Sponsored by GRUBBRR
As covid restrictions are gradually eased across the nation, many diners are returning to restaurants in unprecedented numbers. This time, however, their consumer preferences have changed. Before the pandemic, customers were accustomed to driving to the physical restaurant location, waiting in line, and ordering from a cashier. Today’s consumer– the post-pandemic consumer– expects an omnichannel experience consistent with the digital ordering experience they had during lockdowns.
According to research from Paytronix & PYMNTS, “41% of average restaurant sales come through digital channels, 32% on-premises, and 26% via phone.” To be successful in this post-pandemic landscape where nearly half of orders are placed through digital channels, restaurants must meet consumers where they want to order, be it online, mobile device, QR code, or kiosk.
“Today's most successful restaurants look at the customer experience holistically, not as separate channels,” said Andrew Robbins, Paytronix Systems CEO. “It's now about a convergence in which every aspect of a brand works in concert to create a branded and personalized experience. In this environment loyalty, payments and digital ordering all work in concert so that whether a guest orders from their couch or from the table in a restaurant, the experience is one that keeps them coming back.”
Whether in-store or online, customers whose shopping experience does not instantly meet their expectations are quick to take their business elsewhere. Thus, integrating the physical and digital brand improves the customer experience and is vital in attracting and retaining customers. To achieve this integration of experience, restaurants should invest in self-ordering technology platforms that provide consistency across ordering channels.
As the MIT Sloan report explains, “to stay competitive, traditional retailers need to consider how adopting digital technology can improve the in-store customer experience, provide access to more data on customer preferences and habits, and potentially improve omnichannel operations.” The best way to achieve this is by investing in technology that is entirely integrated.
Many restaurants use technology solutions that are cobbled together from disparate parts and companies, requiring high overhead and maintenance costs. Not to mention running on separate operating systems. To avoid this, restaurants should seek solutions that are part of a platform or ecosystem and can easily integrate with other systems. For example, GRUBBRR allows customers to “pick and choose” which solutions fit best for their business without replacing all of the elements of their preexisting tech stack.
In other words, GRUBBRR is not a rip and replace platform, but rather one that operates in a “take as much or as little as you need” fashion. This is an important competitive differentiator between GRUBBRR and other software companies that develop custom software for kiosks and require businesses to replace their preexisting tech stack. For instance, in a Quick Service Restaurant, the following devices would all work succinctly to create an efficient operational flow and streamline order processing:
- Digital Menu Boards- consumers view high resolution images of menu items; GRUBBRR AI software is customizable to feature more popular items prominently, eliminate items that are out of stock, or curate menu choices by time of day (ex: breakfast showed at the top in the morning)
- Online/Mobile Ordering- consumers browse the digital menu on their smartphone or computer and make the requisite item selections to add to cart. Consumers can then pay directly from their device, or in-store upon pickup
- Kiosks- customer places their order on a kiosk device such as the Samsung kiosk powered by GRUBBRR and makes any requested modifications
- Order Progress Boards- indicate the stage at which the order is progressing operationally. The order begins to progress in three stages: ordered, in progress, and picked up
- Kitchen Display System- the order is routed to different preparation areas in the restaurant, advising what items need to be prepared at that station to complete the order
- Food Lockers- kitchen staff place the completed order in the food locker. The consumer gets a text message advising them to pick up their order in the corresponding locker cubby
As opposed to other kiosk solutions, the Samsung kiosk is ready-to-go, out-of-the-box and accessible to any user for a significantly lesser price than competitors. The Samsung kiosk, powered by GRUBBRR, comes fully equipped with a high resolution touch display, speaker, printer, scanner, and payment solution. Samsung’s screen is FDA approved antibacterial and antimicrobial, and the kiosk can integrate with various other service providers thanks to GRUBBRR’s proprietary backend.
Having a tech stack that is fully integrated streamlines operations, reducing transaction and preparation time and leading to a better experience for both customers and employees. Furthermore, the depth of GRUBBRR’s integration partners is vast. In addition to the partnership with Samsung, GRUBBRR also has strategic partnerships with numerous companies that provide various technology services, including Oracle, SQUARE, Parbrink, Clover, Xenial, Punchh, Olo, and more.
These partnerships are extremely valuable because they enable the GRUBBRR platform to integrate into existing technology solutions, so that any prior investments made into other POS, loyalty or online platforms can connect. For example, GRUBBRR’s integration with loyalty platform Punchh provides businesses with an opportunity to capture data intelligence about consumer history, including most recent orders, to execute suggestive selling and communicate more efficiently with the consumer. Customers can access this loyalty integration no matter the device, be it online ordering, mobile, or kiosks.
In this way, customers receive a consistent, personalized experience no matter their order channel. According to Paytronix 2022 Restaurant Friction Index, “41% of restaurant managers consider it ‘very important’ to provide customers with a consistent, integrated cross channel ordering experience.” The increased digital channel adoption by consumers is driving restaurant managers to integrate physical and online customer experiences and is viewed as a key part to success.
The February 2022 edition of PYMNTS’ Order to Eat Tracker shows that in this time when, “many diners have grown accustomed to tapping a few buttons on a mobile app to have their favorite burgers, fries or tacos delivered or prepared for pickup, many chains have turned to in-store technology to facilitate these experiences for their customers, including user-friendly ordering and payment kiosks and QR code-based menus that customers can access via mobile device.”
According to that same report, “even customers who have returned to dining indoors still expect restaurants to offer the latest contactless tools and innovations.” As such, it is key for restaurants to create easy, seamless, omni-channel service experiences for their consumers. Selecting the right blend of digital technologies and services, from providers like Samsung and GRUBBRR, allows retailers to respond quickly to customer demand and is therefore essential to the competitiveness of retail businesses.
