Millennials – adults 18 to 35 years old – are the ideal candidates for restaurant online ordering. Many of them don’t remember a time before the Internet. Most of them have a connected device within arm’s reach, day or night, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Restaurant online ordering is natural for them.
There are, however, some things you need to know about this group – things that can make a difference for your restaurant and your online ordering business…
20% Less. Millennials, as a group, currently eat out 20% less than other demographic groups. The Great Recession affected them profoundly. They aren’t afraid to cook for themselves; however, they don’t like to cook all of the time.
The Amazon Generation. Millennials don’t remember a time when there was no Amazon.com. The result: they expect a user-centric, friction-free experience with their business transactions.
Loyalty. Millennials are loyal, so much so that they don’t need or care a lot about loyalty programs. A friction-free experience is much more important. As a group, millennials are the least likely to review sites such as Yelp when making decisions. They know what they want.
Window of Opportunity. More than 50% of millennials make their buying decision in the six-hour window before they eat, with 29% of that group admitting that the window is closer to one-hour. 17% of millennials don’t even plan that far in advance. Getting your message to them when they are deciding is important. Millennials also like businesses that communicate with technologies they prefer – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Key Lessons:
• Millennials expect consistent and convenient service more than discounts and loyalty clubs.
• Communicate frequently and with the right platforms to reach millennials. Stay top-of-mind so they choose your restaurant whenever they decide to place an order.
• Make your takeout and delivery as convenient as possible. Millennials may dine at restaurants less, but they don’t always want to cook for themselves. Your restaurant’s online ordering site is the key to their dilemma.
