Restaurants know & c-stores are beginning to recognize that staying relevant to customers involves making investments in technology that deliver a top-notch customer experience. They need to provide the customer with the ability to decide when and if they will go in-store or choose an experience that allows for curbside or delivery for whatever reason – people with kids, with disabilities, dealing with bad weather, etc.
The line of customers’ demands have blurred, and they expect the same experience from a restaurant that they get from fashion, home, and grocery stores. Click-and-collect is offered by most of the major retailers, chain stores, and restaurants. Individual restaurants and small chains don’t get a pass. Smaller c-stores are seeing the huge opportunity they’re missing as customers choose large chains like Wawa and 7-11 for the curbside/drive-thru option.
The benefit of connected retail for customers seems pretty clear. They get a clean, easy-to-use menu whether they’re on the web, an app, or social channel like Instagram. Fast check-out and a range of payment options, like a stored credit card or Apple Pay, means they can order and purchase on the fly or while they’re standing at the gas pump. They have contactless choices of curbside or delivery. Plus they are offered personalized specials and subscription options. 73% of customers prefer to do business with retailers that use personal information to make their shopping experience more relevant. That preference can be exercised for restaurants and c-stores too.
At a top level, the benefit of connected retail to operators is happier customers, which turn into repeat and regular customers. Curbside orders and tips are higher than in-store purchases, meaning more revenue for the operator and added staff benefit as well. Having curbside technology that allows for a seamless customer experience also means the staff knows where the customer is and that communication with them is automated, so no texts or calls and scrambling to pull an order together.
So the decision comes down to technology. Finding and making a decision about what platform to roll out for all of these benefits may seem daunting to a business owner who just wants to focus on serving the best quality food to their customers. It also likely feels like an expensive investment. But it doesn’t have to be either complex or expensive.
SWIPEBY was specifically designed with a simple roll-out and has no sign-up fees or contracts. We understand that most operators don’t have time or expertise to set up some fancy system that needs to be maintained and involves a lot of staff training. With SWIPEBY, you can quickly have online ordering, seamless curbside, and no-commission delivery + automated remarketing to drive repeat business. Our back-end user portal is intuitive so you won’t feel overwhelmed. If you’re curious about how SWIPEBY can help your business, we’d love to talk about your needs.
