In the spring, The NPD Group reported that digital ordering had increased 117 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. A separate survey, conducted by Intouch Insight, recently found that 71 percent of consumers had made a mobile order.
When compared to pre-pandemic norms, these figures illustrate the rapid ascent of digital ordering in the restaurant industry. Pivotally, they also reveal that simply offering digital ordering is no longer a differentiator in its own right. Consumers will gravitate toward brands that offer an experience that feels personalized, smooth, and efficient—and being able to consistently execute on that promise is what will offer brands separation in the digital space.
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“This is where the quality of software implementation plays its role,” says Cristina Dinca, product manager for the quick-service restaurant division of OSF Digital. “Without a refined digital ecosystem, implementing changes to the menu, or adding new items to it, can be difficult or time consuming. It’s true that the pandemic emphasized the need of digitizing processes, but it also put a spotlight on how important a reliable software partner that understands quick-service needs can be.”
Next QSR is a solution powered by OSF Digital that helps restaurants meet consumer expectations for accurate, personalized digital orders. Built on top of multiple Salesforce clouds, Next QSR leverages headless commerce, a technology that gives brands the flexibility to iterate, test, and innovate digital experiences without disrupting their entire ecosystem. The architecture of headless commerce offers brands the freedom of expression to innovate digital experiences with rapid updates and ready-to-scale capabilities that offer guests a best-in-class online ordering experience.
“In short, with Next QSR you are able to launch an online quick-service restaurant with industry-dedicated features and capabilities,” Dinca says. “We provide the digital infrastructure for you to enable various delivery types, from home delivery, drive-in, or curbside.”
Consumers especially enjoy Next QSR’s ability to customize orders with options like product-size selection, an allergen filter, ingredient removal or replacement, and product bundling, all from a user-friendly online storefront. These are the things that help make a digital ordering experience feel personalized and meaningful.
“Giving customers the freedom to choose if they really want onion on their sandwich shows that you care about them and getting their order correct,” Dinca says. “It’s the same with portion size—a one-size-fits-all approach can look outdated in a world where personalization plays such an important role. Offering a range of options of portion size can make a difference for both the guest experience and the restaurant’s resource optimization.”
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Next QSR is ideal for quick-service brands that want to establish a direct relationship with their customers, Dinca says. OSF Digital understands that quick-service brands are a lot like customers: they have unique needs that require different solutions. Just like some customers might want a burger and fries exactly how it comes on the menu, some restaurant brands will find that Next QSR’s default platform is perfect. But Next QSR can be customized to fit a brand’s needs, too, and offers a centralized dashboard that helps brands easily modify the menu, for example, or even collect data that can illustrate customer preferences and habits.
“A great digital experience is what makes a customer come back,” Dinca says. “By enhancing the ordering capabilities with Next QSR, quick-service brands can expect a growth in customer loyalty and lifetime value, increased customer satisfaction—reviews weigh a lot, right? —and greater efficiency at all levels.”
To find out more about making your online ordering stand out from the competition, visit the OSF Digital website.
