We live in a highly digitized world which has led to a rapid evolution of the modern-day consumer. This is especially the case when it comes to food. Foodservice has gone digital, and adapting your foodservice business to digital trends will help you stay relevant to your target consumers.
This post will explore 6 ways that your business can align itself with technology shifts in foodservice and implement digital strategies to appeal to your target modern-day consumers. If you want a deeper dive on how you can improve your foodservice business, check out this ebook on gaining the competitive advantage in 2019.
Online Ordering
The modern-day consumer is very busy and has high expectations. They value convenience, personalization, accessibility, and transparency, especially when it comes to food. Online ordering allows consumers to research their food, plan their meals, and order from the comfort of their home, office, or car. Consumers can then pick up their food at a time that works for their schedules and pay online, providing a more seamless process for both the customer and your business.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, with the right online ordering portal, this can become tangible in a few hours!
Ingredient Filtering
More consumers than ever have a food allergy or avoid certain ingredients, such as gluten and dairy. Think about how much easier it would be for customers if they were able to filter their menu choices down by eliminating the foods that contain the ingredient(s) they are trying to avoid.
With so many businesses embracing “all things digital,” consumers expect to easily be able to find food that aligns with their dietary needs. When you are sourcing a vendor for your digital signage, ordering, and menu needs, be sure to look for a platform that allows your consumers to filter according to their dietary needs and preferences.
Keep Your Menus Updated
From a consumer experience perspective, there is nothing worse than having outdated menus on your website. This can be embarrassing for your brand and cause you to lose customers.
The modern-day consumer is a planner with high expectations so, in addition to simply keeping your menus updated, pre-plan your menu and make it available online early. If you don’t have one already, consider an online menu provider for time savings and ease of use so that this task can be performed efficiently. This should be a “one and done” exercise, where you can make any changes once and push them out to all of your locations instantly.
Digital Menus and Signage
Digital menus get 10 times more eye contact than paper menus. Consumers are visually-driven, and eye-catching menus and signage foods (and your business) in front of more people.
With digital signage, the possibilities are endless. For example, some businesses incorporate information about different community organizations they support, leading to a more positive brand image and connection to the surrounding community.
Health Tips
In general, the modern-day consumer wants to eat healthier, but sometimes they lack the facts to do so. Your foodservice operation can help educate consumers about healthy foods by incorporating health tips and nutritional info into your digital signage and menus.
From listing ingredients in your foods to highlighting healthy choices, you can please and build trust with consumers by helping them along their journey to a healthier living. This extra effort will lead to happier consumers, which means a higher customer retention rate for your business!
Source Information
Not only do consumers like to know what is in their food, they also like to know where it’s from. Whether it’s the organic farm where your chicken is raised to the country of origin of certain produce, consumers expect to have this information at their fingertips.
Instead of consumers having to take it upon themselves to ask your business about where their food comes from, act proactively and give them this information via the right digital menus and signage platform. You can weave this information into your menu along with food ingredients and nutritional information, giving your customers the all-encompassing view of their food that they desire.
Do you have any questions about how your foodservice business can become more appealing to the modern-day consumer? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!