One of our favourite things about our industry (beside the food obviously) has got to be the people. The UK hospitality scene is full of people from all over the world! And despite many challenges over the past few years with Brexit and Covid, hospitality has shown resilience and determination. Above all else, hospitality people are people people. We got into this industry to share our love of food and often an expression of our culture!
Restaurants, cafes, bakeries and other hospitality venues play a huge role in contributing to local areas and communities. And when it comes to online ordering, this fact shouldn’t change just because people are ordering digitally! Sadly, marketplaces tend to be pretty soulless, which lets be honest, just doesn’t really fit the vibe of our industry. So how does D2C differ from this? How can you create an online ordering system that fits with your values for your customers?
First things first – create an experience that is personal to you and your business. Hospitality is all about experiences. So your customers’ online experience should be reflective of you and your business too. With marketplaces everything is standardised and you’re just another restaurant amongst the masses. With D2C, you have the opportunity to express your brand and create a unique online platform.
Hospitality naturally has a huge impact on the local neighbourhood. Restaurants attract people to the area and have the power to change the entire atmosphere of their surroundings. You can get to know locals and identify regulars and what they like. Well with D2C it’s the same. They’re not some random number on a tablet, you know who they are and how often they order. People who work in the area can click and collect on the way to the office and having already prepped their order, your staff can focus on the meaningful interactions that make hospitality what it is.
We get that with the current climate every penny really counts. Yes, marketplaces get you in front of customers, but they also charge a hefty price for it. Online ordering is a great channel and opportunity to bring in more revenue. But when you’re paying as much as 30% commission for a marketplace, those profit margins become pretty tight. Quick plug here, but compared to this Slerp charges as little as 2% with the simple goal of making selling online easy and affordable for operators.
Now we don’t need to tell you that more profit means more money to put back into the business! We truly believe that for those looking to grow, D2C is the way. Whether you want to open another shop, increase your marketing or just give your current location a bit of love. D2C ordering could allow you to do all those things you’ve had to put off.
It’s your business, obviously you’re in control right? But the more 3rd party involvement the harder this becomes. This really isn’t the case with D2C though. Think of Slerp as the backend of your online business. We sit behind the scenes and support whilst you do your thing. The online ordering system is yours to do what you want with. From the order types you choose, to the branding and colours itself. You can build out your own personalised loyalty scheme in conjunction with your very own branded app.
This also means that your passions and priorities are heard and reflected in your online store. It might be that sustainability is a huge part of your business. We work with a variety of packaging suppliers that can help you out. You might be all about trying to make delivery as affordable for your customers as possible. Well we recently negotiated lower rates exclusively for our partners with top couriers.
Slerp charges as little as 2% with the simple goal of making selling online easy and affordable for operators.
Whatever it is, we want to help. Our team is ready to set you up for success, from our stellar onboarding process to our tech and support teams. If you think Slerp fits with your values, get in touch with us and kick start your D2C journey.