When you have several restaurants, the temptation is strong to apply a uniform marketing strategy (promotional offers, sponsored ads) for your entire network on delivery platforms.
This saves precious time not only in designing the marketing schedule, but also in setting up the operation on the platforms' hubs.
The problem with this practice is that it doesn't take into account the specificities of each restaurant. And while it's important to maintain marketing consistency at brand level, there are a multitude of parameters to consider to ensure the effectiveness and smooth running of a marketing campaign at a local level.
Applying a one-size-fits-all strategy can be counter-productive both in terms of referencing and profitability.
To help you, here are some of the criteria that are important to consider when building a local marketing strategy on Uber Eats and Deliveroo π
Attendance π
It can vary greatly from one outlet to another. There are two types of frequentation:
- Habitual frequentation: each restaurant has its own strong niches, generally linked to the catchment area in which it is located.
- Spontaneous patronage: a restaurant may experience a sudden peak or trough in patronage that could not have been foreseen, and which may not be the case for other restaurants in the chain.
It is important to take this criterion into account to optimize the profitability of your strategy.
For example, it's a shame for a restaurant to go without a promotional offer or sponsored ad during a slump in traffic. Conversely, it's pointless for the restaurant to spend large amounts on marketing when it already has a high level of traffic.
Customers π₯
It also varies according to each restaurant's catchment area. Different neighborhoods have different consumer profiles, and different consumption patterns.
This means adapting the type of promotional offer to each location. The two main variables to consider are:
- The product: when the offer concerns products, it's best to give preference to discounts on products with good local sales statistics.
- The average basket: if a minimum basket is set to qualify for the discount, it must be in line with the usual amount spent by customers in each outlet.
Discounted products and a minimum basket common to all your sites will generate very random results depending on the point of sale.
Operational βοΈ
Each site has its own operational specificities. A number of criteria need to be taken into account when setting up a marketing strategy:
- Stock: availability of raw materials at each point of sale.
- Production capacity: one outlet, for example, can absorb more orders than another. The size of the kitchen, the number of employees, team seniority and operational efficiency (average order preparation time) are all factors that determine this production capacity.
It's possible to be more intensive in marketing practices with sites that have a high production capacity and an experienced team. On the other hand, it's better to build up gradually with sites that are less operationally mature.
Referencing π
Referencing is defined by a restaurant's carousel passage time and ranking on delivery platform applications.
There are two types of SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Some restaurants benefit from better natural referencing, while others may suffer from a lack of visibility on platforms.
Here are some of the main natural referencing criteria: restaurant rating, operational excellence (preparation time, % of errors in orders, etc.), order history and volume, direct search.
These criteria are, of course, specific to each location. A restaurant that performs very well on these criteria will be able to afford to be more conservative in its marketing strategy. Conversely, a restaurant lacking in natural visibility will be able to count on a larger marketing budget.
π‘ You can read our dedicated article on the subject, for full details on how the Uber Eats and Deliveroo algorithm works.
Delivery area πΊοΈ
The maturity of the delivery zone is also an important criterion to take into account. Spending large amounts on marketing in a less mature area is likely to have a negative impact on the profitability of the strategy.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when assessing the maturity of a delivery zone:
- How long has delivery been available in this area?
- How many delivery platforms are there in this area?
- What is the average uptime of a delivery driver?
Competition βοΈ
The intensity of delivery competition varies greatly from one point of sale to another. The more competition a site faces, the more difficult it will be to gain visibility on the platforms, and especially time in the carousels (header banners).
Conversely, it will be much easier to gain visibility for an outlet that is the only one of its type in the area, as the applications aim to offer an exhaustive choice of kitchens.
To optimize the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, it's crucial to adapt your marketing strategy to the competitive intensity of each of your restaurants.
Creating a local marketing strategy π
Implementing a local marketing strategy is the key to success on delivery platforms such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
This approach not only maximizes the visibility of each of our sales outlets, but also optimizes marketing expenditure and thus the profitability of our strategy. By taking into account the particularities of each site, it also ensures that operational fluidity is maintained.
If the project seems daunting, or if you don't have enough time to take the plunge, our team of experts is on hand to help you.
Implementing a technology like Flynt will enable you to automate your promotional offers and sponsored ads according to the real-time activity of each of your outlets, within a well-defined framework, to ensure marketing consistency across the brand.
