Strategic Experiences For Restaurant Websites Or Mobile App

Part 1 – Checkout Process

Building a checkout process with the consumer in my mind is key to its success. Transactional clicks are the story of the past. Behavior-driven check out process has been implemented by big players but it’s hard to get it right when building it for smaller businesses. It’s important to know that big players have spent a lot of time and money to analyze, research and experiment the best checkout process steps that fit their market. The greatest companies historically have engineered the maximum quantity of quality and consistency. A continuous qualitative breakthrough in marketing, strategy, innovation, and management. This has worked for them for years but not for smaller players. Checkout process needs to educate but walk the user through the next steps. It needs to be simple but smart at the same time. Great online checkouts invoke various human emotions It’s important to point that well-engineered checkout process actually enables customers to buy more. Customers typically purchase more food when ordering online. Firstly, The best online ordering system takes that judgemental feeling away. The customer feels more comfortable virtually. Certain customers feel judged and guilty when ordering a certain amount of food in-person. Secondly, you are able to customize upselling and cross-selling meals. Cicis Pizza franchise offers an add on drink or appetizer during the ordering process. Due to these offers, online bills are usually higher than orders made in-person or via phone. Therefore, you will profit more through an online ordering system. Simultaneously, customers are more likely to come back for more due to their lack of guilt.

Engineer Your Checkout Process

A well-engineered checkout process can incorporate the following key criteria’s to help the user through the checkout process:

Don’t require shoppers to register in order to check out. Forcing them to create an account before they complete their order is just an additional stumbling block.
If you have several steps in your checkout process, show a progress indicator so the user knows exactly what steps they need to take. Include shipping prices which update automatically in the cart as the user adds more items or adjusts quantity.
Free delivery can have a huge effect on conversions.
Let customers know an approximate delivery time before they check out.
Include tracking status and location information if possible.
In your confirmation email, including information on how users can modify their order before it’s prepared.
Including miniature thumbnail pictures in your shopping cart reduces the likelihood of shopping cart abandonment (probably because it makes products seem more tangible).
Put your refunds/return policy or guarantee below your checkout button instead of on a separate page or on a customer service page. Can you recommend other products that would complement what the customer just ordered?
Cross-selling can be highly effective before an order is fully placed.
Summarize the benefits of your product or service as bullet points before you ask for the order.
Offer bonus discounts at checkout. Offer free shipping or a percent-off discount to customers on their next purchase.
Don’t require registration in order to buy. Some sites require users to complete a registration form in order to make a purchase. Be sure to offer a one-time, “express” checkout to minimize potential roadblocks.
Have a link to your coupon or current promotion right on the landing page. Better yet, automatically fill in the “coupon code” at checkout if possible.
Add the option for customers to read and leave reviews and ratings for products. Consider offering a coupon or a reward for completing the review.
Customers don’t like unpleasant surprises. Don’t spring hidden fees, long contracts or other extra issues on customers once they begin checking out.
If you have a shopping cart feature on your site, include a link to it on the homepage. This allows users to immediately see what they’ve selected, without having to navigate through any product screens or go through checkout before they are ready to do so. This is especially important if your site saves shopping cart selections from prior visits.
Put your order selection on the same page as your product, so that customers don’t have to click to another page to buy.