Customers increasingly use mobile devices to make dining decisions. Offering a run of the mill paper loyalty program won't cut it anymore. But we're here to help!
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The Why & How of Choosing the Right Restaurant Loyalty Program
1. The Why & How of
Choosing the Right
Restaurant Loyalty Program
Consumers increasingly use mobile
devices to make dining decisions.
Offering a run of the mill paper loyalty
program won’t cut it anymore.
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Thousands of independent and franchise restaurants offer
loyalty programs, and the trend is not new. Currently, about
30% of all restaurants offer some form of a loyalty program.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 56% of
family restaurants and 69% of fine dining establishments
have detected increases in loyalty-program participation.
The research also revealed that 57% of adult consumers are
more likely to visit restaurants that offer reward programs.
Loyalty programs are nothing
new, but they’re here to stay.
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This means that you can’t
offer a run of the mill loyalty
program anymore, it has to have
some digital upgrades to keep
up with your increasingly tech
savvy customers.
A modern digital loyalty program
can help.
However, consumers increasingly use mobile
devices to make dining decisions, share restaurant
recommendations, post Instagram photos of their
food, etc.
4. 44
• Understanding customer preferences
• Creating custom rewards for each customer
• Increasing spending during visits
• Promoting specials with same-day efficiency
• Providing benefits that a competitor can’t
offer
• Helping to monitor advertising responses
• Reinforcing preferred customer behavior
• Generating business during slow periods
• Encouraging customers to share restaurant
recommendations
• Providing a forum for customer suggestions
and complaints
• Displaying personal details about customers
to facilitate emotional connections
• Testing promotional offers and new menu
items
• Making rewards hassle-free
The list of benefits is pretty long.
To not bore you to
tears, let’s dive into
just a few.
IF YOU WANT TO DIVE INTO ALL OF THESE,
FEEL FREE TO CHAT WITH ONE OF OUR
LOYALTY CONSULTANTS! (415) 231-3152
6. 66
Restaurant loyalty programs
and mobile communications
provide an unparalleled
benefit for restaurant
management—filling seats
during slack times. Mobile
marketing allows managers
to promote daily specials
through rewards programs,
offer discounts for early
diners, promote signature
drink specials if legally
allowed, and encourage
breakfast or lunch guests to
return for dinner service.
Research shows that 91% of
adults keep their cellphones
close 24/7 and that most
people look at their text
Every business has sales
slumps, and filling the
slow periods in restaurants
is especially crucial for
staying profitable.
messages. Restaurants can
remind customers of specials
and events, offer discounts
on slow-moving items at
the restaurant, encourage
dessert and takeout sales,
and achieve other restaurant
objectives through well-
designed restaurant loyalty
programs.
8. 88
People spend more money
on birthdays, and
encouraging people to
celebrate at a given
restaurant increases
business, encourages
larger dining parties,
creates goodwill and
boosts repeat business.
Recognizing customers’ birthdays impresses people
and builds loyalty for all businesses, and restaurants
gain additional benefits from birthdays.
The National Restaurant
Association states that
70 percent of people visit
restaurants to celebrate
birthdays. Loyalty programs
inform management and
staff when customers
have birthdays, and a little
recognition for the birthday
guy or gal generates
powerful PR and goodwill.
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According to research from FohBoh.com,
loyalty programs are more successful than
other forms of advertising because they
identify people who are already receptive to
the message.
Repeat customers spend 33% more new
customers and refer their favorite restaurants
to friends and families at a 107% rate.
Advertising costs about six times as much
to attract new customers as it does to keep
established guests returning regularly.
Repeat customers are
a lot easier to persuade
with marketing materials
than strangers.
12. 1212
Rewards programs can
integrate well with social
media promotions, and
restaurants can promote
their foods, culinary
philosophy, and specials
in coordinated campaigns
across multiple platforms
and media outlets.
Drive more customers
to your website or brick-
and-mortar locations by
promoting loyalty rewards,
creating fun games,
encouraging customers to
share reviews, and inviting
new guests to join the
reward program.
The right loyalty program
(cough cough FiveStars
cough) can integrate
with your POS, and at the
same time, can connect
with popular social sites
like Facebook and allow
customers to check-in by
just scanning their loyalty
card.
Marketing is so much easier
when it’s all in one program.
This can create great guest
experiences. Your customers
will have that “aha” moment,
when they reach a layered
loyalty milestone, share
a family celebration, or
receive a notification about a
restaurant event. Connecting
with guests across multiple
platforms builds loyalty
and provides the customer
an all around consistent
experience.
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Well now what?
Let’s get you on the right track to picking
the loyalty program that fits your restaurant.
14. 141414
Choosing the best program involves
assessing costs, analyzing customer
behavior, and determining which
kinds of rewards generate the desired
benefits.
Restaurant loyalty
programs can offer all
kinds of rewards and use
various levels of new
technology.
Managers can assess loyalty programs by
taking the following actions:
• Study behavior of existing customers
• Conduct a survey that studies customer
opinions of several types of rewards
• Try time sensitive promotions to see if
rewards actually provide more sales
• Research programs to discover details
such as how many other restaurants
participate, how easy it is to change
strategy, and whether the program
retains ownership of a restaurant’s loyalty
database if you stop using the service
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month of FiveStars:
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If you want more information on FiveStars Loyalty
specifically and how it can integrate with your
business, just reach out to us!