The online food delivery market is a brutally competitive space and has surged in popularity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysia has not been immune to this as the revenue in the sector is predicted to reach US$312.2 million this year. The number of users is also expected to rise drastically as it will increase to 12.7 million in five years’ time, attracting many restaurants and franchises who will aim to dominate food delivery apps.
Given how many people are ordering food online at any time, it is incredibly difficult for your restaurant or cloud kitchen to be the king of the hill and become the go-to destination from a customer base and sales perspective. To push you in the right direction, we at Kitchen Connect have put together 10 things you can do to ensure your business can dominate food delivery apps in Malaysia.
- A name that stands out
- Include menu items to your name
- Correct categories
- An image that speaks for itself
- Periodical Promotions
- Fantastic Ratings
- Attractive photos
- The right combination
- Wide price range
- Employ the decoy effect
1. A name that stands out
The first point of contact for anyone ordering food online will be the name of your restaurant or cloud kitchen, so you have to make sure it’s good and leaves a lasting impression. In addition to making it memorable, it also needs to clarify what type of food your eatery specialises in.
If you make local delicacies, adding Malaysian food after your restaurant’s name is advisable. This will also assist you with search engine optimisation as so many people will be in the mood for this type of cuisine every day when ordering food online. To get them to notice you and convert them into your loyal customers, it starts with an appealing name.
2. Include menu items to your name
It’s no secret that all F&B businesses love to show off what they are cooking, so why not use that to boost the presence of your restaurant or cloud kitchen. Let’s assume you make an awesome nasi lemak, you should definitely add the name of the dish to the name of your eatery.
You might be thinking about why this is necessary. Simply put, it enhances the chances of your establishment being discovered by hungry customers that are looking for that particular dish when ordering food online.
3. Correct categories
When ordering food online, a lot of people turn to search by category in order to make it easier to find what they are looking for, whether it be a specific type of cuisine or dish. Since this is a common occurrence, you should clearly indicate whether your restaurant or cloud kitchen specialises in Malaysian, Chinese, Indian food, etc.
If you want to go one step further, you can even categorise your food based on whether it is healthy or vegan. It is the same case for businesses that do fusion food, such as combining Malaysian and Chinese recipes, for example.
4. An image that speaks for itself
The main image used for your restaurant or cloud kitchen on food delivery apps can’t afford to be anything short of perfect. It has to win over customers and get them ordering from you when they are online. The photo you use has to be crystal clear and devoid of text and graphics unless it is to do with your brand or logo.
5. Periodical Promotions
All food delivery platforms have promotions regularly. When this happens, make sure you have your own offer lined up to give diners an incentive to pick your eatery instead of the others out there.
Celebrate the occasion with a special promotion or discount whenever you have events, holidays, accomplishments, or a brand new dish on your menu!
6. Fantastic ratings
Let’s face it, one of the first things customers will do when finding a restaurant they are interested in will be to look at the online ratings and reviews left by other patrons. This will tell them everything they need to know and whether they should order food from that place.
There are a plethora of factors that can have a positive or negative impact on your rating, such as:
- Customer rating
- Reorder rating
- New customer orders
- Profile completion
- Order completion
- Promo participation
7. Attractive photos
All photos you upload onto your online menu should look good and be taken by a professional photographer. This will entice people to pick your restaurant when they are ordering food. Since there are so many food photographers out there, you won’t have any trouble finding one!
8. The right combination
On many occasions, customers who are ordering food online are doing so for larger parties that consist of six, eight or even 10 people. Your F&B business has to be able to accommodate their requests, with one of the best ways being different combos and sets. A good tip would be to add what is included in each combination or set, along with the number of people it can serve.
9. Wide price range
As anyone in the F&B industry knows, the purchasing power of people in Malaysia fluctuates drastically. Therefore, it is imperative to have dishes at low, medium and high prices to cater to everyone’s needs when ordering food online. However, for each price tier, there is no room for sacrifice regarding flavour!
10. Employ the decoy effect
One of the most popular strategies used by restaurants and cloud kitchens, the decoy effect, basically revolves around having different sizes for each dish. The concept is based on the fact that many customers ordering food online will mull over whether they want the smallest or largest portion. As a result of that thought process, they will, on most occasions, settle for the medium-sized option of a dish since they believe it is cost-effective and the perfect amount of food for them.
Stand out from the crowd
Since so many people are ordering food online all the time, you now have the knowledge needed to dominate food delivery apps and take your restaurant or cloud kitchen to the next level!
Ready to kickstart your own cloud kitchen in Malaysia? Fill in the form below or contact us today.