Mobile restaurant bookings are booming – can your business handle the heat?
Having a mobile responsive website has never been more important for restaurant owners, with a new survey revealing a 40 per cent rise in mobile restaurant bookings in the last twelve months.
The 2014 Australian Dining Index – conducted by Australia’s leading online restaurant reservations website Dimmi.com.au – analysed 400,000 verified diner reviews to discover emerging trends and habits of Australian diners across the country.
“The Dimmi Annual Dining Index is a collection of statistics that reflects the way we dine in Australia”, said Stevan Premutico, CEO of Dimmi.
“Since Dimmi launched in 2009 the landscape has changed dramatically, our social networks are changing, our mobile reliance has massively increased and these are all being reflected in our statistics,” Mr Premutico said.
Mr Premutico said the 2014 Dimmi Annual Dining Index also revealed longer-term patterns towards casual dining.
“Australians are spontaneous diners, we think about where we are going to eat on the train home and book from our mobile after reading reviews of nearby restaurants,” Mr Premutico said.
Spontaneous dining is on the rise
The report revealed Australian diners are increasingly making their restaurant bookings on the fly, with 47 per cent of all bookings now made within 24 hours of being seated. Figures also showed 16 per cent of bookings are being made within 6 hours.
With shorter lead times now the norm, diners are looking to book a restaurant on the go, usually from a mobile device. In fact, mobile bookings have not only risen significantly in the last year, but they now account for 42 per cent of total restaurant bookings.
How to make the most of the mobile boom
Some 96 per cent of Australian restaurants have a website. The Internet is where customers go to decide what to eat, where to eat and to read and write restaurant reviews – so it’s time to get online if you’re not already. There is also an increasing social media presence for Aussie restaurants, with 69 per cent now having a Facebook presence.
But perhaps the most important point is to make sure your website is mobile-friendly, for all those potential customers looking for your restaurant on a smartphone or tablet.
With more Australians looking to book a restaurant from their mobile device while out and about, it’s essential that your restaurant is able to give them what they want and to deliver the best online experience.
You can set up a mobile site yourself, or use a tool such as the Dimmi PocketSite for a hassle-free process. Having a responsive mobile website with easy online bookings options and having a social media presence are three essential steps to making sure your restaurant is keeping up with mobile demand in 2014.
Dimmi is Australia’s largest restaurant booking network, connecting diners with restaurants for free, no-stress bookings. They are partnered with more than 2500 restaurants nationwide, and have seated over 8 million Australian diners since 2009.
Read the full Dimmi Australian Dining Index 2014.
