Digital Experience Consultancy, Bottle Rocket, has released a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) research study following the outbreak of COVID-19. This reveals that despite a shift towards home meal preparation, over a third of customers will rely heavily on QSRs in the coming weeks.
Leveraging Alpha, Bottle Rocket asked 500+ customers questions across 50 states, about how their needs were being met by their favorite restaurants, how they prefer to receive information, and what restaurants could do to win more business.
"We monitored how people are interacting with QSRs during this COVID-19 timeframe. Changes in shopping behavior and purchase decisions are separating consumers into two camps: 1) those who are less reliant on takeout and QSRs and 2) those who intend to continue to order a majority of food from QSRs. It is critical that QSRs engage with each segment differently and recalibrate their business decisions and marketing communication strategies – and fast," said Rajesh Midha, Chief Strategy Officer of Bottle Rocket.
Rajesh continues: "Due to the shifting changes in consumer behavior driven by COVID-19, we would encourage brands to bring information to their customers on their owned channels to drive engagement and conversion rates. In order to remain afloat now and to bounce back once the worst has passed, firms need to utilize their customer data in real time now and understand how their customers want to receive information. These firms should also intensify their efforts to ensure the best customer experience is delivered."
Key highlights from the latest survey include:
- Nearly 20 percent of respondents claimed that they would not return to a QSR or fast-food restaurant in the next week.
- Respondents in the 40 to 44-year-old cohort are 30 percent more likely to prefer finding news on a restaurant's app over checking the same restaurant's website.
- 80% of customers are more likely to order from a restaurant if they offer rewards for digital or text message ordering.
The first round of results can be found here: https://www.bottlerocketstudios.com/research-study-what-we-are-learning-about-how-customers-are-ordering-food-right-now
