Ordering Meals On-Line

Food retailers that offer products / meals on-line that allow for customization and personalization create a platform of convenient meal participation, differentiation, and individualization.  All of which are hallmarks of the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared grocerant niche and the platform for family meal cohesion.    

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Four years ago when Ryan McDevitt published a study at The University of Rochester titled The Internet Lowers Inhibitions: Implications for the Long Tail, which found consumers are simply embarrassed to order what they really want in person at a restaurant but online those inhibitions dissipate. Clearly McDevitt foresaw the day the grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals order On-Line would become the next big thing when it comes to finding an answer to the age old question, What’s for Dinner. 

Today most non-traditional fresh food meal retailers the ilk of grocery stores, convenience stores, dollar stores, and retail drug stores are looking at mobile payments, on-line ordering as an integral part of retail foodservice brand building and a platform for consumer interaction and participation.

McDevitt’s team of researchers “analyzed 160,168 orders made by 56,283 unique customers from a regional, franchised pizza chain. The study reviewed orders for a two year period, evaluating the impact of adding a web ordering option (accounting for 6.7% of their total orders). The average order price is $14.70. The online ordering system was very basic with little extra feature such as suggestive selling or online specials.

McDevitt’s team found that “the average item in an online order is 15.0% more complex and has 6.1% more calories, in addition to being 23.3% more obscure. In fact, the share of sales generated by the bottom eighty percent of items increased by 8.1% for Web orders - so be prepared for more sales of your unusual toppings or less popular appetizers.”  Things have not changed much since.

How are you inviting your customers to dinner?  Are your customers comfortable?  Have you removed the barriers to entry? Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Take-Out, Take-Away food continues to grow in popularity don’t discount the importance of reaching out to your customer in the comfort of their own home as it may pay a 15% dividend.  

For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.