12 tips to boost your restaurant's delivery sales

Multiply your delivery sales by 2, 5 or 10: it's possible! To do so, you need to maximize your visibility on delivery platforms, in addition to optimal organization at the restaurant. But how?

Delivery represents an additional source of revenue for your restaurant. An income that can become substantial, provided you use the right platforms. And demand for delivered meals has only increased since 2019, with 2% growth forecast for 2023! 

So how do you boost your delivery sales, despite stiff competition and high commissions from Uber Eats, Deliveroo...? We spoke to Jean, a specialist in delivery platforms, who shares his secrets for successfully boosting his restaurant's sales through distance selling. 

What criteria should your restaurant monitor to satisfy the delivery platforms' algorithm?

On the UberEats or Deliveroo apps, certain restaurants appear at the top of the results on the home page. Results that differ from one consumer to another. What criteria do these platforms' algorithms take into account when ranking one restaurant over another?

Several criteria come into play, but all serve the same purpose: UberEats and Deliveroo focus on establishments that make money for their platform. This is measured by various restaurant operating statistics:

• Does the restaurant have a lot of orders? UberEats and Deliveroo prioritize establishments that generate demand, and ensure those many orders.
• How much is the average basket? The bottom line remains the same: a restaurant that brings money to the platforms is rewarded. This may involve a large number of orders, or fewer but with a higher basket.
• Are customer reviews positive or negative? Platforms penalize establishments with negative customer feedback. Dissatisfied customers are less likely to recommend the same delivery platform. 
• Is the restaurant quick and accurate in fulfilling orders? Don't run out of orders and accept them quickly: to satisfy customers, but also to increase sales. 
• How long do couriers wait in front of the restaurant? If the average waiting time for couriers is too long, the restaurant is penalized in its positioning. Platforms consider that couriers' time is not being maximized, but mobilized at a loss. 

The algorithms also aim to present the choices most likely to appeal to customers. To do this, they rely on criteria specific to each consumer: food preferences, habitual or similar restaurants, order history and location.

So how do you successfully appeal to the UberEats and Deliveroo algorithms to attract delivery customers?

What can you do to move up the results on delivery platforms? 12 tips

You need to work on the different criteria taken into account by the algorithm, using different tricks that we share with you here.

1) Focus on the first 2 weeks of registration

New to the platforms: your chance to shine! In fact, the platforms don't have any data on your restaurant to position you (no orders, no customer ratings...) and therefore place you in the "New" category at the very top, for 2 weeks. This is a period during which you have to prove yourself, and give 200% on delivery!

2.convert customer-oriented promotions

There are different types of promotions on UberEats and Deliveroo. With advantages, as well as disadvantages if you don't think them through beforehand. To appear at the top of the results, you can pay the platform on a Cost-per-Click (CPC) basis. The customer is more likely to click on your listing, but if you haven't worked on the content, you run the risk of not converting them, and therefore paying for their click in a vacuum. So it's important to think carefully before launching a CPC promotion.

3) Promote the restaurant's visibility

Offering more traditional promotions such as 1 bought 1 free, 1 item or free delivery... also enables you to increase your position on the home page. This time, the cost applies to each order. Delivery platforms, on the other hand, take their commission on the total price of the sale, without removing the free charge. This type of promotion acts more as an advertisement, a way of making your restaurant more visible, than as a means of generating sales. If you want to maximize the investment of your promotion as advertising, slip strategic items like flyers into the bag.

4.create a virtual brand for your restaurant

You've already registered with UberEats and Deliveroo and can't improve your ranking? Delete your page and start from scratch! Or even better? If your restaurant lends itself to this (not being a single concept), create one or more virtual brands. 

What does this mean? If you offer both pasta and pizza, there are many advantages to creating a virtual brand for each culinary specialty. Nothing changes at the restaurant; you simply increase your chances of attracting customers on delivery platforms. When you create your virtual brands, you can take over the referencing of your listing, choose a more precise category, propose a shorter menu, for easier conversion.

5.intelligent menu planning and information

Your menu: the heart of customer conversion. To facilitate conversion, your menu shouldn't be too long. Limit yourself to a maximum of 5 categories (such as "Appetizer", "Side dishes", "Drinks"...), each containing no more than 6 products/dishes. You can also create categories that arouse interest, such as "Formule" or "Best Sellers". Write attractive descriptions for each product, with emoticons and beautiful photos to increase the conversion rate. And don't forget to ensure that every dish on your delivery menu travels correctly. 

Offer an intelligent menu that adapts to the time of day. At lunchtime, consumers are looking for formulas and convenient dishes on a tighter budget. In the evening, as the average basket rises, demand shifts towards comfort food.

6.prepare your listing and anchor your restaurant's identity

The cover photo of your restaurant listing is your shop window, the first impression you give consumers ! They won't click if the photo doesn't appeal to them, or doesn't clearly present your offer. It's also essential to use quality photos to illustrate each of your dishes. In order to arouse consumer desire, let them know what to expect thanks to better product legibility. For this, call on a specialized photographer! The attractiveness of your page is decisive. Last but not least, it's difficult to anchor your restaurant's identity in the consumer's mind through a virtual platform. You can, however, use packaging with your logo on the photos of your products! It's a great way of promoting your restaurant. 

7.subtly push up-selling

When the customer decides to order, you need to initiate an upselling strategy. Offer them side dishes, extras, drinks, desserts... All in a subtle, non-obtrusive way. You need to think about this from the customer's point of view, not offering a dessert followed by a side dish, for example. But also so that the chain in the kitchen is logical. Additional sales can increase the average order basket by up to 30%!

8Communicate everywhere online and boost your content

To boost your delivery sales, you need to communicate about them outside the delivery platforms! From your Google page, you can add takeaway and delivery to your "available services", but also send the user directly to the platform with an "Order" button, or through dedicated Google posts. On social media, Instagram and Facebook, there are many ways to highlight your delivery services. Specify it in your Instagram bio, create a Linktree to link to your various services, including delivery on UberEats or Deliveroo, make posts dedicated to your products in delivery, captions that indicate that your products are available on site but also remotely, stories with a link that redirects to the platforms directly...

When you set up promotions on UberEats or Deliveroo, communicate about them in stories, at a strategic time (5:30pm). You can even sponsor this content with a small budget, delimiting your audience according to your delivery zone, to multiply the visibility of the offer.

Finally, you need to look after your image on social media. Because from your UberEats account, you can attach your Instagram page to convince consumers.

9.share your UberEats webshop link as soon as possible

What is a Webshop? It's a link that redirects the customer to your UberEats page. Unlike ordering directly from the app, you don't pay UberEats a 30% commission, but a 10% one. Because the platform doesn't play the role of business referral, you've earned your customer yourself. This link is the one you need to share everywhere on social media and Google!

10.reply to all customer reviews

Just like Google reviews, you should regularly respond to your UberEats and Deliveroo reviews. This not only improves your average rating, but also helps you thank your customers and build their loyalty.

11.accept multiple payment methods

The payment method should not become a barrier for the consumer. The more payment methods you accept, the wider your customer base. At lunchtime, for example, many people use the "Swile accepted" filter.

12.improve according to statistics, customer feedback and the competition

UberEats and Deliveroo provide detailed statistics on your performance. It's essential to keep track of these statistics, so that you can make adjustments, improve your service, adapt your menu, understand where mistakes are coming from... You also need to take into account customer reviews, both positive and negative, and constantly monitor the competition.

These 12 tips will enable you to sell your delivery products more effectively, promote your offers and increase your sales. But once you've optimized your delivery pages, don't forget that everything happens in the kitchen and in the bag. You have to put yourself in the customer's shoes: respect the times indicated, and the order, take care of the packaging, add little touches to please them... That's how you build customer loyalty, and boost word-of-mouth!

How do you optimize your delivery platforms, organize distance selling in your restaurant, and ensure the attractiveness of your online pages? In addition to the restaurant business

You need help! It takes time and energy to keep track of all the daily steps involved in optimizing your delivery sales, while at the same time dispatching orders and providing on-site service. 

To multiply your delivery sales by 10, call on Jean ! An expert in the delivery business for over 6 years, he has set up his own consultancy business, helping over 400 restaurateurs boost their delivery performance! Udje takes care of managing your page on delivery platforms, negotiates, advises you on operational matters, and achieves the best results for you. The growth curves of our restaurant customers bear witness to this!

For more information, call Jean on +33 6 12 05 05 55 on behalf of Malou!

But it's not enough to have a large number of delivery orders! You have to be able to handle them in the restaurant! Otter's all-in-one solution all-in-one solution helps you manage your orders and optimize your organization! All your delivery requests from different platforms centralized on a single tablet, auto-accepted by Otter so you don't miss any and waste time, and an optimized menu to convert more customers!

What if you could reach even more customers? Set up your restaurant in Cooklane 's kitchens!

And to succeed in attracting customers to your restaurant delivery pages, you need to look after your image and maximize your visibility online, on Google, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms! Malou is here to help you on a daily basis. With Malou :

• A single solution that centralizes all your online pages: Google, Instagram, Facebook, directories, UberEats and Deliveroo
• Update information, schedules, menus, addresses on all platforms in 1 click
• Improve your rating on UberEats and Deliveroo with automated, personalized responses to your customers
• Receive automatic semantic analysis of customer reviews to improve your menu and delivery service

With these aids, all you have to do is insure on the spot!