The UK is, in many ways, a nation of takeaways. The longstanding tradition of our enjoyment is proven in the figures. Household expenditure on takeaways across the country has risen from £7.4 billion in 2009 to £11.2 billion in 2021, and is set to hit £15 billion by 2023.
But will your own takeaway business enjoy a share of that growth? To give yourself the best chance, you should be looking not just at the attractiveness of your brick-and-mortar business for ‘walk-ins’, but also at how your takeaway can better capitalise on the online space this year and beyond.
So, whether your takeaway has had some level of online presence for a while or you are only just beginning to set up a website or Google My Business listing, here are some of the steps that will really help power your takeaway business.
Identify or finetune your takeaway’s niche
It doesn’t matter how big your marketing budget may be, if you lack a clear sense of what makes your takeaway distinctively attractive, you will struggle to see the success of your campaigns.
Are there unique foods or ingredients you offer? What’s your price point? Does your takeaway business specialise in ‘cheap and cheerful’ familiar favourites, or do you emphasise a particular food quality or level of experimentation with flavours, styles and shapes?
Set up an online ordering system
Customers are increasingly taking advantage of the variety of takeaways that give them the option to order online… and we aren’t just talking about having a standard website set up. Your platform needs to be prepared for a variety of different orders.
Some customers might want you to deliver directly to their home. Which means your system needs to be simple, intuitive and optimised for a swift delivery process, with no compromise to the quality of the food the customer receives.
Local customers might wish to take advantage of ‘click and collect’, which could be especially handy if they are on their phones and already close to your site. And speaking of phones, could now be the time for your takeaway business to have its own branded app?
Fortunately for you, these are all things that we can help you with! With Slerp by your side, your online takeaway ordering system will not only help your business to spread awareness online, but also operate more efficiently to ensure the utmost customer satisfaction and power growth.
Invest in a digital marketing campaign
As we’ve mentioned, it’s no longer sufficient to settle for a ‘bare bones’ online presence – unless you’re happy to miss out on a lot of potential business. This is true not only for your website and online ordering system but your whole digital marketing approach – and there will almost certainly be something more you could be doing.
Image orientated platforms like Instagram go hand in hand with food photography. Remember, you want to take advantage of your customers’ cravings, so experimenting with various angles and lighting for items from your menu will enable you to produce the most ‘instagrammable’ content to really get your customers excited.
There are so many impactful ways to promote your online takeaway. Are you using targeted ads to spread the word about your brand and products? If not, the team at Slerp can help incorporate this into your digital marketing.
The things that make a takeaway business successful these days have changed and progressed massively from the methods used 10 or 20 years ago. So it’s up to you to keep track of the latest trends and developments. Contact the experts at Slerp today, and we’ll help you get every aspect of your brand’s approach to online ordering and marketing just right.