The Power of First-Party Restaurant Data Compared to Third-Party

If you have ever used Netflix, then you’re familiar with the way they casually recommend movies and shows based on your preferences. These recommendations vary by user and are extremely specific based on viewing habits.

Or, if you’ve used Amazon, you are also familiar with how the brand suggests products based on your purchase history. This is a more innovative way to recommend products to users as it caters specifically to each customer’s purchasing habits rather than suggesting similar items that other users have purchased.

These customized models of meeting user needs are expanding for fast-casual and QSR brands where machine learning autonomously suggests upsells and cross-sells based on other user purchases or even dietary-specific menus based on individual user habits. The models allow brands to implement a highly personalized ordering experience without extra work or the creation of manual, if/then rule sets.

How First-Party Data Helps Drive Guest Engagement

If you’re using third-party apps for online ordering and delivery, you’re missing out on user data that you can use to build a loyal customer base and while also avoiding the hefty fees that come with those apps.

With 64% of delivery customers preferring to order directly from restaurants and 85% of people saying they plan to keep mobile apps for restaurants and food after the pandemic subsides, there’s an excellent opportunity for brands to invest in restaurant technology software.

Restaurant tech allows brands to manage guest engagement by providing a white-label app that maintains your brand's identity, drives sales, and expands your business beyond its physical location(s).

The best restaurant tech offers multiple features to get your business growing instantly and tracks all the data without you having to put in extra work. Features include seamless mobile ordering with autonomous upsell recommendations, integrated loyalty and marketing, gift cards, and notifications for customers to stay updated on promotions or events.

As soon as a customer inputs their data to create an account, you automatically have a history of what items they purchase, how much they spend per order, the days and times they like to order, how often they order, and much more.

This data can be used to build a loyalty program to retain customers and influence the buyer’s journey with machine learning that autonomously suggests upsells, cross-sells and helps turn first-time visitors into regulars.

All of these features aren’t possible with third-party apps. Third-party online ordering services charge restaurant owners a significant chunk of their revenue in fees and do not provide them access to the customer data that the apps collect as consumers place orders. In the restaurant industry, data drives business.

Your restaurant needs intelligent guest engagement software that develops a branded mobile app with the essential features to drive sales and the guest experience using data you can rely on without sacrificing revenue.