Restaurants risk losing out on increased engagement with customers and potentially revenue if they fail to capitalise on the 'check-in' trend, according to smartphone retailer, Mobiles.co.uk.

The UK-wide report found a quarter of people (27%) frequently or always use their phones to take a photo of a meal at a restaurant, and a further 17% then sharing the image on social media.

Key calendar days also increase the likeliness of people jumping on social media to share their meals, with conversations around dining out almost doubling on Valentine’s Day.

So where are we discussing our restaurant experiences? The overall channel breakdown for the 24 month period showed that Twitter was the dominating source of conversation relating to eating out, claiming a 63% share of voice, following by forums such as moneysavingexpert.com and mumsnet.com

From a customer service point of view, the report also revealed that people are more interested in sharing a positive experience on social platforms (26%) than complaining about a disappointing one (7%), and that the majority of the content we share is in fact neutral in sentiment (67%).

With ‘checking in’ also a popular trend, Mobiles.co.uk analysed social activity around the top 10 established and emerging restaurant brands (R200 2015 Directory) to uncover which restaurants are performing the best with customers.

The search string revealed that people can’t resist going for ‘a cheeky Nando’s’, with the chain coming in top (1,204 check ins from May 2014-April 2016) - more than double the amount of check-ins to closest rival Pizza Express (482).

Leading brands with the most check-ins are:

1. Nando’s (1,204)
2. Pizza Express (482)
3. Frankie & Benny’s (454)
4. Wagamama (366)
5. Pizza Hut (164)

Mobile technology is also changing the way we pay, with 12% opting to pay for their meal using mobile payment, rather than scrambling around for cash.

Andrew Cartledge, mobile expert at Mobiles.co.uk, said: “With mobile technology becoming such an important part of enjoying a meal out, it’s crucial that restaurants are keeping up with the trend.

“People want to go to restaurants that are recognisable and where technology adds an interesting twist to an evening out. A few technology changes could allow restaurants to not only keep up with the latest social trends, but make their brand stand out in an extremely saturated market.”

Matt Turner, CEO of the UK’s biggest discount dining club, tastecard, said: "Mobile has continued to grow across many different fields, but the restaurant industry in particular has seen a massive impact. From checking in to restaurants to sharing pictures of our food, phones are involved in every step of the eating out process.

"With people wanting to use their phones more and more for day to day tasks, it makes sense that they would want a range of discounts available at their fingertips.”

 

By Jonathan Davies, editor, Digital Marketing Magazine 


Want to keep up with the latest ideas in digital marketing? Free conference and exhibition Integrated Live is the place to be.

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus