Grow your Business Online: Food Ordering App for your Restaurant
Did you know more than 10,000 foodservice establishments in Canada have permanently closed doors while sales plummeted to their lowest level in over 20 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Although the pandemic has mostly had detrimental impacts on the restaurant industry, it has also opened opportunities for businesses to adapt and innovate to keep up with new and emerging consumer trends. In fact, consumer behaviour has changed immensely as the demand for convenience, customization, and flexibility is now greater than ever before. A new opportunity for restaurant owners has recently arisen: the Canadian Digital Adoption Program.This government funding is designed to assist businesses with going online.
One of the most common responses to the pandemic has been joining a third-party delivery platform. However, this is not a sustainable strategy for foodservice businesses due to the high third-party commission fees and the inability to directly connect with your loyal customers. In a recent survey , more than half of surveyed respondents said third–party delivery platforms gave them thin profit margins, while 21% said they didn’t get any profit at all. Only 8% said using the delivery platforms was “very profitable.”
Furthermore, for the remaining 44%, the quality or service control was poor, as restaurateurs have no control over the last mile. For example, with third-party services, customers may call the restaurant due to a wrong order or missing item, but since the staff has no power over the software to give a refund or change an order, it can result in decreased customer satisfaction. The customer might contact the third-party delivery service, and they might often issue a refund on the entire order without asking for the restaurant’s approval, resulting in preventative losses. A great strategy to overcome these many challenges is to have your own personalized mobile app as it will allow you to modernize your restaurant business processes with technology and gain a competitive advantage. Whether you’re a ghost kitchen, commissary kitchen, or independent restaurant, growing your business online is a necessary need in this day and age.
It’s not too late for your restaurant to get started! In fact, now is the perfect time to adapt to the digital economy thanks to the Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP). We will provide you with all of the information you need to ensure you are eligible and show you how to use this fund to get your own NextGen Kitchens fully-customizable mobile app for FREE. Having your own app can allow your restaurant to expand revenue streams and also directly connect with your customers to build brand loyalty. In this article, you’ll learn more about the benefits of growing your business online with your own mobile app and how you can be eligible to use NextGen Kitchens’ white-label mobile app for your restaurant for FREE through the Grow Your Business Online funding stream offered through the Canadian Digital Adoption Program.
Find Out if You’re Eligible for the Canadian Digital Adoption Program
As small businesses adapt to the shifts in the economy and the lasting impacts of the pandemic, the Government of Canada is working to help them continue to grow and thrive. They recently announced the launch of the “Canadian Digital Adoption Program” (CDAP) where they will be investing $4 billion over the next four years to help over 160,000 small and medium-sized businesses grow their online presence and adopt digital technologies. The fund is meant to support and help your small business in Canada bounce back from the harsh and lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to the digital economy to build a sustainable operation.
To be eligible for the “Grow Your Business Grant” through CDAP, your business must be registered or incorporated, be a for-profit consumer-facing business, and have at least one full-time employee. It’s as simple as that. If you meet the above-mentioned conditions, you can receive a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the cost of adopting technology such as our white label mobile application. This will provide you with plenty of time to transfer your existing customers from third-party ordering to your mobile app and start generating revenues with a sustainable profit margin. The “Grow Your Business” grant will help you use our digital tools to build your online presence, sell online, and offer customers better service.
Franchises are not eligible for the Canadian Digital Adoption Program Funding. However, the good news is that our product is designed to be the perfect fit for small and large multi-location and multi-brand businesses. If you are a franchise interested in adopting your own food ordering mobile application, you can contact our team to find an ideal package for you.
You can start your application now by clicking here! If your foodservice business is eligible for the “Grow Your Business” online grant through CDAP, you will be directed to a local service provider in your home province in Canada for details on how to apply for the grant. Your service provider will also ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements and help with the required next steps. You can apply right now and our team at NextGen Kitchens will be able to provide you with additional information by scheduling a call with us. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of if you are a restaurant business looking to expand revenue streams and differentiate yourself from others but want to keep costs under control.
Modernize your Restaurant Business with a White-Label Mobile App
We are confident that using the Canadian Digital Adoption Program grant to invest in an online ordering mobile application is the best way to make use of this funding. By using your own personalized mobile app you can eliminate high third-party commission fees, have full control over customer communications, and provide personalized promotions. Having your own app will enable your restaurant to serve existing customers more effectively, attract new customers in the digital marketplace, and gain a competitive advantage. This fund is a great opportunity to take advantage of if you are a small or medium-size foodservice business looking to modernize your processes. Now you may be wondering how having your own food ordering mobile app can benefit you, here is a list of just a few of them:
Improve the Customer Experience
With the use of a mobile app, the ordering experience becomes easier for customers, as it helps to reduce lines at your store and improves efficiency within the restaurant itself. Mobile food ordering also reduces human error, which improves order accuracy and customer satisfaction. This is due to restaurant staff spending less time answering the phone so they can focus on customers who are dining in the restaurant. In addition, it eliminates the communication barrier that may occur in orders made over the phone or in person, as the customer can make their order and payment all in the comfort of an easy-to-use application. We also integrate directly with multiple POS companies so you can avoid tablet overload and receive orders comfortably directly to your kitchens.
Gain Back Control
Your own online ordering application can help build brand loyalty as it is tailored completely to your brand and no one else’s. Having customers download your personalized food ordering app means that you will stay on top of their minds and they will be more inclined to make orders with you since they see your branded application on their mobile devices. Contrary to third-party marketplaces where you as a restaurant are competing with countless others, an app of your own makes online ordering convenient for new and loyal customers. This is because the app is focused solely on your restaurant or ghost kitchen’s brand. In addition, since the features are already incorporated into the software, personalizing the application to your brand is easy to do. You can also offer promotions to customers through the app and update customers about restaurant information such as when an item may be out of stock. Unlike third-party apps like UberEats or SkipTheDishes, customers can also directly contact the restaurant if something were to go wrong with their order. Having an app branded to your business means less competition and increased customer loyalty, resulting in long-term growth and viability.
Data-Driven Insights & Enhanced Customer Engagement
In addition, unlike third-party apps, having your own app allows you to have access to customer data. These valuable insights can help you create a personalized experience for your customers while also analyzing buying patterns that can aid in better predictions of future trends. You will gain first-party data on customers using your branded application such as customer names, past purchases, mobile app activity, phone numbers, and emails. This is ideal for marketing, promotions, and loyalty programs.
Having your own branded mobile app also allows you to make meaningful connections with your loyal online customers by sending them direct personalized offers, rewards, and promotions through the app. You can also link your social media accounts such as your Instagram and Facebook. This will encourage customers to share their experience with your restaurant on social media, driving further customer engagement and direct contact between restaurants and customers.
These are just a few of the many benefits that come with using your own food ordering app. Click here for more details on how adopting a white-label mobile app for your restaurant can improve your digital presence.
Make it Easier to Connect with Customers & Grow your Business Online
It’s crucial for consumer-facing businesses to develop and implement technology to remain competitive. The adoption of digital technologies enables businesses to serve existing customers more effectively and attract new customers in the digital marketplace. Using your own food ordering app for your restaurant can help you significantly stand out from competitors. 74% of customers prefer supporting restaurants directly and not third-party services, therefore, having your own app supports this preference and also helps create healthier profit margins as you don’t have to worry about commission fees. This goes to show the importance of providing customers with ways to support you directly while keeping up with emerging technological trends.
The global restaurant industry has transformed immensely, thereby, embracing technological advancements has allowed many restaurants to enhance efficiency and meet consumer demands in an increasingly digital age. Using your own personalized online ordering app allows you to gather useful customer data, improve customer satisfaction, and lower communication errors. Now is the perfect time to submit your application through the Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to get NextGen Kitchens’ fully customizable mobile app for free.
If your restaurant, food court, commissary, or ghost kitchen business is interested in adopting a white-label app software solution for free apply here and reach out to our team at NextGen Kitchens for a free demo call with us in the meantime.