TLDR
You may be wondering how Noah's Bagels was able to increase their mobile sales by 400% in just two years. The answer is a mobile-first ordering strategy that made it easy for their customers to order their favorite bagels and sandwiches on the go. Let's take a closer look at how they did it.
How Noah's Bagels Embraced a Mobile-Only Approach
When Noah's Bagels decided to go mobile-only, they made a commitment to providing the best possible customer experience through their app.
Since their founding in 1989, they had always been an industry leader in terms of technology and innovation. And they knew that, if they were going to make the leap to mobile, their order app would need to be just as good—if not better—than their in-store experience.
For over two years, they dedicated themselves to perfecting the app. They made sure that it was intuitive and easy to use, with a design that was modern and sleek. They also developed a powerful back-end that could handle high volumes of traffic without crashing.
The end result was a mobile app that was not only the best in the business, but one that could actually compete with their in-store experience.
Benefits of Offering Mobile Ordering
You probably know by know that mobile ordering is a good option for your business. After the pandemic, people are more likely than ever to want to order food and drink from the comfort of their homes.
But that's not the only reason to consider mobile ordering. Here are some other benefits to keep in mind:
• Customers view mobile tools favorably for convenience – In a world where we're constantly on the go, it's no surprise that people appreciate options that save them time. Offering mobile ordering gives your customers the convenience they're looking for, without having to wait in line or deal with frustrating busy signals.
• Mobile ordering allows customers to order ahead and save time/money – Another great benefit of mobile ordering is that customers can place orders ahead of time. This means they can skip the line when they get to your establishment, which can save them time and money.
Analyzing Customer Engagement With the App
When Noah's Bagels first decided to adopt a mobile-only ordering strategy, they did so with the intention of engaging their customers in a new and interactive way. And that's exactly what they did.
The app was designed with users in mind, making it easy to navigate and fast to place orders. And the results spoke for themselves. Not only was customer engagement high, but Noah's Bagels saw a 20% increase in online sales from the previous year.
There are three key trends that impacted convenience stores, quick serve and fast casual restaurants in the Fall 2022 Mobile Ordering Trends Report: on-demand dining, social media engagement, and third-party delivery services. All of which Noah's Bagels took into account when designing their app.
Challenges of a Mobile-Only Strategy
It's easy to understand why Noah's Bagels adopted the mobile-only approach, but it wasn't without its challenges. For one thing, customers had to be educated on the change—it's a big shift from ordering from your laptop or desktop.
Another challenge was driving sufficient notifications and engagement to keep customers coming back. The team had to come up with creative ways to ensure that customers kept their notifications turned on and got reminders about new products and specials.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Noah's Bagels was figuring out how to ensure their app provided an optimal user experience. Mobile ordering requires a different interface than ordering from a laptop, so the team had to design a layout that was intuitive and easy-to-use while still providing all the necessary features.
Data Insights & Outcomes After Adopting a Mobile-First Strategy
Noah’s Bagels’ “mobile-first approach” to digital marketing had massive returns and data insights that proved their success. An impressive 40% increase in overall customer engagement due to the adoption of QR code ordering, and a notable 50% uptick in mobile ordering when compared to using the web-based platform.
The mobile-only approach also brought about cost savings because of decreased labor costs associated with manual order input. In addition, the tracking capabilities within the mobile app enabled Noah's Bagels to better see who was ordering and what foods were trending across different demographics—which ultimately lead to smarter decisions about recipe changes, targeted promotions, and more.
To further bolster their success, Noah's Bagels used the app data to collect user feedback via surveys that users could complete after completing a purchase. This allowed them to make adjustments seamlessly while keeping customers in the loop of any changes they'd made.
The clear winning aspect was that this approach enabled Noah's Bagels to maximize customer engagement with their mobile app while increasing sales through more streamlined deliveries—all while having lower operational costs.
What Noah's Bagels Learned From the Experience
It’s clear that Noah’s Bagels made the right call by adopting a mobile-only approach to ordering. They quickly saw their online orders jump significantly, and their checkout process was streamlined. But what other lessons did they learn along the way?
One of the biggest lessons was that a simplified checkout process was key to customer retention. Noah's Bagels found that customers were more likely to order again if they had an easy and quick checkout experience. Also, they learned that customers were more likely to give feedback if the process was simple. Also, feedback indicated that customers liked being able to view their past orders; this helped them keep track of their spending and ensure that each order was customized for them.
Overall, it's clear that Noah's Bagels' mobile-first strategy proved to be a successful one. Not only did it generate more sales and enhance customer satisfaction, but it also allowed them to gain valuable insight into the customer experience—a lesson from which other retailers can benefit as well.
Conclusion
The results are in—Noah's Bagels' mobile-first strategy was a success. Thanks to their mobile app, they were able to increase customer loyalty, decrease wait times, and improve the overall customer experience. In a world where businesses are constantly vying for customer attention, Noah's Bagels has found a way to stand out from the crowd and make sure their customers keep coming back for more.