You may not realise it, but you already have customers who are yours: regulars, people who find you on Google or Instagram, people who walk past, people who eat in and people who collect at the counter. They don't need a marketplace to find you. They just need an easy way to order.
Customers who arrive through a marketplace remain that marketplace's customers, and you should respect its rules. Here we are talking about the ones who are already yours.
The golden rule: a reason and an easy path
Nobody changes a habit without a reason and without it being easy. You need two ingredients:
- A clear reason, usually a perk for ordering directly.
- An easy path: a fast website with nothing complicated to download.
Tactic 1: QR codes in the restaurant
Every table is an opportunity. A QR code that opens your digital menu lets guests order without waiting and gets them used to your channel. Do the same at the counter, on the display and in the window.
Tactic 2: a card with your address
For takeaway, at the counter or in the dining room, a small card with a short web address, an incentive (points, a freebie) and a QR code that opens the menu. It is cheap, physical and reaches people who already know you.
Tactic 3: a perk for ordering directly
Because your own channel carries no GetFoodies commission per order, you have room to reward people with cashback, points or a small discount. Customers feel they are getting a good deal and you get a direct relationship.
Tactic 4: social media and Google pointing home
The link in your bio, the order button on your Google profile, your posts: all of them can point to your site. People who find you there have already chosen you directly.
Tactic 5: keep the contact and continue the conversation
After the first order you have an email and a phone number (with consent). From there you can thank, reward and win back people who went quiet.
What not to do
- Don't hide your channel. If it is hard to find, nobody uses it.
- Don't ignore marketplace rules about customers who come from them.
- Don't give up after a month. Habits change slowly.
How GetFoodies makes this simple
It gives you the direct channel (a website and app with your brand), generates the QR codes, keeps the data of every order and includes loyalty with cashback and points. It works alongside the marketplaces. With Get Social, your social accounts and Google profile also get a steady presence every week.
Start today with one tactic
Pick one, the table QR is the easiest, and get it running this week. Every customer of yours who orders on your channel is a relationship that stays with you.