Over the last decade, the take-out sector in Australia and around the world has grown steadily, as have online food ordering and delivery apps and platforms. To keep their businesses prosperous, many restaurant and café owners have shifted from in-house dining experiences to online delivery services.

In parallel, another growing trend in the hospitality industry has been click & collect, also known as BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store). It’s a clever approach that combines digital and traditional marketing channels by allowing customers to order their preferred products online and visit the restaurant location to pick them up.

As a restaurant manager, you may ask yourself which of these two options — food delivery apps and click & collect — is the most favourable for your business.

While most individuals are familiar with food delivery service apps and are inclined to use them first, we would argue that click & collect offers some unique perks. We'll go over them in this article, so you can figure out what works best for you.

First off, it's worth knowing that the click and collect process can be carried out in three different ways:

• Through in-store pickup – this is the simplest way to prepare a take-out order. However, there needs to be a queue management system in place so that customers don’t have to wait too long to fetch their food;
• Using click & collect lockers – they maintain proper temperature and hygiene to keep food fresh. Smart lockers can complement in-store pickup, especially in large and crowded restaurants, on public holidays, or other special events;
• Through ‘carside’ or ‘curbside’ pickup – as the name suggests, clients drive to the restaurant and pick up their order in a designated area. This contactless pickup approach is widely used in the fast food industry.

One could argue that with so many food apps available on the market, a restaurant wouldn’t need to develop its own click and collect system.

Delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo are popular among restaurant-goers, and they can help make your business more visible. Furthermore, because many small businesses don’t have their own website, an app that displays their products may be viewed at least as a temporary solution.

A third-party delivery app, on the other hand, has certain limitations, ranging from additional expenses to a lower level of customisation.

Here are some ways that a click and collect delivery method may be a better option for your business than a third-party food delivery service:

1. Click & Collect Better Reflects Your Brand

A click and collect system allows you to be fully in charge of the customer experience you provide. A third-party food delivery app takes some of your control away.

For example, by setting up your own click and collect process, you can present the shopping section in a way that follows a certain logic you envisioned. In contrast, an external app has its own rules or isn’t necessarily optimised for the type of experience you want to offer.

Not to mention that your restaurant “competes” with the other ones enlisted in the app. There is no better way to shine than through your own platform!

2. You Are Not Held Accountable for Someone Else

A 2020 study by Service Management Group (SMG) found that many consumers who experience an issue with a third-party delivery service are more likely to blame the restaurant. As a result, even if the problem is beyond your control, it will reflect negatively on your brand.

If you want to preserve a spotless reputation, it’s probably best to take matters into your own hands!

3. More Cost-Effective for You and Your Customers

Third-party fees are more costly than BOPIS. UberEats, for example, charges a 15-30 per cent commission on each delivery, which can strain any hospitality business — whether they support the expenses themselves or charge the client more.

As for the customers, they also pay a premium: for the driver, the company that offers the delivery app, and, sometimes, extra restaurant fees — not to mention the tip.

With click & collect, you can hand the orders in person at your location, which costs you next to nothing.

Additionally, by connecting with you directly, your customers avoid paying for an intermediary service. They also save money on shipping by picking up the goods themselves at their convenience.

4. Click & Collect Produces Fewer Carbon Emissions

It’s a known fact that due to a growing understanding of the climate crisis, consumer behaviour has shifted dramatically. People are adopting better habits to reduce their environmental impact, which often include better dietary choices.

As a restaurant manager, you may already be doing your part by sourcing local ingredients, avoiding plastic cutlery, or offering more carbon-neutral, plant-based food, for example.

Putting a thoughtful click and collect delivery system in place will complement your efforts and make your clients happy at the same time.

5. Customers Want to Support Your Business Directly

This may surprise you if you believe that customers would rather rely on an app that provides a bird’s-eye view of all their dining options. However, according to a 2021 study by Bluedot, consumers prefer using a restaurant app rather than a third-party one.

Additionally, if you want to maximise click and collect, you can inform your customers about the benefits when they look at the menu on your website, for example. Many people are not fully aware of this alternative nor about the costs behind third-party delivery services.

Lastly, according to the study mentioned above, quick-service restaurants, in particular, can benefit from implementing loyalty programs too. Most consumers admit that joining such a program motivates them to visit a restaurant more often. That results in a consistent flow of clients when using any click and collect delivery option.

If you want to implement a click and collect process for your restaurant, you will need to digitise it as much as possible in order to be effective.

An essential advantage particular to Storeplay IQ’s booking platform is that it can manage virtual queues and deliver notifications when an order is ready — freeing up your staff from doing repetitive and time-consuming tasks.

Additionally, Storeplay IQ is available worldwide. So, no matter where your restaurant is located, we can connect you to your customers easily.

Overall, we believe that click & collect does your business more justice by reflecting your brand more accurately and delivering the customer experience you intended.

This isn’t to say that a food delivery service isn’t worth looking into, given its ability to reach many hungry individuals and deliver to their doorstep. It all boils down to prioritising what matters the most to you.

If you want to learn more about Storeplay IQ’s booking platform and queue management software, as well as how we can adapt the technology to best suit your business needs, we invite you to reach out to our team.