Pandemic safety precautions are changing people’s attitudes to technology in pubs, bars and restaurants, CGA’s latest Consumer Pulse survey shows.
While the use of ordering and payment tech has been increasing for several years now, it has been propelled into the mainstream since the hospitality sector reopened on Saturday 4 July. The survey found that within the first three weeks of hospitality reopening, more than three quarters (78%) of consumers had used an app or website to order, browse a menu or find other information about venues. Interest is particularly high among younger consumers, with more than nine in ten (92%) 18 to 24 year-olds using apps or websites in that period.
Adoption of technology has been driven by consumers’ growing preference for cashless and contactless transactions that minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection. One in five (22%) survey respondents say they now prefer to order digitally through a smartphone, while table service has become the third most important consideration for people going out to eat and drink.
The research points to the importance of effective menu communications online and POS material at tables. Digital interactions also provide new potential for operators and suppliers to promote specific menu items and special deals.
The data also shows that there is room for improvement in technology. Only three in ten (29%) consumers said they had no frustrations with digital ordering, with leading irritations including the need to download an app they don’t want (22%), the length of wait for an order (21%), and struggles to obtain wi fi (20%).
Our research shows that a new normal is emerging in the way consumers interact with technology to order and pay,” says Jess Walsh, Consumer Research Executive at CGA. “Operators and suppliers that can respond with easy-to-use, quick and engaging digital solutions have a great opportunity to increase satisfaction, spend and revisits, while also rolling out targeted promotions and capturing valuable consumer data.”
Figures are taken from CGA’s Consumer Pulse survey of a nationally representative sample of 747 British adults. To learn how CGA’s research can provide crucial insights into consumers’ changing attitudes to technology and other behaviours, contact Jess Walsh at jess.walsh@cga.co.uk.
