Food delivery is more popular than ever. The UK online food delivery market has increased on average by a staggering 35% per year between 2017 and 2022.
This doesn’t mean you can sit back and wait for the orders to roll-in though. Far from it!
The virtual food brand sector is incredibly competitive, with new concepts and kitchen spaces appearing every day. Restaurant franchises have to stand out from the crowd.
Here’s our insider tips for promoting your food delivery service and increasing your profits.
With these ideas, you’ll be on the road to food delivery success in no time…
5 ways to promote your food delivery service
1. Optimise your menu for delivery
Don’t think of promoting food delivery just in terms of marketing activities. Whilst this is undoubtedly important, focus on your food first.
There’s nothing worse than meals arriving in poor condition, lukewarm and unappetising.
Audit your restaurant menu, do some road-tests and select dishes that travel well. This will avoid customer disappointment and improve your profitability.
2. Prioritise photography
Food photography is a tricky skill to master, so ask for professional help.
Images increase sales of specific menu items by over 6%, with photo-based menus improving overall conversion rates by over 25%.
Great food photography sets customer expectations, represents your brand and showcases new dishes. For more detail on the do’s and don’ts of delivery platform menu photos, check out our previous blog.
3. Don’t let packaging be an afterthought
First impressions are crucial in food delivery, so how does your packaging perform?
When assessing packaging options, focus on a combination of aesthetics, functionality and sustainability. This means asking questions such as does it look good? Does it keep the food warm, or prevent leaks? Is it environmentally friendly?
This will all build your brand’s identity and increase repeat orders.
4. Carefully create promotions and loyalty schemes
Loyalty schemes, discount promotions and giveaways are a fantastic way of encouraging repeat orders and influencing consumer behaviour.
Think about the customer actions you want to encourage, as well as rewards you can afford.
For instance, do you want to promote family deals to increase order values, high price-point specialities for romantic nights-in, or smaller repeat orders throughout the week? These goals will determine your overall strategy…
5. Focus on fast, friendly service
Last but not least, this is make or break for any food delivery business.
If your meals take hours to arrive, delivered with surly service – customers simply won’t order again, no matter how good your food is.
To avoid negative reviews, assess your entire ghost kitchen operations, including preparation times, driver hand-over, tracking and updates as well as training all staff on excellent customer service.
At Peckwater Brands, we empower business owners to run delivery franchises from their existing kitchens. Discover the way we work and how we can supercharge your operations.
