmosphere and ambiance of Restaurant A but consider the food and drink on par with Restaurant B. The restaurants are priced about the same (one isn’t significantly higher or lower priced than the other), both are about equidistant from where I live, both have similar menu choices. if I wanted to eat in, I may prefer Restaurant A otherwise the two options are very comparable.
With one giant exception.
Restaurant A does not offer online ordering while Restaurant B does.
That’s it. That’s the difference. And you know what? I went with Restaurant B - almost without hesitation. Why?
Because it was just so easy. Online ordering reduces the friction of a phone call and increases customer loyalty, satisfaction, and average order value. My own personal takeout purchase history is a testament to this.
Side note that if you’ve read this far and you’re not a restaurant or cafe owner, don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. Pretty much every business out there can benefit from allowing customers or clients to not just explore what they offer but take immediate action when the chances of conversion are the highest. It doesn’t matter if I’m browsing a taco menu or a menu of services, once I make my mind up on what I want you should be doing everything in your power to make it as easy and frictionless as possible to close the deal. Every hurdle you put in your customer’s way is going to reduce conversion rates. (For more on the psychology behind this, check out this post on 12 Ways to Build a More Empathetic Brand.)
Now, I can’t conceive of any reasons why a business wouldn’t want more sales and increased loyalty, and happier customers but there are still websites out there that don’t have even basic online ordering functionality so here we are. Also, just know that when I say “online ordering” please know that I am simply referring to the “checkout” process of allowing website visitors to self-serve, selecting their preferences, and paying you entirely online. This could be for food but could just as easily be for services or appointments or access to digital goods.
If I’ve been describing you and your business here, I’m going to go out a limb and guess that one of the following false assumptions is holding you back.
False assumption #1
You think it’s too expensive.
Done right, setting up an online shop should be considered an investment, not an expense. Sure it costs a little upfront to get things going but this is one of those “you’ve got to spend money to make money” situations. Also, once you consider the cost of your time (or your employee’s time) manually taking orders and factor in all the lost sales by not doing anything, this should be a no-brainer.
Helpful read: What does it cost to start an eCommerce Website?
False assumption #2
You think it’s too hard to set up.
Most online ordering systems are super easy to set up and intuitive in how they function. They are meant for people who are busy running businesses like yours that may not be super “techy”. If you can fill out a form, you can set up your inventory online.
Helpful read: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Set Up Your First Online Shop
False assumption #3
You think it’s too hard to manage.
Again, you do not need to be a super technical person to be able to manage an online shop. Most of the work is in the setup and then just nailing down some simple business processes and systems on the back end. Once you get going, you’ll find that it’s actually so much easier to allow the majority of your customers to take care of themselves so that you can focus on the few who may need a little extra TLC. It will be so much easier to let automation and technology do a lot of the heavy lifting for you so that you can focus on what you do best and creating a great experience for your customer or clients.
Helpful read: Built-In Features to Help You Sell on Squarespace
Epilogue
I told you this was the story of two Mexican restaurants. One that got my business because they created a way for me to order online and pick up curbside and the other that lost my business because they didn’t. Sure, it cost a little and took some time to set up but now that it’s done, the restaurant with online ordering can sit back and reap the benefits while the one that didn’t will mostly be wondering why the phone isn’t ringing. You don’t have to be in the food game to benefit from bringing your services or products online though; every business out there has something to offer that they can make available to customers. Providing the opportunity for clients and customers to serve themselves, even if it’s just a portion of what you do, is a great way to add incremental sales to your books.
