Fast food diners are usually in a hurry and don’t like to be slowed down by waiting in line at the counter or the drive-thru window. According to a Rakuten Ready poll, many consumers mistakenly think that going inside the store or pulling up to the drive-thru is the fastest way to order.
A recent Mercator Advisory Group report, Merchant Mobile Apps: Much More Than Payments, highlights how integrated mobile app features, including pickup or delivery, enhance the customer experience and drive consumer engagement. Mobile app developers have found a sweet spot in the QSR category, but this applies to other merchant verticals as well.
A QSR Web article, which is excerpted below, discusses more on this topic:
An ROI study, released this week by order-ahead platform Rakuten Ready found that consumers’ beliefs about the quickest ways to order and get their food at limited-service brands fail to match reality. According to the study’s results, most diners said they thought ordering in person or using the drive-thru would be the fastest route to getting their food, according to a news release
In reality, though, Rakuten Ready found that “order-for-pickup” wait times can be up to 2.4 times faster than those aforementioned access points. The company said the results indicate that order-for-pickup can be a solid route to “happier customers” and increased revenue for brands.
The company also said that order-for-pickup affords brands more control of the customer’s experience, particularly in regard to the overwhelming customer priority on speedy receipt of their food. The study found that customers are willing, too, with 75% of consumers surveyed claiming they would use order-for-pickup as a first alternative to bypass a QSR line via other ordering points.
Additional data points from the Rakuten Ready ROI study include:
-Taco Bell order-for-pickup was 3.6 times faster than order-in-person.
-Taco Bell order-for-pickup was 2.5 times faster than drive-thru.
-Chick-fil-A order-for-pickup was three times faster than order-in-person.
-Chick-fil-A order-for-pickup was two times faster than drive-thru.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group
