^{Sponsored post in partnership with Diageo.}

Post reopening, 65% of consumers expected no physical menus to be in place in outlets in line with hygiene concerns¹. Since re-opening we have seen that consumers searching for online menus in advance of visit is up by 320% YOY². Similarly, 31% of consumers have used a digital menu to order food³. This shows a demand for online menus, and enabling easy access will draw consumers in, whilst minimising waste of single use menus.

Follow these four steps to use digital menus to win and maximise spend!

Get “interesting” to the top

Add seasonal selections and cocktails at the top of the menu to create excitement and entice customers into “something a bit special”. Include specials that tie into key cultural occasions and change according to seasons and events such as Autumn Spritz, Winter Warmers or Halloween Happenings. This will create scarcity around limited editions and favourites and trade customers up into higher price points. This is also a great way of communicating innovations and new menu updates.

Win with food and drinks pairings

Create “with food” drink offers or provide recommended drinks pairings to get customers to shop across categories. Kantar insights show that in August, growth of going to the pub for a drink (+13%) was outpaced by going to a pub for a meal (+20%) or going to a restaurant (+26%) so use menu recommendations to tap into incremental spend on beverages⁴.

Highlight Key Serves

Excite customers by bringing inspiring favourites to life on menu! Include brand names alongside the mixer and provide a short description of the serve and flavour. This will drive conversion into key branded favourites and popular options, whilst limiting choice overload. Consider using drink of the day offers to maximise conversion.

Create the menu “box”

Use the menu box technique to draw attention to standout content which will grab shopper attention and increase visibility of key offerings on menu. This will nudge customers to pick priority products and is successful at driving trade up whilst minimising choice overload. Also consider using signposting to drive customers to 'New' and 'Limited Edition' options.

For information on Matthew Clark's QR code menu service, click here.