Third party ordering platforms, menu hosting sites or ‘restaurant aggregators’ as they are also known, have become big players on the market these days.
Many customers who use these platforms however have very little understanding of how they affect the restaurants they’re (indirectly) ordering from.
At the same time, store owners often sign up to these platforms not fully realising the negative impact it could have on their business, their brand and ultimately their bottom line.
So before you make the decision to jump on board with a third party online ordering aggregator, ask yourself:
→ They usually only focus on promoting the platform itself and do nothing to promote the individual brands of the businesses they work with.
→ This kind of information, while important, will more than likely be withheld from your customers.
→ A lack of incentive to keep your details up to date could lead to inaccurate menu information and pricing being displayed to your customers.
→ Be aware that these platforms will encourage your customers to order from your competitors, therefore discouraging loyalty and repeat orders for your business.
→ Such platforms directly compete with your own restaurant website for search rankings and damage your online visibility, making it harder for customers to find your official website.
→ Unlike your own individual ordering website, third party ordering platforms keep all of your important customer data for themselves, which means you can’t re-market to them directly and build up a loyal following.
→ You’ll likely find support has been outsourced to overseas call centres and marketing for your takeaway business is virtually non existent.
→ A quick look over some online reviews for these platforms shows they are often considered very clunky to use and provide a poor user experience overall. Your customers deserve better!
→ On top of everything else, these platforms charge HIGH commissions for the so called “privilege” of being listed on them! You may find your profit margins shrink, even if you initially get an increase in orders.
Does this sound appealing to you?
The good news is it’s more than possible to reclaim your profit margins and take back control of your business with your own individual ordering website and app.
The uniquely branded ordering websites and apps we create at Zwift successfully combat all of the issues outlined above. They allow you to increase your orders and grow your own database while providing a convenient ordering experience for your customers.
All of this with a fully dedicated, local support team.
Get in touch with the experts at Zwift today and put control of your business back in your own hands!