What if your kiosk data were your best lever for selling more?

Imagine your fast-food restaurant at lunchtime: the line is getting longer, your employees are running in all directions, and stress is mounting. In the midst of this hustle and bustle, your order terminals operate in silence. They take orders, of course, but that's not all. They observe, record and analyze. Every click, every choice, every menu combination becomes precious data.

Used properly, this data can transform your fast food business: speeding up service, reducing errors, adjusting your menus, anticipating your inventory and, above all, boosting your sales. In this article, find out how you can take advantage of this digital goldmine to boost your sales without putting extra stress on your teams.

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Understanding terminal data

Order terminals collect a wealth of data, and before turning them into growth drivers, it's important to understand what they reveal.

1. Most ordered items

The kiosks indicate which menus, drinks or extras sell best and at what time. For example, your classic burger may be popular at lunchtime, but at the end of the day, it's mostly wraps or snacks that take off. This allows you to highlight the right product at the right time.

2. Frequent combinations

Certain orders often come back together. If 70% of customers who order a burger also add fries and a drink, you can create package deals or offer automatic suggestions to increase the average basket.

3. Average order time 

How many seconds do your customers spend on a kiosk? If certain steps take too long, such as personalizing toppings, you know exactly where to intervene to simplify the customer journey. Less time at the kiosk means shorter queues, satisfied customers and optimized revenues.

4. Busy days and times

The data can be used to detect peaks and troughs in traffic. If you have a peak in orders on Saturday at 1pm, you can plan for more staff at the cash desk and in the kitchen, thus avoiding stress and mistakes.

5. Customer behavior and preferences 

Some kiosks allow you to analyze recurring customer choices, such as vegetarian or lactose-free options. Knowing these trends gives you an edge when it comes to adjusting your menus, creating targeted promotions and building customer loyalty.

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Using data to increase the average basket

Now let's see how you can turn this information into concrete actions that will boost your sales.

Create menus adapted to customer habits

Statistics can reveal surprising trends. If morning customers prefer light wraps to classic burgers, you can adjust your breakfast or brunch menus to meet this demand. The same logic applies to drinks or side dishes: offering what your customers really want naturally increases the average basket.

Deploy data-driven upsell and cross-sell strategies

Your kiosks show that 60% of customers eat a burger, but only 20% add a dessert? This is the perfect opportunity to automatically suggest a dessert or a drink. You can test different suggestions and track in real time what works best. For example, a pop-up "Add a dessert for only €2" can significantly transform your sales.

Highlight premium or seasonal options

The data can be used to identify the products that generate the highest margins. You can then :

• Promote a premium burger or a seasonal dessert at certain times,
  
• Offer premium options for regular customers or those who spend more time at the kiosk.

In this way, you increase the average ticket while offering an experience tailored to your customers' real desires.

Did you know? According to a McKinsey report published in 2023, QSR restaurants using kiosks can achieve an average 12% increase in sales, 15% in order value and 18% in gross margin.

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Save time and reduce errors

Data also makes your service faster and more reliable.

Accelerate the customer journey

The kiosks make the customer journey smoother, but the data also show where improvements can be made. Do many customers abandon their order at the burger customization stage? This is a sign that we need to simplify the interface or limit the number of options. 

Reduce human error

Every mistake at the checkout costs time and money. Kiosks automate data entry, and the data can identify frequently changed order combinations. This means you can adjust your menus and offer clearer options, reducing errors and improving customer satisfaction.

Using data to optimize kitchen workflows

The data collected by the kiosks can also guide your kitchen teams. For example:

• Identify the most popular dishes at certain times of the day, and prepare the ingredients in advance,
  
• Reduce waiting times by organizing production according to order peaks detected by the terminal,
  
• Anticipate complex or customized orders to avoid delays and errors.

By synchronizing your kitchen teams with the information from the kiosks, you're a win-win situation: smoother service, fewer errors, higher turnover rates, all of which have a direct impact on sales.

👉 To find out more : How can ordering kiosks help restaurateurs boost margins?

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Plan your inventory and your teams

Kiosk data can also help you better organize your resources and anticipate your needs.

Anticipate inventory needs

Knowing your most popular products by time slot allows you to plan your raw material orders and limit waste. If nuggets go like hotcakes on a Friday evening, you'd better have enough stock.

Optimizing staff organization

By identifying peak periods, you can adapt your staff. By increasing the number of cashier and kitchen staff during peak hours, customers are served faster and your teams experience less stress. These simple adjustments have a direct impact on your margins, profitability and staff turnover, at a time when 83% of restaurateurs report difficulties in recruiting.

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More effective marketing campaigns

Data can help you personalize your marketing actions and reach your customers at the right time.

Activate loyalty and CRM programs via the terminal

Have you ever considered the kiosk as a loyalty-building tool? Thanks to the data :

• You can trigger personalized messages or offers to reward regular customers,
  
• The information gathered enables us to better understand consumer habits and create more relevant CRM campaigns.
  

Your customers feel recognized and valued, which encourages their return and, indirectly, your sales.

Adjust your promotions and offers according to customer trends

Terminal data can also be used to tailor your promotions to maximize their impact:

• Offer a low-selling product to stimulate consumption,
  
• Launch promotions during off-peak hours to attract more customers,
  
• Adjust your suggestions and menus according to actual consumption habits, such as offering specific snacks for children in the afternoon if your statistics show this to be the case.
  

These adjustments make your campaigns more relevant and effective, and increase the likelihood of your customers taking action.

👉 To find out more : Understanding how the Innovorder terminal works

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Measuring the impact of your bollards

Harnessing data is all very well. But you still need to know whether it's actually generating results. KPIs are there to measure the concrete impact of your kiosks and data on your sales and operational performance.

Analyze your key performance indicators

The kiosks allow you to see directly their contribution to your overall sales. You can analyze the share of kiosk sales, the average basket compared with counter orders, and trends by time of day.

By measuring the number of customers who accept a suggestion for a drink, dessert or full menu, you also get a concrete indicator of the relevance of your recommendations.

Finally, this data can be used to identify friction points, streamline the customer journey and improve the customer experience.

Connect terminal, cash register and KDS for real-time tracking

When your kiosks are linked directly to your cash register and Kitchen Display System (KDS), you gain in fluidity. Orders are displayed automatically in the kitchen, with no need for manual re-entry. The result: fewer errors, faster service and better coordination between the dining room and the kitchen. 

This interconnection also gives you a real-time view of your sales, so you can react immediately if a product is out of stock or if a peak order arrives.

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Properly used, the data collected via your order terminals can be used to increase the average basket, improve the customer journey, anticipate stock levels and organize your teams, while deploying upsell and loyalty strategies. Every figure becomes an opportunity to get to know your customers better and boost your sales.

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Are you looking to turn the data collected on your kiosks into concrete sales? Find out how the Innovorder solution can help you analyze your data and increase your sales.