In the fast-food business, you know that a customer who pushes open the door once isn't necessarily a winner. The real challenge is to keep them coming back again and again, until they become regulars. And that's where customer loyalty becomes a formidable weapon. And today, the most powerful tool to activate this loyalty is no longer a simple paper card... but your order terminals.
In addition to speeding up service, they enable you to set up an ultra-efficient loyalty program that's visible on every visit, easy to use for the customer, and above all, fully automated. The result: more engagement, more repeat business, more sales.
A well thought-out loyalty program, especially when integrated into your kiosks, is a real strategic lever for boosting sales, getting to know your customers better and strengthening their attachment to your brand. But how do you choose the right program and use it effectively? Find out below.
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Customer feedback boosts your sales, reduces your marketing spend and gives you a clear view of customer behavior via your kiosks.
A loyal customer is a profitable customer. The average fast-food regular spends 67 % than a new customer over a given period. They order faster, explore your new products and return regularly, stabilizing and securing your revenues and making it easier to forecast sales.
Acquiring new customers is expensive: advertising, promotions, partnerships and so on. Retaining an existing customer is much cheaper and generates more comfortable margins. For example, offering a dessert to every 10ᵉ passers-by is often more profitable than a 20% discount to entice a customer who may never return.
With a kiosk, every order becomes an opportunity to collect valuable data: favorite products, frequency of visits, opening hours. This information can be used to personalize your offers and rewards, turning a simple checkout into an effective loyalty lever.
By integrating your loyalty program into the kiosk, you offer your customers a seamless, motivating experience. When they log in, they can see at a glance their points balance, available rewards and personalized offers.Â
This transparency reinforces the desire to come back and gives a feeling of immediate gratification. Better still, they can activate a reward with a single click, without staff intervention. The result: an optimized customer experience, reduced queuing and loyalty boosted by simplicity.
Loyalty without objectives is a waste of time: a successful loyalty program translates into concrete results for your sales.
To evaluate your program, focus on these three indicators:
A well-designed loyalty program can generate a return on investment (ROI) 5 to 10 times greater than its cost. Even a small benefit such as a free coffee or a bonus menu after several visits can encourage your customers to return more often, significantly increase your sales and speak positively about your establishment around them and on social networks.Â
The trick is to create attractive, yet profitable rewards. Rather than selling off your menus, offer a dessert, a drink or priority access to new products. These little gestures cost little and strengthen customer relations while preserving your margins.
👉 To find out more: Loyalty: how can you get your customers to really use your program?
Not all loyalty techniques are created equal: some are much more effective than others when it comes to keeping customers coming back.Â
The "nth menu offer" remains a must. Simple and understandable for the customer, it must nevertheless be calibrated in such a way as not to strain your margins. For example, offering a dessert or a drink rather than a full menu may be enough to build customer loyalty.Â
Status levels ("Bronze", "Silver", "Gold") motivate customers to achieve exclusive rewards. This loyalty technique creates a sense of belonging and challenge, encouraging regular customers to return more often and increase their average basket.
Sponsorship is a way of building customer loyalty and attracting new ones. A reward for both sponsor and sponsored customer ("1 free menu for each") is a simple, inexpensive and effective way of expanding your customer base.
Thanks to kiosks or apps, you can tailor your rewards to each customer's habits: a preferred menu at a reduced price, a suggested accompaniment or a promotion on the most ordered product. Personalization has a significant impact on engagement and re-purchase rates.
Combining a kiosk, mobile app and physical loyalty card enables us to reach more customers and track their behavior at different touchpoints. This improves data collection and program take-up.
Offering your loyal customers access to new products, events or previews creates a sense of privilege and strengthens their attachment to your brand.
You can reward not only visits, but also actions such as sharing the restaurant on social networks, leaving a review or taking part in interactive games and challenges. This combines loyalty and viral marketing.
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To manage an efficient program, several software packages are available:
The choice depends on your objectives: simplicity, personalization, multi-channel, etc.Â
👉 To find out more : Customer loyalty: the loyalty card as a solution
Even the best loyalty programs can stagnate without follow-up: analyze, adjust and evolve your rewards to maximize impact.
The kiosks can be used to track shopping habits: favorite products, frequency of visits, times spent in the store. This data can then be used to send personalized offers, such as a special menu for customers who order it frequently.
A program only works if your teams present it well. Encourage them to clearly explain how the program works, and to encourage customers to sign up directly at the kiosk.Â
To prepare them, organize hands-on sessions and demonstrations, so that they master all the mechanics and rewards, and can answer any questions guests may have. Result: a motivated team that knows the program translates into committed, loyal customers.
Set up monthly reporting to track frequency of visits, average basket and retention. Based on this data, adjust your rewards and marketing actions to maintain customer interest and identify those at risk of disengagement.
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A poorly thought-out loyalty program can quickly become costly and discourage your customers: it's best to anticipate the pitfalls before launching.
A program that's too complex discourages customers. Make it clear and understandable from the very first visit to maximize buy-in and commitment. For example, a points system or an easy-to-view bonus menu on the kiosk lets customers know immediately what they're winning.
Rewards must be interesting for your customers, of course, but above all they must be profitable for you, the restaurateur. Calculate the impact on your margins and plan an overall budget to avoid financial surprises. Test different rewards (drink, dessert, full menu) to identify those that build loyalty without weighing on your profits.
An inactive program quickly loses its effectiveness, which is why it's so important to follow up with your customers regularly via email, SMS or notifications to maintain their interest and stimulate visits. You can also create time-limited offers or mini-challenges to make them want to come back more often.Â
👉 To find out more : Customer loyalty: 6 ideas for your restaurant
A well thought-out loyalty program that's easy to understand and supported by your order terminals can turn occasional customers into regulars, boost sales and improve margins. By choosing the right mechanics, exploiting customer data and adjusting your actions every month, you can turn loyalty into a genuine growth lever for your restaurant.
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What about you? Are your kiosks already equipped for customer loyalty? Find out how Innovorder can help you implement loyalty directly from your kiosks, to boost sales and maximize customer engagement.
