When considering global trends, there is an indication that international QSR and fast casual brands are competing hard to automate and digitize their drive-thrus as fast as possible because consumer preference is skewed towards tech-driven ordering and this trend continues to gain popularity.
Mc Donald’s for example recently got into a partnership with IBM to develop and implement an automated system for taking orders at drive-thrus. Shake Shack, a fast casual restaurant, also recently introduced its first ever digital drive-thru.
Even in the fast-food industry of South Africa, popular chains such as Mc Donald’s are transforming into a fully digitized environment to create a convenient and comfortable experience for diners. With LED restaurant signs, brands can keep customers safe and well informed about what they are eating.
Digital drive-thrus are surely here to stay. As clients are working on developing digital solutions for drive-thrus, the entire sector is becoming a business in its own. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, diners have preferred the digital drive-thru option so much that brands can open up stand alone outlets offering only digital drive-thru services. Future drive-thrus is all about embracing the best of technology in order to provide exceptional customer experiences.
For drive-thrus to succeed, digital signage technology is the key investment required to drive convenience, safety and digitization.
Digitization enhances convenience
Quick service restaurants are implementing a wide range of digital strategies to provide enhanced convenience for customers.
- An amazing look and feel created with strong branding.
- Implementation of restaurant LED signs for menu boards and digital drive thrus to attract customers.
- Promotional LED screens
- In-store ordering kiosks with secure payment gateways
- Other customized solutions as per your restaurant needs
With high quality visuals and moving content on these digital solutions, restaurants can engage with their customers while also keeping them updated about new offerings and current promotions. For example, an item that was only preferred by walk-in diners can be offered at a discount for drive-thru customers via outdoor digital signage.
Safety by avoiding human interaction
Whether it is the phobia of human interaction due to Covid-19, or it is just the precaution to avoid crime, many diners preferred to eat in their cars instead of inside a restaurant, as their cares are a solution for them. As a result of the pandemic, limiting and eliminating human contact – between guests and employees, became an important safety factor and still prevails in many countries across the world.
Covid-19 also caused a disruption of the supply chain, which meant quick service restaurants did not have regular access to ingredients. Deliveries would get affected, suppliers Would close down if any infections were detected, and so on. As a result, restaurants had to adapt fast and invest in digital signage to update their menus instantly based on the items available at different times of the day.
Technological innovation
Digital signage is driven by technological innovations such as integration of social media, which consequently impacts the promotional content on every individual restaurant. Internet of Things innovations also enhance the digital offerings by providing facilities to gather data inside a restaurant so that the restaurant manager has the necessary information to make better business decisions.
With digital innovation strategies, your restaurant will become more efficient. Real world data can be leveraged to increase the effectiveness of the operations of a restaurant, thereby making it more successful in the future. The key to driving down costs is to cleverly manage technology driven menus while also providing accurate product safety information to concerned customers.
