It’s no brainer that the food industry deals with perishable goods that must be sold quickly to preserve quality. While online food ordering already existed, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped the catering industry flourish with trends like meal kit services and grocery item delivery. In case you didn’t know, 36% of specialty food and beverage sales come from e-commerce. It’s expected that the trend of fresh produce, ready to make meals, and packaged goods will continue as customer demands and preferences have changed. The Rise of Ecommerce in the Catering and Food Industry.
The pandemic has been a driving force behind many changes, and the catering industry is no exception. My grandparents, who were reluctant to get Internet services, considered buying Spectrum Internet plans because staying online is more evident than ever.
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Online Grocery Shopping on the Rise
If you are still on the wall about taking your catering business online, the year 2021 will erase all your doubts. It’s expected that online grocery sales in the United States will grow to $29.7 billion this year. You don’t need to be the last one to embrace digital reality, now would you!
This isn’t a fad; a report by FMI and Nielsen says that 80 percent of the respondents who bought groceries online have plans of repurchasing them. This will soon become a norm, and professional buyers will thank the consumerization of B2B sales.
Meet Customer Demands with ERP
ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics and SAP have incredible usage for the food industry. These are remarkable time and information management tools. An ERP works wonders in helping you keep your business running. But that’s not all; it can also improve your position in the market, which is something exactly a catering or food business would need during these trying times.
To make the most out of it, you can integrate your ERP system with the e-commerce system and display the products and logistics data in your online store. Once the e-com solution integrates with the ERP, you can use the ERP as a time management and information management tool. It will manage everything in one central location and help you meet customer demands as they arise.
The Benefits of Ecommerce World for a Catering Business
Since B2B e-commerce is on the rise, and so is the number of online buyers, the food and catering industry will largely benefit from this development. What are these benefits, you ask? Let’s go through them:
• Targeting and Personalization
Ecommerce and digital media allow businesses to gather, analyze, and use customer information easily. Tracking their buying habits will offer them an opportunity to offer a personalized experience and target them effectively.
• Use Content Marketing
By creating an online presence, you can offer more information about your services to customers. With a branded site, you can give content to your customers. This content includes product comparisons, product descriptions, availability of inventory, and pricing. This information makes it easier for the customer to make a purchase decision online as well as offline.
• Order Flexibility
Online ordering offers complete flexibility to customers. They can order anytime, anywhere by using their mobile devices. They are not limited by time or any other hurdle when it comes to placing an order.
• Bulk Orders
When a customer can browse the menu without feeling rushed, they feel more comfortable ordering what they want. It’s simple math. The more time they get to look over the menu, the more they are likely to order. And if there are some on-going promotions or special items on the menu, this would influence their purchase as well.
• Wider Reach
Creating a website for your catering business will allow you to expand your target market. There is no need to make an additional investment or worry about expanding the infrastructure. Do it all online!
Conclusion
If you still don’t consider taking your catering business online, you would be lost in the sea of competition.
Learn from Charter Spectrum. To respect social distancing, they have encouraged their new customers to opt for self-installation instead of scheduling an appointment with a technician. Customers are mailed a kit that includes everything they need to set up their equipment. Once they have set everything, they just have to call the Spectrum phone number to activate the service.
Amidst the pandemic, customers would like to continue receiving the benefits they are receiving during the pandemic post-COVID as well. It would be an error not to take your catering business online.
