As far as deals go, Restaurants are still the #1 category requested by consumers…by far. Notice I wrote “requested”.
Although consumers requesting Restaurant deals continue to outpace other categories, deal providers, be they for local offers or coupons, continue to have a more difficult time convincing restaurants to use deal marketing as a viable marketing strategy to fill tables. Even though restaurants have had tremendous success with deal marketing over the past few years, some are still uncomfortable with the financial model.
When I personally have conversations with restaurant owners, having them see the campaign as an advertising and marketing expense as opposed to a sales cost truly helps make the process more appealing to them. When thousands of consumers are walking into your restaurant at a fraction of the overall cost that a typical marketing campaign would cost, well, owners start to listen and truly embrace the deals marketing model. But that conversation needs to be had.
Despite the difficulty in convincing restaurant owners of the merits of deal marketing, deal providers should continue their efforts with fierce focus. Here’s why. In a nutshell, it’s all about the numbers.
Below is an infographic produced by the Canadian Restaurant and Food service Association. It shows the massive numbers associated with the restaurant industry in Canada. With numbers like 18 million people visiting restaurants in Canada EVERY DAY, well, to a marketer or deal provider those numbers cannot be ignored.
So take in these numbers and remember that investing in local offers, coupons, deals or other forms of incentives for restaurants is well worth it.