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The world has gone mobile and you should, too

As of right now, about 15 percent of restaurants accept mobile payments, but this is expected to rise to 68 percent in 2015.

October 1, 2014 by Bob Leonard — CEO, iMobile3

It’s becoming clearer each day, customers expect business interactions to be on their own terms. For most people, and especially for Millenials and Gen-Xers, this means easily accessing your mobile website or downloading your mobile app. They can do everything else on their phones, why not be able interact with you, too? Here are the best ways to take your restaurant mobile and see real results for your business.

In a 2014 study done by Hospitality Technology Magazine, it was found that 71 percent of restaurant respondents had a mobile web presence, and 35 percent had a mobile application, with the expectation that both of these numbers would grow throughout 2015. As of 2014, most restaurant mobile websites and apps focused on displaying their menus and communicating essential information about the business like prices, address and hours. However, with the technology available today, there are many other features that can be included to excite the consumer and increase bottom lines. 

The most popular example is the mobile loyalty program. These programs seamlessly integrate brand, rewards, promotions and analytics in one place. Consumers get excited about coming to your business because they know that they can look forward to things like free appetizers and exclusive coupons.  As the business, you are able to collect information about your most loyal consumers — how often they visit, how much they spend, their favorite food item — and can consequently create more personalized communications with them and increase the likelihood that they become a brand ambassador for your restaurant.

Another exciting opportunity for restaurants in the mobile sphere is the use of GPS and location-based services like geo-fencing and iBeacons. These give you the opportunity to communicate with your customers based on their location. For example, you can set up push notifications that will automatically be sent to your customers when they are near your business. These can include exclusive coupons or a reminder about a daily deal to incentivize them to stop by your restaurant.  It’s a great way to make sure you’re at the top of your consumers’ minds when they’re making dining decisions.

Finally, with the release of Apple Pay, we believe that mobile payments will become the de facto payment method for consumers. As of right now, about 15 percent of restaurants accept mobile payments, but this is expected to rise to 68 percent in 2015, according to the study done by Hospitality Technology Magazine. It’s clear that now is the time to get yourself in your consumers’ mobile wallets. One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate mobile payments with a loyalty program so your customers can earn rewards and pay with their phone – all within your mobile app.

Of course, these are just a few examples of all your business can do with a mobile presence. There’s also the opportunity for your customers to order food on their phones or check-in to your establishment on social media, and for your business to post nutritional information or incorporate tableside ordering via tablets.

The most important thing to remember when building your mobile presence though, is to make sure that everything can be done in an easy-to-use, unified way. While mobile websites are beneficial for looking at a menu, or finding the address of a restaurant, mobile applications allow much more flexibility and diversity in what you can implement. In a single application, customers are able to earn loyalty points, access and redeem coupons, pay for meals and whatever else you choose to offer them. The opportunities and benefits are boundless, but you have to start by making the decision to go mobile.

About Bob Leonard

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