[ Case Studies ] How To Apply Omnichannel Personalization in the Restaurant Industry

How to boost ROI, increase conversion, and build loyalty with personalization automation

Just like with any other brand, consumers want to interact with their favorite restaurants both online and offline – from placing an order of their favorite dishes to getting personalized offers and discounts.

Delivering a seamless and personalized experience will help you stand out from your competition and make your restaurant the go-to dining choice.

Need some ideas and inspiration? Here are three restaurants that are winning the omnichannel personalization game:

TGI Friday’s

The casual restaurant chain increased conversion rate by 35% using an omnichannel personalization strategy that involves a website, a mobile app, social media, and in-store experience.

They collect all customer data on a centralized platform and create targeted offers based on each individual’s preferences, habits, and past orders.

TGI Friday’s robust mobile app uses push notifications to remind customers about their favorite foods at days/times when they’re most likely to make a purchase.

Case Studies omnichannel personalization

The app offers easy access to a list of past purchases so customers can order their favorite dishes quickly and easily.

They also incentivize individuals who have downloaded the app but are yet to place an order with a special first-time order discount code, delivered through push notifications.

Carrabba’s

The Italian restaurant chain successfully boosted mobile and in-store traffic conversion by encouraging customers to sign up for a coupon on their website when they relaunched their menu.

They then leveraged the customer data to integrate website, mobile, and in-store customer experience. Customers were rewarded for engaging with the brand via different channels.

By collecting data from these interactions, Carrabba’s was able to gain insights on its fans and customers by using all information from ZIP code to favorite dishes.

Combining such data with the emails collected during the menu relaunch campaign, Carrabba’s implemented automated personalization technologies to send emails featuring customized content and offers to keep building relationships with diners.

Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe

This Greek restaurant chain is on track to double its locations by the end of 2017.

They owe a good portion of their rapid growth to a mobile and online ordering system that offers a fast and personalized off-premise dining experiences, such as take-out, catering, delivery, and third-party delivery.

Case Studies omnichannel personalization

To support online and mobile ordering and provide a seamless customer experience, Taziki’s installed a unified platform that funnels all types of orders through a single gateway.

Guests can order via the website, iOS and Android mobile apps, or on Facebook, with the ability to choose from different menus and fulfillment options such as in-store pickup, curbside pickup, and catering.

All orders are tracked by a fully-integrated loyalty program designed to increase the customer lifetime value.

Online and mobile ordering generates a lot of customer data, which is the starting point for any personalization strategy. Taziki’s is then able to collect and analyze such data to enhance their customer interactions.

Omnichannel personalization unlocks the future of casual dining

An omnichannel experience not only makes it faster and easier to place an order but also builds long-term relationships, which increases customer lifetime value, by offering the ability to order from a list of past purchases and the opportunity to participate in a loyalty program.

At the core of any personalization strategy is the ability to collect and analyze customer data by using a centralized platform.

Find out how NectarOm can help you take your restaurant’s omnichannel marketing to the next level with our personalization automation solution.

Serving Up Omnichannel Success

Lessons Learned From Omnichannel Dynamo Chili’s

With different mediums of shopping, companies have to create a seamless shopping experience across the board. As a result, every aspect of the consumer journey, from browsing to purchasing, has to be a smooth transition, both online and offline. People demand an omnichannel experience that is social, quick, easy to use, and valuable to the consumer.

Technological creativity seems to have more of an impact than a brand name. Customers are no longer impressed by a shiny new app of their name being personalized in an email. The 21st-century customer expects brands to create an omnichannel shopping experience that encompasses all online and offline interactions. 

Let’s take a look at how Chili’s is using omnichannel and a little technical creativity to create the ultimate dining experience

Wait in line….from home

Gone are the days of waiting in line at Chili’s to get a table. The casual dining restaurant has partnered with NoWait to power their new mobile waitlisting feature on the Chili’s app.  Through the use of the app, Chili’s can provide an enhanced dining experience. For diners who wish to enjoy their favorite menu items during peak hours. With the waitlisting feature, diners can reserve a spot in line and check up on wait times from any location or mobile device.

The waitlisting capability has given Chili’s an advantage in restaurant-diner relations. By combining the mobile and in-restaurant experience, diners have convenience and speed at their fingertips. The wait listing feature allows Chili’s to have faster table turnover and accurate estimates for wait times.  Guests can not only check up on wait times but can also go ahead and order what they would like while still “waiting in line” while in the app. With combo offers and other special menu offers, Chili’s now gives diners a way to get their food without waiting in line and with little preparation time. Chili’s use of the waitlisting feature creativity uses mobile to optimizing the in-store dining experience.

 

Social Media Embrace Social Media 

Across social media platforms, food and beverage mentions are the most popular. The way customers review restaurants on social media fundamentally changes the way restaurants are approaching social media. According to a Netbase report , Chili’s is one of the most popular brands on social media.

So what did Chili’s do right to make them among the top 15 most popular social media brands?

Chili’s embraces the way food and beverages are consumed from a social media perspective. It is no longer enough for a restaurant to have great written reviews. Presentation and picture quality is the new buzz in food reviews. Because of this shift, Chili’s has made changes to the brick and mortar restaurant to garner positivity on the digital landscape. Even the way food is prepared is being changed to be more appealing in photos. For example, French fries are served in stainless steel bins, ribs are neatly placed on plates, and even the plates themselves have been revamped to be prettier in photos.

The goal is to make menu items look more tempting in pictures, increasing the number of mentions and shares online. This improves Chili’s online presence and visibility on high traffic platforms like Instagram.

Tabletop tablets 

Smartphones and tablets have made access to information and services available at our fingertips. The demand for convenience and speed has started shaping the way restaurants are tackling food service. While online ordering and delivery have made the eating-out experience easier, customers lose the dining experience. As a result, sit down restaurants are now introducing the tabletop tablet. This system allows diners to place food and drink orders through a provided tablet. Diners now have control of their dining experience. These tablets streamline food service without replacing the personal interactions with servers. With the tap of the finger, dinner guests can now input orders and requests such as waiter service, beverage refills, and chats with the chef.

This year, Chili’s implemented over 70,000 tablets across its restaurants to provide a smooth, reliable dining experience. The smart table top option is tightly integrated with the Chili’s ordering system, ensuring that everything is up to date. The tablet displays the most relevant and updated menu items, prices, and descriptions and can even show customized consumer reviews of the items that you have ordered.

The ability to omnichannel approach to ordering and paying for food through a tablet has boosted the volume of orders. The speed with which customers can pay with the tablet has also increased table turnover. As a result, Chili’s can seat more customers than before.

Chili’s has done a fantastic job of leveraging technological creativity to create omnichannel success.  Have you seen other restaurant brands using omnichannel to enhance their customer experience? Let me know in the comment section below.