Since you franchised a few years ago, user/foot traffic has been decent across all your franchises so far. Your customers can easily access your products/services from online or even telephonically – what more would they need?
Think again, 58% of smartphone users report having used a shopping app in the last 30 days, according to Google.
Create an app and make it available for your prospective and current customers. If you think it isn’t worth it – an American fast food chain spent over R100 million improving its technology network and its already popular app – browse through your app store and see how many of your competitors are there.
Food chains are increasingly focusing on apps as a strategic area for innovation – whether it’s to simplify ordering, purchasing or promotion.
Ponder the following before embarking on your app journey.
1Collaboration with the entire business system
188 Million people have smartphones. All these people are looking for an easier shopping experience online. Some businesses have a link to download their app on their page. But you’re not offering this to them, making your offering a little less attractive.
It doesn’t always happen like that, but as your business grows, so should its reach and customer count. Without a mobile app in your marketing and customer experience arsenal, you’re putting yourself a step behind your counterparts.
Remember, your app should be an ordering channel that has an integrated back-end CRM system and a balanced feature set. Offer essential capabilities, including integration with a point of sale (POS) system and targeted marketing campaigns.
2Maintain your app, sustain your customers
You may be ready to invest in building your own app. But before you do. Stop. Users are pushing ‘uninstall’ almost as fast as when they first downloaded apps to their phone. Think. If you’re not going to engage with customers or create something interactive for them to work with, a lot of marketing efforts and money will be wasted.
If customers don’t use your app, they won’t see the point of keeping it on their devices, observes Fast Casual. “Create a bonus loyalty programme that combines a simple earning mechanism with the Points Redemption Marketplace where you are going to offer complimentary menu items as rewards.”
A loyalty programme can drive higher engagement without hurting your revenue, because customers are taking rewards as additional items to their order, for example. Pairing your app with a loyalty card programme encourage interaction and your will be the last app they consider deleting when they’ve run out of phone memory.
3Make money without spending (a lot of) it
There was a time when building your own website required a certain level of skill only qualified professionals possessed. Then along came the likes of Wix and Spotify, putting IT buffs out of business and business owners like you in control.
Now you can build your own app too, in a few simple steps, using the growing list of one of the many free and low-cost app builders:
As an emerging franchisor, you want to increase your footprint without losing touch with your customers. Without an app to add to your marketing mix, you may lag behind other businesses in your field.
“This technology helps franchise organisations grow their online reputation and system-wide revenue, and we can’t wait to see franchise owners take advantage of its capabilities,” says Matthew Rubin, president of Franchise Perfect Circle.
