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The time of the season

With more than a billion registered users, Facebook can make a useful barometer for measuring the public’s internet use habits.  Trends seem to indicate that people are eschewing desktop and laptop computers for the unfettered convenience of mobile devices and tablets.  This March, 99 million American Facebook users logged in via a mobile device, up 37 million logins during March 2012.  The number of US Facebook users to log in by computer fell to 142 million after peaking at 158 million logins during August 2012.

The forecast: Sunny skies with increased mobile use.

The forecast: Sunny skies with increased mobile use.

While these data certainly support the increased ubiquity of mobile computing, there could be natural forces at work here as well.  For the last few years, mobile has defied traditional internet use trends and actually increased during the summer.  It makes perfect sense:  when the weather improves, many people are more likely to head out of doors, either for short excursions or to travel, so they rely more on mobile computing.

According to app data aggregator Flurry, app use peaks between 5 and 9 pm, coincidentally the time when many people might be going out to dinner.  There is another smaller peak in the number of users per hour between 11 am and 1 pm.

The stars, the seasons and the hands of the clock are all pointing to increased mobile app use.  Major pizza chains have reported a drastic shift toward mobile ordering among their customers.  The time is clearly at hand for restaurants to go mobile, yet to this day 45 percent of businesses somehow still lack a mobile presence.  The restaurants that survive and thrive will be the ones that adapt to the changing seasons.  The warm weather will bring hungry mobile users out of hibernation, so be sure your restaurant offers a mobile app they can connect with.

 

Image courtesy of jiggoja / FreeDigitalPhotos .net

Report details the meteoric rise of mobile commerce

According to a new report from Business Intelligence, mobile generated spending is quickly gaining a foothold.  By the end of 2013, mobile commerce could account for more than 15 percent of all e-commerce, up from a mere 3 percent late in 2010.

The report details three main reasons for the uptick in mobile spending:

  1. The proliferation of mobile and tablet users.  Already mobile and tablet users account for a disproportionate amount of e-commerce spending, compared to their desk-bound counterparts.
  2. Mobile marketing efforts like catalogs and coupons are succeeding.  Mobile coupon redemption rates are ten times those of their paper counterparts.  Between driving foot traffic and gathering useful data, mobile commerce is a boon for businesses.
  3. Demographics paint a bright picture for the future of mobile commerce.  Smartphone sales are through the roof, but teens today do most of their internet surfing on a mobile device.  Smartphones are still an option or a novelty for some people today, but the next generation of consumers will look to mobile devices as their primary source of media and information.

Now is the perfect time for restaurants to get in on the mobile action.  Today’s consumers have expressed their desire for mobile and online food ordering.  Here’s to hoping restaurants catch up to the demand.

Eight components a restaurant app can’t do without

Folks these days are going gaga for smartphones.  A 2012 Pew Research poll revealed that 46 percent of American adults own a smartphone, a 25 percent increase over the previous year.  Smartphones make life easier and more convenient when it comes to communication, navigation, gaming and even shopping.  One type of smartphone use that is poised to see a big uptick is food ordering.

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Missing cogs in your mobile and online ordering machine could make the whole thing go haywire.

Big chain restaurants are realizing the potential of mobile and online ordering and taking advantage by offering slick new apps to their customers.  Smaller and medium sized restaurant groups also have access to mobile and online ordering apps.  With options available ranging from skeletal programming codes to add to an existing site to turnkey solutions to developing an app in-house, a restaurant management team might wonder which bells and whistles are essential and which they can kick to the curb.  Here are eight features no ordering app should ever lack.

  1. Cross-platform integration  The war between Android vs. iPhone is well-documented, including legions of passionate brand evangelists on both sides.  Whichever device they prefer, all of these users have the potential to become avid mobile food orderers.  Plus there are tons of people that might want to order via the mobile web or computer.  Why choose one platform or another?  Your app needs versions for all three media (Android, iPhone and web) and the consistent testing, updating and troubleshooting to go with them.
  2. Secure credit card processing  There is much ado among tech bloggers and journalists about which version of the “mobile wallet” will someday reign supreme.  So far no one system has made enough noise to grab a dominating portion of the market share.  Until someone finds that mobile payment holy grail, why not stick to what digital customers know and are comfortable with:  paying with cards?  Food ordering apps that offer secure credit card information storage and processing allow for the least amount of hassle for customers and merchants alike.
  3. Saved favorites  Regular and return customers often know what they want to order before they see a menu.  Since some the most appealing aspects of mobile and online ordering are convenience and speed, the ability to save favorite menu items for quick ordering is essential.
  4. Customer feedback  People that shop online or through mobile apps are accustomed to open, easy to access customer support and feedback.  Don’t disappoint them.  A good app will let customers share their feelings at the touch of a button, be it to the restaurant, app developer or sharing thoughts via social media.
  5. Charitable giving  Mobile and online ordering customers are just as generous as everyone else, so provide them a chance to give a little when they purchase through the app.
  6. Loyalty programs  Like so many other things, loyalty and rewards programs are migrating from wallets and purses into mobile phones.  Punch and swipe cards are making way for easier to manage counterparts that link to user accounts.  Mobile and online food ordering systems that make these rewards easy to track and redeem are that much more appealing to potential customers.
  7. Push marketing  Consumers these days are becoming experts at avoiding “intrusive” marketing.  On the other hand, many of the same people are more than willing to sign up to receive special offers they know they are interested in.  The best mobile apps allow restaurants to send push notifications, which are messages the app delivers to users based on criteria like location and previous ordering habits.  The old days of inundating the public with signs, billboards and flyers in hopes that a few customers might bite are in the past.  Connecting with the customers that want to hear about your special offers makes each marketing dollar that much more effective.
  8. Powerful merchant tools  Of course great apps offer tricked out experiences for customers, but they can offer useful tools for restaurants to take advantage of also.  One of the best aspects of the mobile and online economy is the prospect of pinpoint accurate customer data.  Restaurant managers should be able to track orders and payment, update menus and hours and prices from a tablet, smartphone or computer.  Another nice feature is access rich data including weekly transaction reports or the ability to monitor data from multiple locations from one portal.

If you are going to implement mobile and online ordering, don’t make the mistake of only going half way.  Be sure your app has all of the shiny new features that offer a top notch experience to customer and restaurant alike.

Image courtesy of Mr Lightman / FreeDigitalPhotos .net

Got to give the people what they want

Recent data shows that quick service restaurant customers are chomping at the bit to start ordering their food online and via mobile.  Among the 1,904 survey respondents that consumed fast food in the prior year, 81 percent still ordered in person.  But that number could be in for a sharp decline, as 43 percent said they would be interested in ordering from a QSR and 30 percent said they would be interested in ordering via mobile.

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What do we want? MOBILE ORDERING! When do we want it? NOW!

The survey indicates that these potential digital customers would like plenty of bells and whistles to go along with a hi-tech ordering and payment option.  42 percent said they would like their favorite QSR to offer incentives like loyalty or rewards programs, and 77 percent said they would use a stored value card to pay for purchases if that meant they would earn discounts like loyalty points or additional coupons.  Loyalty programs are popular with customers because they offer instantaneous rewards They also help restaurants by inspiring return visits.

Quite a few survey respondents indicated that they would like to be able to save their favorite menu items, as 42 percent said they were more likely to return to a QSR if the system saved their orders.  Customers aged 18-44 were even keener (55 percent) on this feature.

The unifying factor of the poll data is not surprising:  QSR customers are hungry for convenience.  Expedience is one of the main reason the QSR market exists in the first place.  Mobile and online ordering, loyalty programs and saving favorites each provide customers with a way to reduce the time spent and effort exerted when picking up food.

If this poll data is any indication, mobile and online ordering is quickly transforming from a novel amenity to an expectation.  Now it is up to restaurants to catch up to consumer demand.

Location, Location, Location

Snarf's app v3.3

The newest update for iOS that we previewed in a recent post hit the shelves of the App Store yesterday. All branded iPhone apps powered by Splick-it are now up to speed with this latest and greatest version. Check out the list below for all the upgrades and go update your Splick-it app(s)!

What’s new in this version?

  • See store locations on a map and list
  • View store operating hours
  • Call or get directions to a store
  • More accurate delivery distance calculations

Download the free update

Hot Damn! The New Merchant Portal Has Arrived

A few months ago, we offered a sneak peek of an entirely new version of our merchant administration tool: Merchant Portal. After much tweaking and polishing based on user feedback, today we’re announcing the public release of the fastest and easiest-to-use Merchant Portal experience yet.

Why is new Merchant Portal so great? Here are just some of the reasons we think you’ll love it.

Intuitively designed.
With an ever-increasing abundance of new products and services emerging for restaurants to manage, time is of the essence. We understand that Merchant Portal is just one of things you have to interact with throughout your busy day. To that end, our primary goal for Merchant Portal was to provide our merchants with an experience that embodies the same values as what your guests have come to expect from Splick-it: speed and convenience.

Responsive. Just like you.
It’s no secret that quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are well-oiled machines. And just like their fast-paced work environments, restaurants require tools that respond quickly to rapidly changing circumstances and surroundings. That’s precisely why we optimized Merchant Portal for practically any device. So whether you need to make a quick menu change while making an emergency supply run or adjust operating hours for an unanticipated early closure, you can do it all quickly and easily with your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Your feedback = new features.

  • Turn off ordering: Temporarily pause Splick-it orders and schedule a date for it to automatically resume
    - Takeout
    - Delivery
  • Refunds: Use password-protected Service Portal to apply full or partial refunds to a transaction
  • Own multiple locations? Use one login to view and manage all of them
  • Immediate Order Delivery: toggle this preference on to receive orders as soon as they are placed instead of 15 minutes before they are due
  • Advanced Ordering: Take orders multiple days ahead of time by enabling this option

Start using it now.
The new merchant portal is live now for all Splick-it restaurant locations at merchant.splickit.com.

Not using Splick-it yet? If you own a restaurant and would like to see what Splick-it and the new Merchant Portal can offer your business, drop us a line for information and a guided tour.

Splick-it Selected to Power Mobile and Online Ordering for Jersey Mike’s Subs

Jersey Mike's Logo

Jersey Mike’s Subs Taps Splick-it to Power Mobile and Online Ordering System

Customers will soon be able to get it Mike’s Way™ online or via iOS or Android mobile apps

Manasquan, N.J. – April 30, 2013 – Splick-it, a mobile and online ordering platform, today announced they have been selected to power the mobile and online ordering system for Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants.

Passionate Jersey Mike’s fans crave their subs made Mike’s Way™ with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and a signature blend of olive oil, red wine vinegar and spices. The company uses only private labeled meats and cheeses that are sliced fresh for each sub sandwich and piled high on in-store baked bread. Everything is quickly made to order for each customer, just the way the first subs were made at the original Jersey Mike’s more than 50 years ago.

“Customers are increasingly looking for easy and convenient ways to get their meal fast,” said Rich Hope, CMO of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “After considering a number of options, we selected Splick-it because of their outstanding track record. We believe this will be a great addition to our service,” he added.

According to study by the Center for Hospitality Research, restaurants using mobile and online ordering report increased customer frequency. Respondents also noted labor savings, as their employees didn’t need to answer the phone or take an order from a customer, as well as improved order accuracy.

Splick-it will design the online ordering system first, with iOS and Android apps to follow soon. The service will be specifically branded for Jersey Mike’s Subs, as Splick-it has done for other restaurants including Moe’s Southwest Grill and The Pita Pit. In addition to mobile and online ordering and payment, patrons participating in Jersey Mike’s Shore Points rewards program will be able to track, earn and redeem points directly through the application.

About Jersey Mike’s Subs:
Jersey Mike’s, a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with more than 750 locations open and under development nationwide, has a long history of community involvement and support. Started at the Jersey Shore in 1956, Jersey Mike’s serves authentic East Coast-style subs on fresh baked bread – the same recipe it started with over 50 years ago. The company’s mission is to bring its customers the highest quality, freshest made sub in the industry and give back to the communities in which it operates. A store locator and franchise information for Jersey Mike’s can be found at www.jerseymikes.com.

About Splick-it:
Splick-it powers branded mobile apps and online ordering for restaurants to accept orders from anywhere and provide guests with a VIP experience.

Mobile integration is in the eye of the beholder

Bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath recently released a book detailing their study of executive decision-making.  In Decisive, the Heaths discuss the biases and other built-in flaws that prevent people from making the best choices.  The authors contend that when a leader faces a difficult decision that seems to present a choice between two options, the first question to ask is:  How can I have both?

A restaurant, and its customers, can have their cake and eat it too

This brilliant turn of logic even applies to mobile and online ordering for restaurants.  A common question from restauranteurs considering a mobile and online ordering solution is, “Sure an app would be great for our customers, but don’t I need to integrate with my POS system?”

The answer is, “yes and no.”  First of all the word “integration” can have a lot of meanings.  One might be the implication that the mobile ordering app will work directly with the software on the POS system.  This is often difficult, expensive and in a lot of cases ultimately unneccessary.  Technical integration is filled with unexpected hurdles.  If integrating a mobile and online ordering system with a POS system results in any extra effort during regular business operations, integration could actually hamper a restaurant’s production process and drag down workflow.

The word “integration” can have a broader meaning, however.  Whether or not a mobile or online order and payment integrates with your POS system, the true mark of a robust mobile and online ordering system is one that integrates tightly into a restaurant’s work flow, and even improves it.  Mobile and online ordering should help a restaurant be more time efficient, increase throughput and ultimately lead to scores of happy customers. To that end, there are two questions a restauranteur should ask him or herself before deciding the best way to receive mobile and online orders:

  1. What is the work flow for my restaurant staff and customers, including ordering, preparation and payment?
  2. What services or devices have we already implemented that the staff is trained and accustomed to using?

With this information one can figure out a working solution for the needs of a particular restaurant, or even solutions if the needs vary from location to location.  For example, Splick-it offers six ways to present mobile and online orders to a restaurant.  Based on how a restaurant operates and the responses to the above questions, we are able to combine one or more order presentation methods to best suit the process and their budget.  If getting a phone notification and an email works better than a paper printout of the order, the system abides.

The point of sale marketplace is rapidly evolving.  The advent of the tablet computer and other more affordable payment systems have given greater influence to a niche of high-tech small business customers.  With new, cheaper, more versatile POS options springing up left and right, it is unwise to make too permanent a commitment.  Every integration of a software system or any other tool to a POS system represents another tether one has to sever before moving on to a better and/or cheaper POS solution.  No doubt POS providers envision a permanent marriage to their customers, but it better suits a restaurant to remain in a position to pivot with the technological winds.

When you think of mobile and online ordering integration, think not in the simple terms of working with this or that POS software.  Integration is really about mobile and online ordering fitting well into a restaurant’s work flow.  Creating hassle by adding extra steps or making a process more cumbersome doesn’t help the staff or the customers.  A well-integrated solution will streamline the process and be practically invisible.

6 ways to deliver mobile orders to a restaurant

One of the best things about going out to eat is that there seems to be an endless pool of tasty restaurants to choose from.  From Asian to South American, quick-service or fast casual, there are always exciting new options with which to tempt the palate.  Of course each restaurant has its own recipes, menu and its own system for fitting orders into the work flow.

Make your takeout and delivery orders better, stronger and faster.

What works great for one restaurant might not work so well for another.  This includes translating takeout and delivery orders into a format the restaurant staff can work with.  The best mobile ordering apps can translate orders into a medium that best suits the restaurant.  Fortunately for restaurants that want to offer a mobile ordering app to their customers, there are quite a few solutions.

Here are six of the best ways to convey mobile orders:

  1. Printer A tried and true method, a custom printer near the point of sale (POS) produces a ticket detailing the mobile order.  From there staff can enter the details into a register, computer or attach the ticket in its rightful place at the beginning of a food assembly line.
  2. Fax  Restaurants accustomed to getting orders by fax can receive mobile orders there too.
  3. Email  Tablets and other portable computing devices are becoming a popular and cost-effective way for eateries to manage orders and sales.  A mobile order can arrive in email and from there staff can print, enter the details or even forward the email to the right person.
  4. WinApp  Another way to work orders into a computer is through WinApp.  WinApp is a program that can manage applications on a Windows-based computer.  Mobile orders can print directly to a connected printer through WinApp.
  5. Merchant Portal  Of course mobile orders can go directly to the mobile ordering app merchant portal.
  6. Automated text to speech  Sometimes a good, old-fashioned telephone is still the most convenient way to take orders.  No problem.  Software can translate mobile orders into audible speech, from a cool, robotic voice no less!  Restaurant staff pick up the phone and hear a notification that a mobile order has come in.  If they don’t have a chance to go read over the mobile order on a screen or printout, the software can also read the order detail out loud.

Mobile ordering apps are basically tools to help customers communicate more effectively with restaurants.  Each restaurant has unique needs, and an adaptable mobile application is a the most versatile kind of tool.

7 ways wearable technology could impact the restaurant industry

Smartphones sure are convenient.  To a mobile convert, is hard to imagine life without a snazzy handheld device providing fingertip convenience.  Let’s face it, the handheld device is not the culmination of mobile technology.  There are a plethora of innovative new “wearable” technologies emerging, let’s take a look at how some of them could impact the restaurant industry.

  1. Eyewear  Google Glass has been all the buzz since it debuted a few weeks ago.  There is great potential for this technology in the restaurant biz, especially for customers.  One could gather visual and geolocation info to find the right eatery.  The glasses could display menus and special offers.  Customers could quickly upload and share photos or videos of their dining experience.

    High tech accessories: jet powered armor not yet available

  2. Watches  It has always seemed natural to add functional technology to the wristwatch, perhaps because the watch was one of the first types of portable technology available.  Since a wristwatch is usually small, it might be best to have mobile optimized watches sync with a smartphone or other handheld the way Google Glass does.  Using simplified touch controls and voice commands, restaurant-goers could use a watch to order, pick up and pay without ever reaching into their pocket.
  3. Power sources  One constraint that plagues nearly every portable electronic device is limited battery life.  Those bars seem to follow their own unique version of Murphy’s Law, trickling away most often when there is no conceivable way to recharge.  The solution might be a wearable recharging station.  Developers have designed boots that turn thermal body energy into power for a portable device.  Hungry smartphone devotees would never have to worry about running out of juice for using mobile apps to seek out and order their next meal.
  4. Fully wired clothes  Garments equipped with biometric sensors can already do everything from indicate the wearer’s mood to aiding with self-defense to making sure everyone gets enough hugs.  Touch screen shirts and clothes that display digital content could provide additional lines of communication for customers.
  5. Color coded contacts Special lenses are available that change color to help diabetics track fluctuations in glucose levels.  This technology could also help cashiers at a busy take out counter distinguish between customers that are waiting to order and ones that are ready to pick up their meals.
  6. Utensils  “Chew your food!  Don’t eat so fast!”  Such refrains from parent to child have echoed throughout countless generations.  For those of us without a nearby authority figure to monitor our mastication, developers have unveiled a “smart fork.”  This utensil uses motion sensors to measure how quickly one eats, since slowing down can help limit problems like unwanted weight gain or indigestion.  Smart utensils might also be able to provide valuable information to restaurants about their customers.  If a utensil has been inactive for a certain period of time, perhaps the customer has stopped eating and could use a visit from the wait staff.  Servers could receive instant alerts when a patron drops their utensil.
  7. Brain waves  To the unfettered imagination the end-all-be-all of mobile technology would be something people could operate without speaking or doing anything with their hands.  Such telepathic technology might sound farfetched but an innovator has unveiled a technology that reads brain waves and uses them to decide whether to direct calls to voicemail.  If this type of technology were sophisticated enough, it would bring a whole new meaning to the term “hands free.”  A person working the counter at a busy restaurant could easily move customers through the point of sale with the ability to sort orders at the blink of a brain wave.