With the Movement Control Order (MCO) underway, it’s time to refine your food delivery menu as delivery services are back in full swing.
During MCO, Malaysians’ options during meal times are either takeaway or food delivery, as dine ins are not allowed. Some opt to cook, but many don’t have the time to and prefer to get food delivered. GrabFood’s delivery rates increased by 30% in the previous MCO, which shows that Malaysians tend to rely more on food delivery services in lockdown.
While this creates an alternative channel for restaurants to drive sales, it also means heavier competition as many outlets go online. With endless options available on food delivery apps, many restaurants tend to go unnoticed.
Having an impactful menu can be a game-changer at times like these. Online menus that are visually appealing, concise and contain the right information are effective at converting customers.
To help you maximise sales at this critical time, we’ve come up with five ways you can optimise your menu for food delivery services!
Drive Sales with a Better Food Delivery Menu
#1 Use Good Photos
When customers scroll through different restaurant menus, yours can easily fade into the background without good photos. Food photos that are well-shot can lift sales by up to 30%! Photos not only create interest, but it also gives the customers clarity on what they can expect in their orders.
Consumers are bound to explore new restaurants when they get bored of their usual orders. This is where photos come in to help them visualise items they have never tried before and get a general idea of what the menu item comes with.
Here are the best practices to follow when photographing food items for your menu:
- Style your shots with nice plates and other decorations.
- Shoot low at an angle between 10 to 40 degrees or from directly overhead for a flat-lay look.
- Make sure photos are properly lit with sufficient lighting.
- Use tighter shots to draw focus to the food.
- Lightly edit photos to make them more vibrant – but don’t go overboard.
- Take photos of all of your dishes so your customers know exactly what to expect.
#2 Create Set Meals
What was once almost exclusive to fast-food chains is becoming increasingly common for all restaurants. Sets or combo meals are a good way to increase order value and provide a better customer experience online.
Set meals offer two things to customers – quick and easy options and perceived value. Scrolling through the entire menu or even other restaurants just to get a complete meal can be tedious. But restaurants can make life easier for customers by offering them complete meal options.
Without the value offered in set meals, customers may not consider buying extra items separately. The perceived value goes a long way in persuading customers!
The items in set meals can vary from side dishes like vegetables or bread, and some even include dessert in their set meals. The ultimate set meal, of course, comes with at least a choice of drink. Bottled or canned drinks are a great option as restaurants would not have to worry about extra packaging.
You can find a variety of canned or bottled soft drinks, juices and drinking water on Dropee to complete your set meals!
#3 Offer Special Deals
Plain discounts work well enough to attract customers, but why not make things interesting with special deals? Here are a few unique promotional methods you can try.
Limited Time Offers
Create urgency with limited time offers. There are a few ways to go about this tactic. Food delivery apps often hold limited time offers that you can participate in. For example, FoodPanda runs a promo for customers to get discounts if they checkout within 15 minutes.
You can also offer ‘happy hour’ periods on your menu for customers to get discounted items either during lunch or dinner hours.
Free Delivery
High delivery costs can be a dealbreaker for customers, especially those that live far away from restaurants. Free deliveries entice customers to buy from your restaurant, even if it means increasing their order value. This is where you can impose a minimum order amount that customers have to meet to make up for the delivery costs.
Add RMX to Upgrade Order
Persuade customers to increase their order value with creative offers to ‘upgrade’ their orders. McDonald’s does a great job at this by offering to upgrade its fries with the McShaker seasoning for an additional RM1.
The best way to go about this method is to offer upgrade items that often go with what the customers are buying. For example, you can offer to upgrade orders for sandwiches with a bag of chips or include biscuits with coffee.
Keen to try out this tactic? Check out Dropee’s F&B catalogue to find the best upgrade items for your menu!
#4 Write Compelling Copy
Photos are effective for visual-centric customers. But for those that want more information, the right copy seals the deal. You may not be able to speak to your customers directly while they’re deciding on their order but you can still convince them with great descriptions!
Short and simple is the safest bet when writing menu descriptions but be sure to include all the important information that will convince your customers. For instance, customers are more likely to choose your hamburger if they know the patties are made from Australian grain-fed beef.
The Humble Food Company’s descriptions on GrabFood proves that short and simple does not have to be boring. Play it up with creative writing to amp up the customers’ experience while providing them with enough information.
#5 Provide Alternatives
If you’re looking to expand your customer base, providing alternatives for special diets can greatly improve your chances. Not all restaurants can be inclusive, but if you have the ability to cater to at least one special diet needs, you should highlight that in your menu.
There are various types of special needs in dining. Veganism has been on the rise in Malaysia, but vegan food options can be hard to come by. Another category that has been in demand is gluten-free foods for people with gluten allergies.
Be flexible and allow your customers the option to customise the orders according to their needs. You don’t have to do this with every menu item as even just a handful is enough to meet many different requirements that improve the customers’ experience.
Not sure which food delivery partner is right for you? We can help you decide. Learn about ten food delivery partners in Malaysia here, including their offers, commission rates, areas covered and more!
Get Creative on Food Delivery Apps
Food delivery apps can feel limiting because you can only work with what each app offers. However, you can still optimise your menu on food delivery apps with these five steps. Get those creative juices flowing and start fine-tuning your menu to maximise sales now while food delivery is at an all-time high!
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