6 tips to get you started quickly on online ordering platforms

The pandemic has confirmed something that the restaurant industry is beginning to understand: selling food online can bring in valuable additional revenue. With the right strategy and action, online sales offer a significant sales channel, whether it's to increase sales, expand the customer base or build customer loyalty.

A good practice is to prepare your business for this change and to learn about the different platforms. This will allow you to start developing your business with confidence.

Launching the "machine

At the very beginning, you should think about how you are going to organise your online picking business. To help you make the first (right) decisions, keep the following points in mind:

- Orders require manual entry: this means that at times when everyone wants to have lunch or dinner at the same time, one of your employees will have to keep an eye on the orders flowing through the different terminals (if you have multiple platforms). You may have to hire a new person, or "sacrifice" a person on the floor. This would result in a decrease in your ability to serve customers in a timely manner. For your customers, it may also lead to some dissatisfaction: manual input increases the risk of errors. For example, you could ask your cooks to prepare a dish that was never ordered! With an order manager, you will receive each order automatically;

- Divided attention: you will have as many screens to monitor as you will be registered on different platforms. This again means either hiring a dedicated online order taker or losing productivity in the room.

- Manage menu changes: without the right equipment, you'll have to manually change your prices, your dishes, the services you offer, for each platform. With a proper integration system, your menus are stored in one place. So if you make a change to a menu, it will be visible in real time on your different delivery platforms. You can also adapt your offer to the different times of the day.

Which platforms should you register on first?

You'll be spoilt for choice, but you'll have to make the right one! Between UberEats, Deliveroo, Glovo or Just Eat, which one will bring you the most profit? (We advise you to be present on several of them, for a significant growth of your activity) :

- Check out the commissions: Uber Eats takes 30%, Deliveroo 35% on your orders;

- Compare the activation costs: some platforms are free, others require a financial contribution;

- Compare market shares: not all platforms attract the same proportion of customers;

- Identify the profile of each platform: they do not all offer the same type of restaurants. For example, Just Eat is more for users looking for fast food.

If it takes a little work to get started, keep in mind that your presence on at least one platform can increase your sales by 35-50%. Such a great opportunity to grow should not be wasted by wasting time on online ordering or menu errors! RusHoursaves you time, money and ensures that your customers get the best possible delivery service!

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About RusHour

RusHour is dedicated to becoming a trusted partner for restaurants around the world, offering several products and services that help restaurants adapt to the technology and trends of tomorrow. We provide our customers with a unique way to manage all online orders from multiple platforms from one location. At the same time, our team of experts is on hand day-to-day to support restaurants through this change.

Any questions? Write to us: hello@rushour.io

Need a demonstration? Make an appointment right here!

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