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Survey: Consumers leveraging smartphones to make dining decisions, find deals

May 18, 2016

Consumers are continuing to use their digital devices to help make dining decisions, including searching for nearby locations and deals, according to a survey, "The Evolution of Dining in the Digital Age," published this week by RetailMeNot. It found that nearly one-third of consumers (32 percent) have used a deal that they found online or on their mobile devices at a restaurant in the past three months.

"As consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices for help with their dining choices, it is imperative that restaurants market to diners via mobile," said Marissa Tarleton, chief marketing officer, North America, RetailMeNot, Inc. "Mobile marketing technology is a powerful medium when it comes to serving up the right dining content, in the right location, at the right time. When done well, mobile has the ability to drive more diners through their doors and keep them coming back for more."

That’s not the only way they're using their smartphones when it comes to dining, however. 

Convenience

Convenience is a major factor for today’s mobile consumer and figuring out where to dine is no exception. Of the diners surveyed, one in four  has at least one restaurant-specific mobile app on his or her smartphone. That number increases significantly the more diners eat out. Among people who dine out eight to 10 times a week, more than two-thirds (68 percent) use a restaurant-specific mobile app.

Consumers rely on their mobile devices for a variety of restaurant-related research prior to dining out. Topping the list is finding a restaurant location (53 percent), browsing a menu (49 percent ) and researching new restaurants (37 percent). Not surprisingly, younger consumers rely on mobile the most. Consumers aged 25 to 34 are more likely to research new restaurants on their smartphone than any other age group (60 percent).

Mobile-device usage doesn’t stop once they are in a restaurant. Nearly two-thirds of diners will use their smartphones for a variety of tasks while dining in a restaurant. This includes taking a photo (32 percent) checking in on social media (19 percent) and searching for online deals (19 percent). Other tasks include browsing reviews (17 percent), looking up nutritional information (16 percent) and paying for a meal via mobile (8 percent).

Finding a good deal

Nine out of 10 customers have looked for a restaurant deal at least once, and 81 percent search for deals on a regular basis. About 13 percent search every time; 30 percent search most of the time and 38 percent search sometimes. High earners use online or mobile restaurant deals the most: 46 percent of diners, who earn $150,000 or more per year, have used an online or mobile coupon at a restaurant in the past three months. Furthermore, deals drive consumers to explore restaurants that they may not have known otherwise; in fact, 80 percent  are likely to try a new restaurant if it is offering a promotion.

The survey also concluded that differences lie among various age and location demographics. Among people in urban areas, those aged 45 to 54 responded that  "Yes," they have used a deal found online or their smartphones, more than any other age group. However, in suburban areas, Millennials (aged 25 to 34) use deals found online or their smartphone the most.