By Brad Davis, Contributor
Rewards programs have always been synonymous with fast food chains. But with more and more people ordering their food through delivery apps like UberEats, GrubHub and DoorDash (to name just a few), how can restaurants engage customers with a loyalty program?
This is a crucial question that plenty of operators – from worldwide quick-service restaurant chains to the family-run pizza shop on the corner – are asking.
In just half a decade, food delivery via online/in-app orders has grown 300% faster than the rate of consumers dining in. Ordering food through a mobile app will become a $38 billion industry in 2020. As it is, in-app food delivery orders already account for more than 10% of all fast food revenue.
In short – if your restaurant isn’t appearing in all the popular food delivery apps, you’re likely to find yourself in trouble whether you have a decent loyalty program or not.
This is where QR Codes come to the rescue.
A QR (or Quick Response) code allows consumers to access things like special offers, terms and conditions, links to movie trailers, and basically anything else that a brand might want its customers to have access to, simply by hovering their smartphone cameras over the code.
By enabling customers to accrue points and redeem rewards via the QR code technique, restaurants can directly engage all those customers who prefer to eat their meals on the couch rather than at the restaurant!
A Three Step Guide to Increasing a Restaurant’s Customer Retention Using QR Codes
This step-by-step guide illustrates how QR code technology can help you continue to engage guests with a loyalty program, despite the intermediary of third-party food delivery apps.
Step 1: The customer places an online/in-app order for a meal from your restaurant
Whether it’s a first-time customer or one of your regulars, ordering on a computer or through a mobile app, they place the order for delivery to their house or workplace. The customer pays at the time of check-out, your restaurant starts cooking the food, bags it up, and a courier comes to pick it up and deliver the meal.
Step #2: The guest sees your loyalty program being promoted on the receipt/packaging
While pulling the food out of the bag, the customer can’t help but notice the promotional material all over the packaging (burger wrappers, fries scoop, cup, etc.) for your restaurant’s digital loyalty app.
You could even include a small brochure inside the bag, which highlights the perks and benefits of your loyalty program.
Step #3: The guest scans the QR code on the receipt to earn their very first reward
Upon finishing their (presumably delicious) meal, the customer downloads your restaurant’s digital loyalty app, opens it and scans the QR code printed on the paper receipt in order to earn the first of many rewards they’ll enjoy for their continued loyalty with their favorite local restaurant.
This might be a free side the next time they order a main, or an upgrade from medium to large drink perhaps. Whatever the offer is, make sure it’s enticing enough that customers forget about your competitors and opt for your restaurant every time those hunger pains strike!
Just like that, you’ve successfully acquired a new loyalty program member who is regularly engaging with your brand outside of their chosen food delivery apps -- even if they use those apps to place their order in the first place!
A digital loyalty app for your restaurant allows you to maintain a direct point of communication and engagement with the customer, even though they no longer physically visit your location.
It also enables you to send push notifications, texts and emails with exclusive offers and tailored rewards for further engagement. This system for retaining customers works in conjunction with any and all food delivery apps, while costing a fraction of what a full-scale mobile ordering and personalized delivery service would cost.
What Else are QR Codes Good For?
Not only does this method allow your delivery customers to enjoy the same perks and benefits as your dine-in guests, but you can also use the QR code function to offer spontaneous side promotions and gamify your customer experience.
As an example, Stamp Me’s Scratch & Win promotion works in conjunction with the app’s “QuickStamps” QR code scan function. These sorts of features inject a bit of fun into loyalty programs while keeping your restaurant front-of-mind. Your QR codes can link to scratch card-style promotions in your loyalty app, which engage customers on another level.
When you get creative with the process, there’s no limit to what a digital loyalty app with QR code capabilities can do for your restaurant’s brand loyalty and customer retention strategies.
About the Author
Brad Davis writes content for various agencies and publications, including Stamp Me, which provides digital loyalty app solutions for restaurants of all shapes and sizes around the world. You can view Brad’s portfolio here.
