Serving Success: 8 Ways to boost revenue using Zonal technology

Tech doesn’t just save you time and make admin easier. It can have a direct, beneficial impact on your bottom line. Having a range of ordering channels available to maximise capacity and orders, automating bookings processes and promotions, as well as collecting the right data from customers, are all quick-fire ways to pick up vital additional revenue for your business.

Discover eight ways that Zonal’s technology can ensure you’re not leaving any potential revenue on the table:

1. Generate incremental revenue with mobile order and pay technology

Not only do long waits in a queue or at the table to get a servers’ attention result in customer dissatisfaction or even complaints, but they can also result in lost sales. Enabling customers to order and pay through an app, or online by scanning a QR code, speeds up the process for guests and has also been proven to increase basket size, generating incremental revenue.

2. Tap into additional revenue channels

The appetite for click and collect and delivery food shows no sign of disappearing and operators that include this in their channel mix will be able to drive profit through these additional revenue streams, enabling guests to engage with you from the comfort of their own home, as well as providing supplemental revenue on quieter days in-venue. Zonal technology offers click and collect and can be fully integrated with third party delivery channels, enabling operators to manage them easily from one central location with minimal demand on staff or operational overhead.

3. Create specific order journeys per-product

Analysing data from menu and drinks sales is useful for operations of all sizes. Operators can analyse individual product performance to identify what is selling well and what is not so popular. Using this up-to-date data, operators can then take an informed view on which products to keep and which to remove, in order to minimise waste and maximise profits. The information can also be used to drive more effective upselling journeys, pinpointing opportunities for customer offers based on insights around their genuine preferences and purchasing habits. For example, offering deals on IPAs and your most popular pie dish.

4. Automate and personalise promotions for exact times, days and products

Personalised deals, offers and promotions are highly effective in driving extra revenue and footfall, however operators need data to facilitate them. Having fully integrated technology enables you to get information from all parts of the business and make decisions on which promotions to run based on genuine insight. For example, why not offer a discount on a customer’s favourite meal for their birthday?

With the right tech, the process can also be automated, meaning promotions can go live on specific days, specific times, and on specific products without the need for manual input every time. This will minimise the time needed to create and run deals and promotions and increase the chances of success.

5. Reduce no-shows by sending automated reminders to bookers

We know just how costly no-shows can be. Our research shows that it costs the hospitality industry a combined £17.59bn a year – and the total number of no-shows doubled between September 2022 and September 2023. One of the main reasons people don’t honour their reservations is because they simply forget about the booking. However, automatic reminders sent to customers at predefined intervals leading up to a reservation can help to ensure people don’t forget to turn up when the time comes and enable customers to simply and easily cancel or amend bookings, giving operators advance warning. These reminders can also be used to drive more revenue by offering additional extras via pre-orders such as champagne or nibbles on arrival.

6. Personalise the booking journey and increase upsells

Zonal’s online reservation platform enables operators to set up different bookable areas within their venue, allowing for example, a customer to secure a favoured table. Offering this level of personalisation helps contribute to creating a great customer experience. It also helps operators better manage bookings – ensuring the best tables are always filled.  During the booking process, customers can also be given the option to customise their experience by pre-ordering food and drink or add-ons, encouraging customers to spend when they are in ‘buying mode’.

7. Enable guests to make a reservation directly through your social media accounts and Google business listings

Customers are no longer looking at social media accounts for research purposes only (although this continues to be a factor), these platforms are being increasingly used to facilitate bookings as well. In fact, over a third of consumers use social media to book tables, rising to more than half (53%) of 18 to 24-year-olds. Operators would benefit from ensuring their businesses are listed on Google and that they are active on social media, with their profiles including a link to a digital booking platform to convert more browsers into bookers.

8. Facilitate the redemption and reconciliation of gift cards and vouchers at any point of sale

Gift cards and vouchers can be a fantastic way for loyal customers to introduce friends and family to your brand, or to encourage repeat visits and increase revenue. Zonal’s gift card solution, Toggle, and voucher platform, Voucher Manager, are seamlessly integrated with our EPoS and wider suite of technology, enabling customers to redeem their vouchers and gift cards easily – whether it’s at the bar, on an app, or at the table with your waiting staff – ensuring a smooth, frictionless experience that leaves a great lasting impression once they’ve left the venue.

Click here to take a quick 5-minute self-assessment to see how your current tech stacks up in the above areas!