Running a successful restaurant on a website and/or a food delivery platform: Part 1
Covid-19 has changed the way restaurants run their businesses. From an Accenture report on The Impact of Covid-19 on Singapore’s Digital Behaviour, online revenue for restaurants and delivery has jumped by 171% and online transactions went up by 74% — comparing pre- and post-Covid numbers.
This can sound scary to physical restaurants. We don’t know when Covid-19 will end or when the next lockdown will happen. Customers are not dining in as frequently. And it looks like the Covid-19 impact is here to stay post this pandemic (read: Apocalypse).
You could be worrying and thinking of ways to cut costs and survive it. Or you could seize this opportunity and be part of this new wave of thriving restaurants. Whether you’re one struggling to understand the online world, or a home-based business still figuring out how to get customers, this 3-part article can help you:
- Improve your branding to build a loyal customer base
- Supercharge your acquisition efforts
- Improve retention rates and keep customers coming back for more
Now, there are a few ways you can run your business online, and we’ll focus on these two:
- Managing your own online store, supported by platforms like Shopify, SquareUp, Wix, and more
- Getting on a food delivery service platform like GrabFood, deliveroo and foodpanda
Improve your branding to build a loyal customer base
With hundreds of other restaurants serving the same Chirashi don or burgers, how can you stand out from the rest and build a fan base that will always choose you? Let’s look at one of my favourite brands, Innocent Drinks.
How Innocent earned their fan base
Innocent Drinks is a company that began in 1998 and was bought over by The Coca Cola Company in 2014. The brand produces smoothies and juice sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets (taken from Wikipedia).
This might sound like any other juice brands like Tropicana or Peel Fresh. And they probably are. But Innocent is able to squeeze through the crowd with an army of raving fans behind them. How did they do it? Good branding is one big factor.
Unlike most other juice brands, Innocent feels human. They have a strong brand personality that reflects in their copies, social media campaigns, and throughout their communications. They even call their HQ the Fruit Towers.
Leads to posts like this…
But being silly is not all that Innocent has got. The brand is also a steward for the environment and people. And they don’t just say it, they work on it consistently and have even become a B corp. This attracts like-minded individuals who care about such things.
Innocent also loves emphasising on the abundance of vitamins in their fruit juices. But does this mean that other fruit juices don’t contain vitamins? No. The brand that constantly talks about it wins.
How can you build a strong brand like Innocent’s?
As you can see from the case study, branding is not just a logo, typography, photography, taglines, and colours. These are the most basic elements of a brand. More importantly, we need to also look at:
- Brand personality: Is your brand the jester that’s playful by nature? Or the creator that’s inspirational and always encouraging innovation? Take on a personality and play the role well. (Feeling stuck? Find your brand on this list of brand archetypes.)
- Brand values: If your brand believes in saving the Earth, then this must shine through your business in your products, your communications, and even your actions. For example, replacing all packaging with biodegradable material or donating a percentage of your revenue to environmental causes.
- Brand promise: What is the value or experience that your customers will get when they purchase your product or service? Write that down and make sure you always fulfil it.
Having a strong brand helps your customers connect on a deeper level. It’s like building a friendship to the point that they’ll recommend you to others or even stand up for you when there’s a need.
Build a brand guide for your business and always be referring to it when you’re producing campaigns, collaterals, and writing copies. That will keep the brand consistent.
Building a brand on an online store vs food delivery platform
Online store
Fundamentally, having your own website allows you to apply visual branding like your brand colours and typography. But that’s not it. It also gives you real estate that allows your brand to really shine through.
Share your brand story: Why did you start the business? What were you trying to achieve with this business? A good brand story can resonate with your audience and build an emotional connection with them. Create a separate page to share that.
Show your brand personality: Apply your tone of voice through functional and marketing copies across the website. Your dish names should reflect your brand as well.
Talk about your brand values: Include what you’ve been doing and what you are working towards, so customers feel more involved on the journey.
Food delivery service platform
Without a website, it can be challenging to let your brand stand out, especially on a platform with thousands of other brands that look almost the same. (In 2020, there are already over 12,000 merchants on GrabFood.)
But all hope is not lost. A few things you can do on the platform:
- Apply your visual branding through menu photography. Sneak in your brand colours on the background, set standard lighting for all photos, and use proper tableware that reflects your brand.
- Let your personality shine through your dish naming and even the description (be creative and don’t let that engagement opportunity go to waste!)
In the next post, we’ll talk about acquisition and comparing it between owning a website and getting on a food delivery platform. See you there.
P.S. If you’ve any feedback, do reach out to me at sushi.growth@gmail.com.
