Restaurant and coffee chains drive sales with text message marketing

Restaurant and coffee chains are using mobile marketing to their advantage. A growing number of national franchised chains are harnessing the power of text message marketing to connect with their customers, build a mobile database and ultimately drive sales.

National restaurant chain Carrabba’s Italian Grill are using SMS marketing to their advantage. Carrabba’s recently ran an SMS program in Orlando resulting in a 68 percent redemption rate. The campaign aimed to build a database for future marketing at specific times of the day when customers might be most interested, like lunch and dinner time. The campaign was promoted to email club members, with online display ads, and a broadcast television ad.

Carrabba’s harnessed the personalised and targeted nature of mobile marketing by targeting different offers to different customers based on their location. For example, some restaurants wanted to increase patrons dining at specific times of day while others wanted to push a specific product. The targeted nature of mobile marketing made all of this possible.

Green Mill Restaurants are another popular restaurant chain using mobile to engage customers. The Midwest restaurant franchise is using text message marketing to connect with customers through its Mug & Mill loyalty program. The text based mobile club offers members exclusive offers like food and drink discounts in store. The restaurant chain also offers customers the ability to find their nearest restaurant location and access their Green Mill account to check their balance, transaction history and accrue loyalty points, all via mobile.

Coffee chain Dutch Bros have also used mobile marketing to connect with customers. The popular coffee chain have built a database of 25,000 opted in members who they regularly send text alerts and discounts to. Customers are encouraged to sign up for alerts in store at the point of sale either by texting to an SMS short code, verbally with the cashier or online on their Facebook page. The coffee house has reported increased sales since beginning the program.

Mobile marketing is ideal for restaurant and coffee chains because its quick to implement, cost effective and can be targeted to suit different customer groups. The instant nature of text message marketing means restaurants can push specific products, times or days of the week to drive sales in low periods. It also means restaurants can consistently push special offers weekly to their customers to keep them coming back to dine again and again.

By: InvolveMobile