The Importance of Social Media Technology and Imagery in Food Businesses

According to new research, people have started to look at purchases differently, with them valuing experience more than the physical products themselves. This is the rise of the “experience economy.” Studies say that people are more likely to spend money on something if it leaves them with a memorable experience. Supplying customers with just a product is the bare minimum you can do now.

So, how can restaurants enhance their customers’ experience?

One way is through the integration of technology. Restaurants should be ready to evolve and use technology to their advantage. Some of the ways restaurants can do this include:

Become Social Media Friendly

Almost everyone out there has some social media account that they use throughout the day. It has become an essential part of everyone’s lives. Restaurants can make their location and product more social media friendly to enhance customer experience. This can be achieved by:

1)      Instagram-able food

Some of the most popular restaurants grew by one simple strategy: making food photogenic. Enticing people to try your food with powerful imagery is a massive factor in your marketing effort. This means that the presentation of your food must be so clean and unique that people are encouraged to take a picture of it and upload it on their social media accounts. So now a customer is interacting with your food in way that they did not before.

2)      Picturesque interior

Now that people are paying for the experience instead of just the food, your interior and ambiance should address that. Many restaurants nowadays have stunning décor that again encourages people to take pictures. Some restaurants have even made social media corners where they have introduced props people can take pictures with, this is indirect marketing at its best.

Want to learn other marketing tips? Read articles in our marketing blog category.

Service

Another way restaurants can integrate technology into their business is through tech upgrades. One such upgrade can be the use of a mobile POS system. These are more than just management systems, as they can be integrated into your restaurants as digital menus. Imagine customers picking up tablets to look at the menu and then pick and choose what they want themselves by pressing on it. This changes the way they usually order in restaurants and makes their experience more unique.

That is just one way you can engage your customers. Another way is through the quick and efficient service you provide. With help of the latest tech, you can now reduce the time it takes to take an order and serve food. Every step of the service becomes more efficient. When all of the time saved is added, it culminates in a satisfying experience for the customer.

With the growth of the experience economy, restaurants must keep on finding new ways to engage their customers. If customers do not place a lot of value on their experience at your restaurant, you are likely to lose that customer in the long run. To maintain growth you must innovate and by integrating technology into your restaurant, you can achieve that. It’s important to keep in touch with the customers’ demands and you must do whatever to meet them.