ADVICE
Ready for e-commerce? The last 12 months have been quite tumultuous for the catering and foodservice industry, acknowledges First Internet’s Julaine Speight, who has some web site tips for café operators. ALTERNATIVES As doors were closed (then opened, then closed again) up and down the country, independent and chain cafés and restaurants alike have all looked for an alternative option - through takeaway, meal prep provision, or full delivery service – and meaning web sites need to be fit for purpose. There’s been a whole new reliance on the internet as people seek products and services online (Forbes reported a rise of 141% in online shopping in the first quarter of 2020 alone). For many café owners, a web site might have previously served as a simple online flyer – something to promote the brand, communicate the menu, and drive footfall into the premises. Covid changed all this, however, and bricks and mortar eating establishments are now increasingly looking to change their site to e-commerce, operating as a ‘dark store’ for the foreseeable future. ‘Dark stores’ are traditional retail units that have been converted to local fulfilment centres. There was a huge rise of them in 2020 in response to Covid, although experts have pointed out that they had already gained popularity in the US as larger retail centres fell empty and were used as warehouses and storage facilities. Here in the UK, we’ve seen restaurants, bars, retail outlets and cafés all adapt and turn their hand to delivery - and based on the success of it, some could now be considering a split approach in the future, with a traditional offering supplemented by a delivery option for the newly home-based consumer. This means that old web sites will need to be turned into viable, competitive e-commerce platforms. If you’re thinking of switching your offering in 2021, here are some tips on how to embrace e-commerce and turn your outlet into a sustainable delivery or takeaway business, and use all or part of your premises as a ‘dark store’.
First Internet (www.firstinternet.co.uk) is an awardwinning full-service digital marketing agency based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Services include website design and development, UX design, SEO, social media management and content marketing, and their lients have included family run pâtissier and chocolatier, Slattery, Greenhalgh’s craft bakery, Martin’s Bakery and Superior Catering. GET THE BASICS RIGHT Your food hygiene accreditations, your insurance, your optimum delivery time and distances, your potential busy times and your staffing all need to be researched, and there may be some trial and error. Take the time to look at what has worked for other food businesses and non-food delivery businesses in your area. Learn from their mistakes! Communicate all your accreditations on your site. Without the tactile café experience, it proves your credentials and earns trust. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE You have an existing customer base, but you could be opening yourself up to a whole new audience with delivery, so make sure you communicate yourself well to both. Don’t assume people know everything about you; take the time to promote your story online – including your food and your staff. People buy into people after all.
10 CAFÉ LIFE | FEBRUARY 2021
