How Restaurant Online Ordering Channels Influence Sales Growth
As a restaurant owner or operator, you know sales growth matters — and you probably want to know which channels deliver the best results for your bottom line.
That answer is a tricky one, because the “best” way to boost sales depends on several different factors, from customer behavior and acquisition to retention and order frequency.
However, regardless of the factors impacting your restaurant’s revenue, one thing is for certain:
Online, digital-first ordering can have a massive impact on your restaurant’s sales.
But what are the true advantages of restaurant online ordering? Can mobile apps truly impact restaurant sales? What’s the better way to increase revenue: a mobile app or a website?
In this blog, we’ll guide you through the answers to all these questions — and more.
Let’s dive in.
Mobile App Ordering: Where It Wins for Repeat Orders and Customer Loyalty
First, let’s talk about mobile app ordering and where it wins in the sales department.
Restaurant mobile apps are especially effective for boosting repeat business because their features prioritize a fast, seamless guest experience.
Here are a few other features that make mobile ordering the best for repeat orders and loyalty.
- Push notifications deliver personalized offers that encourage unexpected orders
- Simple reordering so customers only have to tap one button to reorder their favorites
- Loyalty/rewards integrations keep loyal customers engaged and eager to come back
The caveat with mobile apps is that they work best when your restaurant already has a returning customer base. They’re less effective at generating net-new customers who have never tried your restaurant before, especially because people don’t usually browse the app store for new restaurants.
You may also run into friction getting folks to download your app and staying on top of engagement, two things that require more ongoing commitment than other direct ordering methods.
→ Check out this blog to see what we’ve named the top four technologies to increase customer loyalty!
Website Ordering: Where It Wins for Reach, Convenience, and Lower Friction
Now, let’s explore website ordering and where it comes out on top compared to a mobile app.
Two of the biggest advantages of restaurant online ordering systems are accessibility, since websites are easier to “find” than apps, and conversion among new and occasional customers.
Here are a few other features that make website ordering best for reach and convenience.
- Direct online ordering captures more demand at the awareness/discovery phases
- No-download convenience so customers can order without getting another new app
- Easier discoverability by local customers via search, social, email, and Google Business Profile
- Seamless delivery integrations so you can reach customers anywhere and everywhere
- Menu and inventory syncing so customers can plan their orders instead of adapting to last-minute sell-outs
The caveat with website ordering is that it works best for acquiring new customers versus retaining existing ones. While it still can keep loyal customers engaged with upsells and personalized recommendations, it’s stronger in the discovery phase.
Website ordering also typically has less gamification than a mobile app. That means customers may prefer mobile apps for the engaging, fun experience they deliver, compared to the more utilitarian website features.
→ Get inspired by our list of the top restaurant online ordering systems on the market.
What Actually Drives More Restaurant Sales: Key Factors Beyond the Channel
Now that you understand the high-level pros and cons of mobile app and website ordering, it’s time to dive a little deeper into these digital ordering platforms and what they’re capable of.
Take a look at the chart below for a comparison of each restaurant ordering system and the key factors they have (or don’t have) to increase your restaurant’s sales.
| Mobile ordering | Website ordering | |
| Traffic source | Stronger traffic from returning customers | Stronger traffic from new customers |
| Checkout speed | Can be fast, especially if payment information is savable | Can be fast, especially if payment information is savable |
| User experience | Can be high-quality with intentional design | Can be high-quality with intentional design |
| Mobile optimization | Optimizable for mobile search | Optimizable for online search |
| Loyalty offers | Available + customizable depending on your provider | Available + customizable depending on your provider |
| Reorder flows | Typically happens with in-app/push notifications | Typically happens through email |
| Delivery/pickup options | Both options can be integrated into the mobile app | Both options can be integrated into the website |
| Pricing strategy | Flexible; depends on your margins + your app’s features | Flexible; depends on your margins + your website’s features |
| Remarketing | Very easy and very customizable, especially with in-app and push notifications | Moderately easy; can use pop-ups or complement with email marketing |
You may look at this chart and see mobile app or website ordering emerge as the clear winner for your business… but things aren’t always that black and white.
In reality, a strong website can outperform a poorly designed mobile app, and a well-integrated app may outperform a basic website. A direct ordering channel is only as strong as you make it, regardless of which one seems right on paper.
→ Want more info on strategies to increase your restaurant sales? Check out this blog!
Mobile App vs Website Ordering Costs, Margins, and ROI for Restaurants
Now for the part that matters most to your restaurant’s bottom line: how much do these digital ordering channels actually cost?
Check out the chart below for a simple comparison of costs, savings, and return on investment for both mobile and website ordering.
| Mobile ordering | Website ordering | |
| Development & maintenance costs | Custom apps are quite expensive; white-label apps are typically cheaper | Custom websites are quite expensive; templated websites are typically cheaper |
| Marketing costs to drive adoption | Some marketing features are included, like in-app notifications You’ll have to pay for anything additional | Some marketing features are included, like website pop-ups You’ll have to pay for anything additional |
| Commission savings from direct ordering | You save all the fees associated with third-party ordering | You save all the fees associated with third-party ordering |
| Impact on average order value | Strong impact, especially with customizations and add-ons | Strong impact, especially with upsells and online-only promotions |
| Impact on repeat purchase rates | Strong impact, especially with one-tap reordering | Strong impact, especially with savable order histories |
| Impact on customer data ownership | You get to own & control all your customer data | You get to own & control all your customer data |
While you’re weighing the costs and ROI for each of these digital ordering platforms, remember that the channel with the highest sales might not be the channel with the highest profit — especially if you’re investing a lot up front for a custom build, for example.
Make sure to evaluate your profit margin and long-term ROI alongside gross order volume for the most accurate look at what’ll truly be the highest profit for your business in particular.
Which Ordering Channel Is Best for Quick-Service Restaurants?
The digital ordering channel that’s best for your specific restaurant depends on the business model you operate within, and the maturity of your business.
If you’re a brand-new business, a website is probably the only ordering channel you’ll need.
You won’t need the multi-location connectedness that a mobile app provides, and since your focus is likely to be entirely on customer acquisition at this point, website ordering has everything you’ll need for this stage in your business.
If you’re not brand-new but you only have one location, you’ll want a website for sure — and to start thinking about an app.
At this point, you’re balancing acquisition with retention, which is where the website-app combo comes in handy. But because you don’t have to connect experiences across locations, you probably don’t need an app quite yet.
Once you’ve been in business for a while and you expand to more than one location, it’s time for the website and mobile app combo.
Many mature, multi-location restaurants work to increase their revenue with a joint digital ordering model, using the website for new customer acquisition and local discovery and the app to increase retention and build loyalty.
TL;DR
- Brand-new, single-location restaurants — Website ordering alone
- Mature, single-location restaurants — Website ordering + look into an app
- Multi-location restaurants and/or regional chains — Website + mobile app combined
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile App Ordering vs Website Ordering
Not necessarily. It’s more that the impact of mobile apps on restaurant sales is different from a website. Mobile apps drive restaurant sales by encouraging repeat business and boosting customer lifetime value, while websites increase restaurant sales by capturing more first-time customers and showing up in local searches.
Yes. New customers gravitate towards websites for their first orders because they’re a simpler way to try a new restaurant. They don’t require downloading an app, and they’re easier to access through Google Maps, social media, and ads — both of which make for a seamless, low-lift guest experience.
Investing in a mobile app for your quick-service restaurant is most effective when you have a strong base of loyal, repeat customers, and you’re looking for a way to increase loyalty, boost order frequency and repeat business, and encourage direct customer engagement.
Yes! There are tons of ways digital ordering can increase your customers’ average order value, from upsells, add-ons, and bundles to product recommendations, loyalty offers, and minimum order incentives. These kinds of features are available on both mobile apps and websites, too.
Websites are generally easier to promote because customers can click on them and order immediately — there’s less buy-in before the customer actually sees the value. Apps may be harder to market at first, because they require downloading yet another app. However, once the app is actually downloaded, they have tons of remarketing options, like in-app notifications.
Yes, if your restaurant is at the right stage of maturity and growth. The best strategy is often to use a website to earn more new customers, and a mobile app to help with retention, repeat orders, and loyalty. Each direct ordering platform complements the other.
