Click and Collect: how to boost your restaurant's business?

Are you a restaurant owner looking for a solution to boost productivity and maximize sales? Click and Collect is the essential online ordering solution to help you achieve your goals, in an increasingly digitalized environment... even in the restaurant business!

It enables your customers to place an order online and collect it directly when they want, in just a few clicks: select, pay and collect.

So why is this interesting for you? How do you set it up? And above all, how can you maximize its effectiveness? 🔥

Let's eat! We explain everything.

See all software Restaurant Management

Why set up click and collect? 5 benefits for your restaurant

Online ordering has many advantages, not just for customers, but also for catering establishments. ☕

More than 50% of restaurant takeaway orders are now placed online.

Tastycloud

Increase your revenues with Click and Collect

By combining in-store sales with e-commerce, you can generate more sales. On the one hand, because you reach more customers, and on the other, because they are more interested in this new online system and are more inclined to use it.

Indeed, customers aren't nervous about ordering in the queue or waiting at the table, so no time is wasted, either for them or for you 🙂 , so you can offer them extras and deals on your click and collect service.

You can achieve an average basket increase of around 20% compared to ordering over the counter.

Partoo

Better manage customer flows in your restaurants and physical stores

Customers only come to your restaurant to pick up their orders. This means you can split your order list in two, so you can better distribute the flow of customers in your restaurant.

Differentiate yourself from the competition

A handful of restaurateurs have already added online ordering to their distribution panorama, but still few are doing so, specifically in traditional restaurants. Indeed, it's mainly fast-food chains that use click and collect, but that's not the case for other types of restaurant, so including this service sets you apart from the rest.

So if you see that there are few or none in your town, or not in the same kitchen as yours, this is the solution to make you stand out to the customer! 👀

Improve and personalize customer relations and experience

Click and Collect offers an effective way to personalize the customer experience in restaurants. By using it, you restaurateurs can not only meet your customers' expectations, but also significantly improve their satisfaction and loyalty. How can it help?

• Customers appreciate the reduction in waiting times thanks to online pre-ordering and payment, especially at peak times.
• The system allows customers to personalize their meals according to their dietary preferences and receive customized offers based on their ordering habits. 🍔
• At the time of collection, staff can focus on a warm welcome and check customer satisfaction, creating a more engaging and memorable experience.

Making good use of these levers is essential for building customer loyalty, by offering gifts, promotions or creating emotional closeness with personalized emailing.

Optimizing restaurant resources

Click and Collect enables restaurants to better forecast order volumes, helping to optimize the use of ingredients and reduce waste. ⚖️

It also helps to adjust staffing requirements according to peak collection times, improving operational efficiency.

How to implement Click and Collect? The 4 key steps

Step 1: Create and adapt your Click and Collect system

First and foremost, you need to choose and set up your click and collect system, so that you can be visible to your customers and provide them with a support system for placing orders. If you don't know how to choose, we'll help you later in this article!

In your online ordering system, you need to include:

• Appetizing photos of your products and dishes. 📸
• Descriptions of the dishes and their composition, as well as information such as allergens, ingredients and other nutritional values. 📜
• Suggestions for supplements or offers customized to customers' tastes, this encourages them to buy more. 🍽
• A registration form for tracking your customers, collecting data and personalizing. 📋
• A notification system so customers can track their order in real time and pick it up when it's ready. 🔔

Step 2: Organize your restaurant

It's important to think about preparing a dedicated order collection area so you can welcome customers who use click and collect, and give them their order efficiently.

For example, organize one space for the customer who physically orders, and another space for the customer who placed their order online.

A click and collect area is easily visible on online platforms and physically in the store. ✅

Step 3: Develop specific procedures for your teams

Create precise methods to differentiate between in-restaurant and click and collect order preparation:

• preparation times: make sure you distinguish preparation times for in-restaurant orders from those for click and collect, optimizing workflows and minimizing customer waiting. ⏰
• their retrieval: Set up separate retrieval areas for in-restaurant and click and collect orders, to facilitate access and reduce confusion among customers and staff. 📤
• and inventory tracking.

As a result, organization is clearer, tidier and more efficient for your employees and customers alike.

Step 4: Communicate and promote your Click and Collect service

To maximize the use of online ordering, you need to promote the use of click and collect.

There are various ways of doing this, including traditional and digital communication:

• Talk directly to your customers.
• Put up posters in the street, in the city, and of course inside and outside your establishment.
• Advertise it online on your website and app, and send emails to your customers to let them know about it.
• Promote it through your social networks by creating publications or on your profile page on your various accounts to maximize your online visibility.

What tools are available for click and collect?

5 criteria for choosing your tool

✨Now that you know why and how to set up a click and collect service for your establishment, here's a list of useful prerequisites for choosing the right tool for your needs.

Integration with your cash register software

Essential for simplifying order management by centralizing all orders in one place. No need for additional equipment; order transactions are entered directly into your cash register system. What's more, full integration can facilitate the ordering and payment process for your customers, offering a smooth, fast experience.

Acceptance of meal vouchers

By accepting meal vouchers, you ensure that you meet the needs of many customers, especially those working in office areas, for whom it's easier to order directly online. This is a social benefit appreciated by many French people, and by accepting these means of payment, you increase the likelihood that these customers will choose your establishment for their lunch break. 🍽️

Optimal user experience

This is essential for building customer loyalty and encouraging repeat orders. A simple, intuitive and personalizedinterface makes navigation and ordering easy for all users, whatever their level of familiarity with technology. What's more , mobile compatibility ensures that your customers can order easily from any device, which is essential in a world where more and more people use their smartphones for everything 😉

Effective customer communication

Communication is a key element in promoting your click and collect and attracting new customers. A tool that supports you in communication helps you to inform your customers effectively about the new online ordering service you're offering. This can include advice on how to promote your service on social networks, by e-mail or on your website.

Reactive technical support

In the event of a technical problem, responsive support is essential to minimize disruption to your customers, especially when ordering online. A responsive technical support team can resolve issues quickly, ensuring a smooth experience for your customers and boosting their confidence in your service. Fast response times and 7/7 availability are signs of quality technical support .

Which click and collect software should you choose for your restaurant?

🌟Here are 5 significant benefits for restaurants:

• Increased customer reach: Enables customers to order remotely, expanding your potential market beyond in-store visitors.
• Improved operational efficiency: Reduces waiting time for customers and optimizes kitchen workflow through automated order management.
• Reduced ordering errors: Minimize human error by automating the order-taking process, ensuring greater customer satisfaction.
• Customer data collection: Provides analytical tools to track customer preferences and consumption patterns, which can help personalize offers and improve marketing.
• Increased flexibility: Allows customers to choose when to collect their order, offering greater flexibility and convenience.

🥇Finding software that includes these criteria and benefits is possible, and we'll give you an example.

L'Addition is a cash register specially developed for CHR professionals, offering numerous additional services designed to optimize various stages of their business (booking, cashing in, reporting, etc.). These include functions dedicated to Click and Collect management: personalization of your Click and Collect space, automatic acceptance of new orders, dispatch to the kitchen, etc. Last but not least, this software will support you effectively in the deployment of this new consumption mode, which promises to boost your sales.

🛠️ To explore more options and details on these tools, feel free to consult our restaurant management software directory!

Other online restaurant ordering applications include Tastycloud and Click Eat.

See all software Restaurant Management

Click and Collect restaurant: the complete solution

In the final analysis, Click and Collect is the perfect complement to your service offering, helping to fluidify the flow of customers, enhance the customer experience and emotional closeness, and, as a bonus for you, boost admissions.

It's essential that you implement functional steps and tools to maximize your restaurant's revenues.

💫 Finally, to inspire you as you create your Click and Collect, I'd say: the size of a restaurant isn't measured by its physical size, but by its qualitative value.