Loyalty Programs: What Are They?
Restaurants strive to bring customers back. Loyalty programs are one of the best drivers of guest retention. They give patrons a reason to return after the first visit (and then again and again and again), which keeps profits coming.
Loyalty programs also connect to the bigger restaurant ecosystem to do their part making the guest experience run smoothly. Get a better customer experience, increased profits, and more with modernized loyalty programs.
Why Do They Matter?
When you integrate loyalty programs into your restaurant, retention improves so customers visit more often. Repeat patrons also spend more on average than newcomers do. Investing in your guest relationships results in more profit over the long term.
This way, you also garner details about sales patterns that tell you what guests want out of the dining experience. Connect customer profiles to a branded merchant app like orderOS and every order will link to their name, giving you more detailed sales reports to base business decisions on.
With this information, create targeted marketing campaigns. Simultaneously gather names for your listserv to send email newsletters directly to their inbox.
These profiles also mean a better experience for guests. You can keep reference notes so next time they visit, you’ll have their favorite bottle of wine ready on the table. Little things like that really enhance customer relationships. This also encourages them to engage more with the brand and improves your overall reputation.
Photo courtesy of eatOS
Starting Loyalty Programs
Knowing what your customers tend to order shapes the rewards you’ll offer them. First, though, you need to structure the rewards system.
With a points system, they rack up when guests spend money. Earn enough, and they get discounts, gift cards, free food or other rewards.
Reward tiers provide exclusive access to various benefits, depending on how much they’ve spent at the restaurant. They might get access to members-only sales, tasting dishes before they launch or other exclusive bonuses.
Either way, loyalty programs provide a strong motivation to come back again and again.
In the past, cashiers hole-punched cards that guests carried around in their wallets. Now it’s automated when integrated with your Point of Sale system. Instantly apply points to an order or check how many they’ve racked up already. If you haven’t upgraded your restaurant Point of Sale yet, now’s a great time to make the change so you can start a new loyalty program.
eatOS offers an all-in-one cloud-based eco-system exclusively for restaurants. From Point of Sale to Contactless Ordering, Pay & Order at Table, Kitchen Display System, Customer Facing Display, Online Ordering APP / Website and Workforce Management there is everything to help a restaurant succeed no matter the size. Click Here to Schedule a demo to learn more about how your restaurant can make a smooth transition into the world of restaurant technology made simple.
