Sponsored by Uber Eats.
For today’s consumer, delivery is now a part of life. Off-premises dining covers the breadth of industry segments from drive-thru to fast casual and everything between. Increasingly, customers want food from their favorite quick-service brands brought directly to their door, and they want it to be of equal quality to what they would eat in-house or if they carried it out themselves.
According to Nikki Neuburger, senior marketing director at Uber Eats, restaurant-specific food delivery sales will increase 77 percent by 2020. This market represents the fastest-growing ordering method among American consumers and will become an increasingly critical service for all restaurant segments to provide.
But it can be challenging for operators to implement a delivery service on their own. Here, we look at three ways that third-party partnership platforms can help drive traffic and increase a restaurant’s profitability.
1. Increased Visibility
“Restaurants are no longer gaining popularity solely through word-of-mouth,” Neuburger says. “As customers are selecting more for convenience, joining a delivery platform allows operators to reach customers who might not have discovered them otherwise.”
When customers use a delivery service app to search for food in their area, only restaurants that are partnered with that platform will show up. This is a huge opportunity for restaurant operators to stand out from their competition, and is also a way that brands can connect with new customers who might discover them for the first time using a delivery app.
2. Customer Relationships
“Partnering with delivery platforms can enable restaurants to gain access and forge relationships with a new, broader customer base,” Neuburger says.
By implementing a third-party delivery service—even if they already have delivery staff—restaurants can expand their delivery radius and bolster teams during peak hours. Uber Eats, in fact, gives restaurants the option to use their own delivery staff or to supplement their labor force using delivery partners. This means restaurants can respond to increased demand from customers during busier dayparts, and also serve a wider geographical area, thereby increasing traffic and sales.
3. Valuable Insights
“In addition to helping restaurants reach new customers and drive incremental sales, partnering with a third-party delivery service can provide restaurants with key insights and customer data,” Neuburger says.
For example, restaurant managers can track all of their sales and identify purchasing trends by month or daypart. This kind of information can help operators to schedule better, which can ultimately result in increased productivity and profitability for the restaurant.
By implementing a third-party delivery partnership, operators can ensure they are meeting customer demands, market to new customers, and track important consumer data and purchasing trends that can inform key decisions for the business.
By Erin McPherson
