Take It to the Web: Investments in Online Ordering Heat Up

The growth in restaurants’ online ordering investments shows no signs of slowing down in the year ahead. According to the 2018 POS Software Trends Report, 54% of operators upgrading POS functionalities are adding web ordering capabilities in the coming year, up from 42% who invested in this same area in 2017.

That strong growth represents the continuing shift in how consumers want to interact with the eateries they patronize. Nearly a quarter (23%) of operators surveyed in HT’s Restaurant Technology Study indicated that seamless ordering across channels topped their list of strategic goals for 2017.

Take a look at the headlines over the past 12 months to get an idea of how much activity there has been in the online ordering POS space. Upserve got in on the action. IHOP debuted a fully integrated online ordering system. Good Times Restaurants, operator of the Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar brand, is working on a digital ordering platform and testing delivery services, too.

And these news stories are just from the past three months.

As consumers embrace digital connectivity in all facts of their lives, they’re looking to extend that access to how to connect with their favorite restaurant brands. And increasingly, consumers are ordering takeout and delivery; UberEats’ research reveals that 43% of surveyed adults admit feeling guilty when they order food delivery — but they do it anyway. From snowstorms and heat waves to rainy days, inclement weather encourages consumers (33%) to order in. Lacking the right digital capabilities, many operators would miss out on profit-boosting online orders — which account for 43% — of all delivery orders from hungry patrons.

Of course, online ordering is just one of the POS priorities operators want to invest in during the coming year. To find out more about top-of-mind POS challenges and opportunities, don’t miss the 2018 POS Software Trends Report — and see how your restaurants stacks up.