Takeaway industry: Here's why you should use loyalty programs

The pandemic has brought many challenges for restaurant owners and takeaway establishments. One thing that has been particularly affected is customer loyalty, as highlighted by a McKinsey study. The pandemic has changed our purchasing behavior, making us more likely to try new brands and shop at new stores. As consumers, we have access to a vast array of different brands and products, and with all these choices, it can be difficult to ensure that a customer returns to your specific store or restaurant. However, there is no doubt about the importance of repeat customers for a business. Now is the time to focus on strengthening customer loyalty, and the opportunities for doing so are many.

Why is customer loyalty important?

Studies show that previous customers are 9 times more likely to purchase from you compared to a new customer, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to get them to return? Repeat customers can have a huge impact on your revenue – in fact, existing customers spend, on average, 31% more than new ones. You can gain a lot from your customers when you manage to bring them back again and again. So the stronger the loyalty between you and your customers, the stronger the foundation for your business and its growth.

"Returning customers spend 31% more than new ones."

Who is customer loyalty relevant for?

As a starting point, customer loyalty is important for all types of businesses. We have found that customers in retail - everything from home goods stores to clothing stores - as well as those in the food and beverage industry, such as cafés, bakeries, restaurants, and bars, have a strong interest in working with loyalty programs - and have great success with them. So how can you, as a shop owner or restaurant owner, embrace this trend and actively work on strengthening your customer loyalty?

Den gode købsoplevelse 

For at en kunde har lyst til at vende tilbage, er det helt essentielt, at de har haft en god købsoplevelse, hvilket vil sige, at de skal være glade og tilfredse, når de forlader din butik eller restaurant. Vi har samlet en række gode råd til, hvordan du kan arbejde med at optimere dine kunders købsoplevelse.

1. Provide the best customer service

One of the things we especially remember as customers is when we receive exceptional customer service. An experience that makes us happy and gives us the desire to return to the same place again. Therefore, make sure to be available when the customer needs help and do your best to advise and guide them so that they feel in safe hands. This will leave a good impression on the customer, and right here, your chances of them returning will be increased. In fact, a study by HubSpot shows that as many as 93% of consumers are more likely to return when a company offers excellent customer service.

"93% of consumers are more likely to return when a company has excellent customer service."

2. Convenience is key

It should be easy and straightforward to be a customer. If you have a store, it should be easy for your customers to navigate and find the items they are looking for. It should be quick to reach the checkout, and paying should be easy. Here, a digital cash register system can be a great solution, as it allows you to enter items into the register faster and accept payments, compared to a manual cash register, which is much more time-consuming. If you have a restaurant or café, it's important to have a clear menu and the option for quick ordering and payment.

We’ve all experienced sitting in a restaurant, first waiting to be able to place an order, and then waiting to be able to pay. But that’s a problem that can easily be avoided! A simple and smart solution to this is to digitalize your ordering and payment process so that your guests can place orders via a QR code at the table. As a Shopbox customer, you can have your own digital menu, which your guests can download on their smartphones. From there, they have access to your entire menu via a QR code and the option to order and pay for their food – that’s convenience! Read more about the solution here.

3. Avoid long queues

We’ve all experienced standing in long lines to pay or to get assistance. It can be very frustrating and, in the worst case, make us leave the queue. If that happens, there’s a very small chance that we, as customers, will return to the same place another time. Long queues can therefore lead to both lost sales and customer loss. That’s why it’s a good idea, whenever possible, to avoid long queues, ensuring the customer has a good shopping experience.

To reduce queues, it’s important first and foremost to have extra staff during busy times, so there is enough personnel to assist customers. Additionally, it’s a good idea to have a digital cash register solution that allows staff to serve customers quickly and efficiently at the checkout.

4. Keep track of prices

We’ve all experienced situations where a price is missing, or the signage is confusing or even misleading – either we have to ask the staff, or we leave the item behind and exit the store. To provide a good experience, it’s important to keep track of the prices. Therefore, it’s a good idea to ensure that the correct prices are displayed clearly and prominently so that no unnecessary confusion arises.

5. Keep track of inventory

There’s nothing more frustrating than sold-out products – both for your customers and for you. Your customers get annoyed and will likely look for alternatives, and you miss out on a sale. Therefore, it’s important to have full oversight of your stock, so your shelves aren’t empty. To create an easy and quick overview, you can manage your inventory through your cash register system. This makes it easy to handle and keep track of your products. You can even receive a notification when it’s time to reorder a particular item, ensuring that you have complete control over your stock. Read more about integrating inventory management with your cash register system here.

6. Create an inviting impression

Part of the shopping experience is also about impressions. Whether we are visiting a restaurant or shopping in stores, it’s always important that we feel welcome and comfortable. That’s why there’s nothing worse than a cluttered store or a restaurant filled with stressed and confused staff. Therefore, make the extra effort to ensure everything runs smoothly, so it’s organized and pleasant for your customers to be at your place.

3 methods to increase customer loyalty

Once you’ve got the shopping experience right, you have a great foundation for increasing customer loyalty. However, there are also other more concrete methods you can use. To boost your customer loyalty, you can benefit from offering your customers a loyalty program. According to The Loyalty Report 2020, people are 72% more likely to refer a business to friends and family if they have a good loyalty program. If you use Shopbox’s cash register system, you have the option to purchase a loyalty module, which gives you a range of opportunities to strengthen your customer loyalty. With the module, you get the following 3 concrete methods to increase your customer loyalty:

🎁 Giftcard

You have the option to create digital gift cards that your customers can purchase for friends and acquaintances, making it easy to expand your customer base. Gift cards are a simple yet highly effective method for strengthening customer loyalty.

➗ Discount structures

You can also create discount structures for specific customer groups. When you register a customer in your cash register system, you can link them to a discount scheme, and the system will automatically apply the specified percentage off every time the customer visits. People love perks, so discount structures can be a great way to reward your customers for their loyalty.

💰 Bonus accumulation

Last but not least, you can take advantage of bonus accumulation. Customer loyalty programs that allow customers to earn and use points influence 69% of customers to choose one business over another. Therefore, bonus accumulation can be a great incentive for customers to return to the same place, thus helping you build a loyal customer base.

With Shopbox, you can get a loyalty module with these features for your cash register system. Learn more about the Loyalty Module here or contact us if you want to learn more about how to acquire the Loyalty Module for your business.