• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, June 3, 2021

People who crave a snack or even just a cup of coffee can be motivated with email and even more by apps, judging by Loyalty in The Restaurant and Convenience Store Industries, a study by Mobiquity.

For instance, 66% of consumers agree that they favor stores that regularly provide them with offers based on past purchases, 22% strongly so — a clue for brands that use email to engage customers.   

But 69% will increase their ordering frequency with stores that have a mobile app that is easy to use. Indeed,. apps seem the backbone of this business, more so in certain categories. 

Take the Coffee shop category (i.e., Starbucks, Dunkin’, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf). This field averages 53 orders per year per customer app, or roughly one per week.  

Then there is the Restaurant vertical (McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Chili’s). These draw 52 per year.  

Perhaps surprisingly given the growing tendency to order in during the pandemic, Delivery apps (those provided by of DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats) are third, with 46 per year. 

But it depends on which apps consumers are using. Those who order via coffee shop apps order 80 times a year, vs. 70 for delivery apps and 66 for restaurant app users. 

App ordering also varies by age. Baby boomers order from coffee shop apps only 22 times per year, versus 74 for millennials, 65 for Gen Zers and 51 for Gen xers. 

Boomers are even less likely to order from Delivery apps — they average 16 per year, compared to 67 for millennials, 62 for Gen Z and 38 for Gen X. 

Income is another factor. People earning above $100k per year use apps the least, whereas those with incomes of less than $50,000 order from coffee shop apps and restaurant apps 62 times per year apiece. 

Apps collect vast amounts of information, and this can be applied to email targeting when done in compliance with laws and best practices. Email can be used both to drive app-signups and usage, for order confirmations and for special offers.  

What do patrons want when they visit restaurants in-person? They want places that are clean (96%), provide high-quality food (96%), have high order accuracy (95%), maintain reasonable prices (95%), have a friendly staff and good customer service (94%) and offer fast service (91%). 

Mobiquity surveyed 1,290 U.S. consumers.