MARKETING CASE STUDY:
Capturing Sales Before They Were Lost -
The Simple Greek App
Background:
Technology is taking the restaurant industry by storm and off-premise dining is surging.
Today’s consumers want to order and pay ahead, skip the line, and pick up food
without interacting with humans. Many customers wish to bypass the in-store experience altogether and prefer to have food delivered right to their front door. “Convenience is king” and patrons expect to be rewarded for their business with discounts and incentives.
Problem:
The Simple Greek, a national chain of 35+ fast-casual Greek restaurants, was behind the tech curve and the competition was stealing its proverbial lunch and dinner. Long lines regularly formed at the height of each daypart’s rush at this “build your own” concept and customers who were short on time regularly abandoned the restaurant in search of a competitor with faster service and a shorter line. The Simple Greek’s senior management team knew that “ignoring the elephant in corner” by continuing to operate in the dark ages would spell future disaster for this rapidly growing chain.
Solution:
In October 2019, The Simple Greek App was born. Lynn Hoban established and led a cross-functional team made up of TSG marketing and operations professionals to bring the App to fruition. Powered by LevelUp, the App launched on iOS and Android simultaneously, making it fast and easy for guests to enjoy the great taste of The Simple Greek, minus all the hassles normally associated with on-premise dining, including waiting in line. Marketing messages were deployed to consumers via social media to introduce the App and communicate its benefits to generate downloads. The App was easy to download and simple to use, Once downloaded, guests had the ability to order online and pay ahead with the options of carry out or dine in. Best of all, loyal customers could earn points and get free rewards.
Results:
The Simple Greek App was greeted enthusiastically by customers and achieved more than 100,000 downloads in its first month, post
go-live. Because guests could customize and save their orders directly in the App, purchase frequency increased. Average check also increased because most guest transactions were processed using debit and credit cards.
Effective marketing for any enterprise starts with leveraging technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs. If you want to increase your sales by working smarter, not harder, contact Lynn Hoban at Lynn@LynnHobanMarketing.com to find out more.