RESTAURANTS

THE NEW CONSUMER

SHOPPING JOURNEY

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1THERE ISNO OFFLINEDigital influence on in-store sales has been on the rise since 2012,

jumping from 12%3 to an estimated 49% by the end of 20167.

Consumers are embracing the wealth of information available

to them online, but according to a study by Deloitte3, there’s a

gap between consumers’ behaviour and brands’ ability to deliver

desired experiences.

And it looks like companies are missing out.

According to Forrester1, online experiences influenced about

US$1.3 trillion of in-store sales in 2015 — over 5 times more

than e-commerce sales, which raked in US$0.3 trillion. And 78%

of respondents to a PwC survey said that they were influenced in

some way by social media in 20152.

This indicates that digital experiences are now an integral part of

their shopping journey. And the influence is only growing.

While digital solutions are necessary to connect with this new

consumer, there isn’t a simple one size fits all solution. Digital

influence and the resulting digital needs vary by demographic

and industry.2 launchfire.com

3 launchfire.com

DEMOGRAPHICS

INDUSTRY

18 to 24 year olds are the most digitally influenced age

range, but that’s not the only demographic consideration:

ethnicity, socio-economic status, and location all impact the

level of digital influence.

Consumers are using digital at different points during their

shopping journeys in each industry. The level of influence

digital has also varies depending on industry, and even

product category within that industry.

Digital Influence isn’t just happening before heading into

a store either — consumers have started to use their

smartphones in-store to continue carving their own

shopping journeys, looking up additional information, price-

matching, and reading reviews all of which Deloitte refers to

as “mobile influence.”

In 2015 34% — or US$1 trillion — of in-store sales in the US

were influenced by mobile content1, and 3/4 of the 23,000

global online shoppers surveyed by PwC indicated they used

their device while in-store2.

MAKE ITMOBILE

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WHAT ARE THEY DOING?36% - comparing prices with competitors

36% - researching products

31% - accessing a coupon/promo code

25% - checking reviews

And the numbers are even higher for millennials.

8 in 10 millennials (age 18-34) use mobile while in-store

35% - more likely to compare prices than shoppers over 35

43% - more likely to research product than shoppers over 35

38% - more likely to access coupon than shoppers over 35

5 launchfire.com

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Collect & WinConnect at multiple stages of the journey with

2

In the Restaurant sector, customers are becoming

increasingly digitally influenced6.

87% - find a restaurant

86% - check out a menu

60% - read consumer reviews

59% - look at pictures of the restaurant

46% - research deals

Just how influential are reviews? More than 1 in 3

respondents to a survey by ReviewTracker4 said they

wouldn’t dine somewhere with less than a 4 star rating.

But you don’t need to be reviewed by top food critics to

make the cut — consumers are 25% more likely to turn to

reviews by other consumers over professional critics6.

A CLOSERLOOK ATRESTAURANTS

7 launchfire.com

Digital influence is most critical for restaurants at the

Browse/Search, and Select/Validate stage — and it seems

more consumers are using their phones during these

stages. According to RetailMeNot5 consumers are using

their phones to:

53% - find a restaurant location

49% - browse a menu

37% - research new restaurants

25% - make reservation

But it seems the Post Purchase stage is becoming

increasingly important as well:

18% - interact with restaurant’s loyalty program

15% - share the experience on social media

13% - post review on public site

CREATINGAN IMPACT

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Loyalty PlatformGrow your loyalty program and engage members with our

LET US HELP!

THE BOTTOM LINEDigital influence is only growing in the restaurant sector. As diners look for places to eat on-the go, restaurants can no longer afford for their websites to not be optimized for mobile.

In order to stay competitive and connect with diners, restaurants need to strategically invest in digital solutions that target consumers at appropriate stages along their path to purchase. Investing in mobile optimization, generating positive reviews, and promotions that drive traffic, sales, and social buzz will be key for restaurants to connect with consumers and stay ahead of the competition.

SOURCES: 1 http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/268210/mobile-influence-on-store-sales-tops-1-trillion.html 2 http://www.pwc.com/us/en/retail-consumer/publications/assets/Total-Re-

tail-Global-Report.pdf 3 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consumer-business/us-cb-navigating-the-new-digital-divide-v2-051315.pdf 4 http://www.reviewtrackers.com/

survey-says-33-restaurant-goers-dine-4-stars/ 5 http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/static/25861b/filer_public/cc/6d/cc6dbdb5-4df5-46c5-a018-30b8d423e038/rmn-wp-food-dining-web-nolast-2.

pdf 6 https://go.opentable.com/rs/531-AOS-877/images/OpenTableTechnologyAndDiningOut2015l.pdf 7 https://www.luxurydaily.com/mobiles-influence-on-offline-sales-continues-to-grow-forrester/

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