A recent industry white paper cites ten percent of online purchases come from a smartphone or tablet computer.  The same source predicts that by 2017, that percentage will be up to 50 percent.

There is no doubt that online and mobile commerce is getting more pervasive.

Some may refer to this as the beginning of Web 3.0, the convergence of social and commercial media, or what is becoming known as social commerce, wherein smart marketers use the power of social media to drive word-of-mouth information and then offer customers a way to make an immediate purchase.

As we look towards the future, we see social commerce as a turning point for online businesses.  It gives users the power to make direct purchases of products recommended by friends.  Their credit card, address and personal information may even be eventually synced with their social media accounts.  The act of making purchases will be easier.

NetWaiter has provided restaurants an early avenue into social commerce for several years in the form of our Facebook integration.  When a customer places an online order through NetWaiter, they have the opportunity to use their Facebook account to login, which also provides the option to post a message about their order to their Facebook page.  Not only does the post give restaurants immediate promotion, but there is also a link back to the restaurant’s NetWaiter site for others to view the menu and place their own orders.

The truth is - customers have always had the power of word-of-mouth advertising.  For the most part, it was simply passed on in personal conversations.  Because much more is on the web now, word-of-mouth advertising provides restaurant owners significantly more leverage and the ability to capture additional sales.

For restaurants that do a lot of catering, online ordering can be a boon.  NetWaiter can make the process easy for both restaurants and customers - allowing them to look through your menu and easily place large catering orders.

Here are some considerations for running a successful online catering operation:

1.    Let people know you cater.  Mention catering in all of your advertisements – you can even include the information in your on-hold message.  Highlight your catering business on your website so customers can read about it and so it gets picked up by search engines.

2.    Add a catering link to your website.  A recent article in Restaurant Hospitality pointed out that this serves two purposes. First, those looking for catering can find it quickly. Second, the link serves as a reminder to regular visitors that you offer a catering option.

3.    Offer a full catering menu.  Some restaurateurs treat catering as an afterthought, offering the menu as a PDF.  With NetWaiter, however, you can automatically turn your catering menu into an interactive online ordering site.  NetWaiter’s built-in controls let you set minimum ordering quantities for particular items, preset specific portions, and you can indicate the specific amount of advanced notice needed for each order.

4.    Think about rewarding the person who orders.  Selecting a restaurant for an office catering job isn’t often the boss’s decision, but somebody in a support position.  Think about rewarding them with a discount (or tasty dessert) for choosing your restaurant.

5.    Catering orders can be critical.  Every order is important, but catering orders are often for special events or business meetings.  It gives your restaurant the opportunity to impress a lot people.  On the same note, it can be really bad if something goes wrong.  Make sure you follow through to ensure everything is prepared properly.