Are Australian restaurants using mobile ordering?

Compared with the global market, Australia’s hospitality industry has been less affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Despite the unprecedented instability brought on by the pandemic, reports suggest that Australia dealt with the changes very well, reflected in the relatively healthy state of its hospitality industry.

However, after two decades of steady commercial growth, the restaurant industry could not have avoided the inevitable decline in 2020. This included a considerable drop in employment between 2019 and 2020 (from 819,800 to 579,100).

Nevertheless, the hospitality sector looks set to recover and potentially increase once more in the following years – partly due to the advances in mobile ordering technology.

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How Has Mobile Ordering Helped Australian Businesses?

Systems of online food ordering have tailored to a nation’s desire for convenience, allowing restaurant owners to drive more sales and increase industry competition. This year has seen a surge in restaurants providing mobile apps to offer on-demand services to customers in order to keep them safe and ensure ordering is easy and convenient.

According to a Google report, Aussies are looking for convenience when eating from home. Home delivery apps are offering people a huge amount of choice. This is why the majority of respondents (79%) said food delivery services are their go-to source for ordering food. Plus, 67% said they prefer using those digital systems to ordering food directly from the restaurant.

These trends are most prevalent amongst younger demographics. Having grown up on digital media, 52% of young Australians claim to use food delivery apps as their primary ordering method. This makes them 2.6X more likely to default to using delivery apps compared to older audiences. Older audiences are less likely to want to download apps, perhaps, but are still looking for quick and convenient ways to order food online or in a restaurant.

This is where mobile apps like Yoello have been especially helpful, since there is no app download required. 

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A growing market

The emergence of mobile apps is transforming the market of food and restaurants. Going hand in hand with some of the COVID measures that have been in place, the Australian online food delivery market is growing as people are making dramatic changes in the way they purchase, order and consume food. 

Let’s take a look at some of the projected numbers around this growth:

• Revenue in the Online Food Delivery segment is projected to reach US$2,288m in 2021.
• Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2021-2024) of 6.1%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$2,735m by 2024.
• The market's largest segment is Restaurant-to-Consumer Delivery with a projected market volume of US$1,553m in 2021.
• In global comparison, most revenue will be generated in China (US$56,936m in 2021). Australia sits at a comfortable 12th. 

Why Are Mobile Apps Essential To This Growth?

According to a consumer study of 2500 diners by DMI which investigated the importance of mobile apps:

• 73% of those surveyed used apps for quick-serves and pick ups
• 35% were comfortable using mobiles to order after entering a restaurant
• 63% have at least one app for quick on-demand services

It’s no secret that mobile ordering has helped restaurants maintain business over 2020 – and will help them boom again in the future. Digital systems contain multiple benefits that help customers and businesses alike…

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Benefits of Mobile Ordering

Easy-ordering is an essential requirement in today’s restaurant environment. Mobile ordering systems, like Yoello offer numerous advantages for customers looking to pay for their food online.

Mobile ordering allows customers to see everything on offer in a vivid and interactive menu. Visitors to an online portal can access the same menu as they would see in the physical restaurant – and more! Courses, items, prices and discounts are all presented within a clear, well organised, and categorised menu. This gives potential customers the freedom to view items from the comfort of their seats, choose their dishes and add quantities before placing their orders.

From the point of view of a business owner, offering customers a best-in class ordering experience is important. By simply scanning a QR code or typing in a URL using any smartphone, customers can access your profile to access table ordering, click & collect or delivery services. You can easily toggle each of these services on or off as well as manage each of their settings through your merchant dashboard.

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Getting started

Any restaurant can take up a Mobile Ordering system, no matter where it’s coming from. Yoello fits in seamlessly with any existing systems and puts hospitality decision makers in full control of their mobile ordering. With an intuitive and easy-to-use system, there’s no need for a heap of technical knowledge to get set up and take advantage of the great features the platform offers.

• Yoello offers full set up and training to get started

• You can easily manage and edit menu items at the touch of a button

• Easily turn your different mobile ordering services and table areas on/off yourself

• Yoello operator support is always on hand to help

Learn more, and sign up for free today!