I recently read an article that mentioned a study conducted by the Cornell School of Behavioral Administration about restaurant tipping behavior in the United States.
That same day, I read another article about social media lessons that companies can learn from food truck operators. Both of these articles made me think about how interesting it is that industries that appear to have very little do with each other (the restaurant and food industries and ecommerce, for example) can actually learn a lot from one another in some cases.
The following are my ecommerce-focused expansions on three of the points that both of the articles touched on.
The Cornell study found that tip amounts left by diners actually increased about 3 percent when servers made the extra effort to make eye contact with their customers. Of course, ecommerce store owners can’t do this literally, but extra customer service touches, such as easy- to- find answers to FAQ, (frequently asked questions) a chat helpline, and a prominently displayed telephone number can all go a long way towards making customers feel like you care, eye contact or not.
In other words, communicate in real time. The article about social media lessons that companies can learn from food trucks stressed the importance of frequent, real-time updates. When it comes to food trucks, the article explained, customers like to get excited about what is happening today, not two weeks from now.
You can take this same idea and apply it to sales and product launches happening within your ecommerce store. While it is a good idea to promote these things in advance, it is even more important to create hype about your new product being launched or your spectacular once-a-year sale immediately before and during the event so that you can stay fresh in the minds of your customers and not run the risk of losing any momentum that you might have built up about your product launch, sale, or other in-store event.
Fast food restaurants specialize in one thing: fast, cheap food. Their customers expect a consistent product at a consistent price, and don’t want to have to wait around very long in order to get it. Food trucks have the reputation of offering unique food items that their customers can’t find anywhere else. Upscale restaurants have the reputation of being, well . . .upscale.
The bottom line is, you wouldn’t use the same promotional campaign for a five-star steakhouse that you would for a fast-food burger restaurant, or a food truck. Take the time to identify the wants and needs of your key demographic, and then make sure that you tailor your product offerings, promotional approach, and overall branding strategy to accommodate these wants and needs.