"Not all customers are the same." It is obvious, yet almost no restaurant acts on it: the same offer and the same message for everyone. Segmenting is the opposite: grouping customers by behaviour and speaking to each group the right way.
What segmenting means
It means splitting your customer base into groups with similar traits. Instead of "send offer X to everyone", you "send the right offer to the right group at the right moment".
The groups that matter to a restaurant
- Loyal customers: they buy a lot and often. They deserve special treatment, not the same offer as everybody else.
- Occasional customers: they come now and then. The goal is more frequency.
- New customers: they bought recently. The goal is to build the habit.
- Lapsed customers: they used to buy and went quiet. The goal is to invite them back.
- By preference: who always orders pizza, who only comes at lunch, who spends more at weekends.
Why it sells more
A generic message speaks to nobody. A segmented one lands: to a lapsed customer, a reason to return; to a loyal one, thanks and a perk; to someone who loves a dish, news of something similar. Same effort, better results.
The requirement: having the data
None of this works without knowing who your customers are, what they buy and how often. Data from marketplace orders stays with the platform; segmenting your own customers needs a channel of your own, where every purchase is linked to a customer.
Start simple
You don't need ten groups on day one. Start with three: loyal, occasional and lapsed. With just these you can thank your best customers, encourage the middle group and invite back the ones who went quiet.
How GetFoodies helps
It keeps the history of every customer on your channel and lets you email each group from the same dashboard. Cashback and points give loyal customers one more reason to return.
The essence
Stop talking to "everyone" and start talking to each group. It is the difference between a message that irritates and one that helps.