IMPORTANT REASONS WHY YOUR RESTAURANT NEEDS TO HOST A WiFi HOTSPOT
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“Do they have wifi?”
Only until a few years ago, you won’t hear that question when a family or a group of friends chooses a restaurant to dine in.
But time has changed. It’s not just about the cleanliness, menu, and price value anymore. Customers look for free internet access as well.
Research from marketing firm Purple showed that 87% of consumers have accessed the internet while in a restaurant or bar.
That number alone tells you that people look for access to the internet when considering places to stay and restaurants to dine in. Hosting a WiFi Hotspot in your restaurant would bring in a lot of benefits.
Here are 7 important reasons why you should consider providing a Free WiFi Hotspot service in your restaurant:
1. Attract New Customers
Having complimentary WiFi in your restaurant attracts different kinds of customers — businessmen, millennials, families, groups of friends, loners, and many others.
According to a survey by O2, 53% of people are happy to sit in a restaurant as long as it has free WiFi.
Just think about it:
- Which restaurant would loners choose? The one without free WiFi or the restaurant that would give them an excuse to be alone with complimentary wifi?
- How about businessmen who feel the constant need to be connected with their business?
- Think about the families who need WiFi on their devices to distract their kids?
- Don’t forget the group of friends always wanting to be plugged into the online world.
Hosting a WiFi Hotspot in your restaurant would bring in new customers — and it’s good for your business.
2. Instagram Promotion
Are you familiar with “Foodie Photos”? It’s similar to this:
If not, head over to Instagram and you’ll see that food photos are a thing. Even in your own restaurant, chances are high that you’ve seen some customers taking photos of their food.
Behind the scenes, the photos taken are then uploaded to social media sites, especially Instagram, filled with hashtags and even going as far as mentioning the restaurant.
Should you care?
You should. Statistics alone tell you that 69% of millennials who dine at restaurants take a photo of the food and 30% of the millennials avoid restaurants with a weak Instagram presence.
Providing your customers with access to the internet increases your social media presence. This leads to more people being aware of your restaurant and the dining experience you offer.
3. Increase Customer Loyalty
People are social animals. One way to gain your customers’ loyalty is to satisfy their social needs.
According to a survey by Better Business Together, 65% of restaurants surveyed reported that free wifi encouraged repeat business.
Customers appreciate restaurants that offer free WiFi. Even though some customers have data plans and connections, not having to use them would be convenient. They don’t have to worry about the data charges and the signal strength.
Increasing customer loyalty is important for your business. In terms of revenue, 65% of it will be coming from existing customers. In one way or another, the future of your restaurant depends on how you can satisfy and retain your customers.
By the way, if you want to implement a WiFi Hotspot in your restaurant now, the next step you have to take is knowing how to install free WiFi in your restaurant.
4. Mobile Payment and Digital Wallets
People are always looking for convenience, even in paying the restaurant bill.
A research conducted by Merchant Machine revealed that 64% of all smartphone owners use mobile payment and a majority of the younger generation (54 years old and below) have used a mobile wallet and are attracted to the service.
No surprise there. Payment using mobile applications like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay is convenient — they’re quick and easy. There’s no need to wait for the bill to arrive. Customers can pay whenever they want.
But they can’t do it without an internet connection. They can turn their data on… Or they can simply connect through your WiFi Hotspot. Most people would naturally pick the WiFi Hotspot over their own data connection.
You should prepare your business to be able to receive payments through mobile means (including digital wallets). The world is getting more digitalized by the minute. It wouldn’t be long until the majority of consumers prefer mobile payments than the traditional one.
5. Increase Time of Stay
Is it bad for your business if customers stay longer in the restaurant?
Here’s the truth:
According to Purple’s survey, 60% of customers spend more time on premises with WiFi — with 50% spending more money.
The research by Better Business Together also pointed out that 61.3% of customers spend more time on restaurants and 50.1% of them spend more money after they installed WiFi.
The more the customers stay in your restaurant the better. With an internet connection, customers tend to stay longer checking their emails and social media. This usually comes with additional coffee, dessert, or any food that would excuse their longer stay.
6. Acquire Feedback and Surveys About Your Restaurant
Nothing is more convenient in providing feedback and answering surveys than being able to do it on your phone.
If your customers can connect online with your WiFi Hotspot, you can ask them for feedback and have them answer a survey conveniently. You can ask them to post a review on Yelp, Google, and others.
Online reviews can make or break your business. With the technology available now, the future of your business possibly depends on what your customers say about your business online.
The key statistics compiled by BrightLocal mentioned that 86% of consumers research and read reviews about local businesses. 57% would only make business with those who have 4 or more stars.
It’s good to ask the customers to provide feedback while they are still inside the restaurant. The dining experience they had is still fresh in their minds (and palates). However, it would be hard for you to ask them to provide instant feedback if you have no complimentary WiFi.
7. Ability to Use Customized Users Portal Page
If you have a free WiFi Hotspot, you can make use of a portal page which customers have to go through before they can successfully connect online.
The gold here is in your ability to use the portal page for marketing purposes:
- Advertisement for self-promotion
- Online menu
- Email collection
Email collection is important for your restaurant business (and probably all businesses).
According to Oberlo, you can expect an average return of $32 for a dollar you spend on email marketing. In addition, 49% of consumers showed interest in receiving promotional emails from favorite brands.
All of that is possible by simply customizing your Hotspot portal page.
There are lots of benefits when you implement a WiFi Hotspot in your restaurant. You would probably do your business a favor by doing so. Start today!
