In the way that websites became a necessary business strategy in the last decade, mobile apps are now taking over as an important part of company success. Amongst famous restaurant chains, this is especially true. Big brands use apps to add to consumer experience while enhancing their marketing plans. Here is how a few of the best restaurant apps work.
Chipotle Makes Ordering Easy
The popular burrito brand realized that their kitchens were faster than their cashiers. So it decided to take advantage of this untapped capacity by developing a mobile ordering app. With the help of a custom mobile apps designer, Chipotle created an app which allows consumers to place advanced orders and skip long lines at peak business hours like lunch.
The restaurant chain’s new app soared to the top 20 list in Apple’s App Store shortly after its release and became one of the 50 highest-rated applications. The app accomplished this with several key aspects:
•A simple and navigable menu
•The ability to save favorite orders so that customers can order “the usual”
•Detailed order summaries that included price total and pick-up time
•Secure credit card payment
•Store locator
The ability to place an order in any of the more than 1,400 restaurants across the country and then walk past long lines to the pick-up counter makes for incredible service. The unique purpose of Chipotle’s application allows for the mobile app to serve a dual purpose as a service and a powerful marketing tool. In fact, the company recently launched “Chipotle Scarecrow” that lets users play games to earn free burritos all while advertising the importance of responsibly raised and freshly harvested ingredients.
Why Starbucks Is Number One
The top ranking food and drink app in terms of downloads comes from the coffee and beverage giant Starbucks. The app is so successful because it incorporates every part of the Starbucks experience on your phone or other mobile device. In addition to paying for purchases, the app allows users to find stores, track rewards points and design custom drinks. It even offers free Pick of the Week songs to enjoy. Ingeniously, the app can be used to pay at the register, making the need for cash or credit cards obsolete.
Order in Pizza
There are two successful pizza chain apps. Both Domino’s and Pizza Hut have made there marks in the industry with creative features in their mobile applications. With revolutionary simplicity, according to Entrepreneur.com, Domino’s stores a history of your previous orders called “pizza profiles.” This speeds up the process of inputting new information every time you place an order. Another intelligent feature is the tracker which allows users to follow their pizzas’ delivery routes so that they know how close the food is to arriving at all times.
Only three months after its release in 2009, Pizza Hut’s mobile app had generated more than $1 million in sales. In addition to gaining discounts for using the app, Pizza Hut’s application allows consumers to build their own pizzas virtually by tapping to add different sauces and toppings before placing an order.
With a focus on the consumer, these popular apps recreate the brand experience making it more interactive, easy and fun.
Image from www.digitaltrends.com
