David Wheatcroft
Head of Hospitality, Elavon Europe
Knowing how your customers think can help you provide the best service to maximise sales.
Elavon recently surveyed 1,000 adults aged 16-65 online in Ireland, to explore customer attitudes towards the use of apps and automated systems. In a fast food setting, where ordering and paying are often combined into one transaction, it turns out the age of a customer really matters.
Understanding your target audience
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those in younger age-brackets were keener than those in older age-brackets to use automated systems and apps, but it’s the extremes of attitude that are noteworthy. While just over one in 10 (11%) aged 55-65 prefer to use apps or automated systems, that rises almost five-fold to over half (51%) for those aged 16-24.
“What does this mean to a takeaway or fast food outlet?” questions David Wheatcroft, Head of Hospitality for Elavon Europe. “Put simply, it can be the difference between success and failure. If you know your target audience, you can tailor the ordering and payment journey to best place yourself for their business and loyalty.”
Acknowledging customer interaction
“Modern payment systems can help. Elavon provides solutions that address all the demands of a diverse customer base – everything from in-app ordering that tracks orders to and from the kitchen to sending receipts digitally,” says Wheatcroft.
“However, there is still a large segment of the population that want the sense of security that comes with ordering via a real person and often the smile that comes with that service. So, it is important not to forget about those customers and to offer a variety of methods to order and pay for a drink or a meal.”
Elavon Financial Services DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.