News

Study: Customer data is growing player in restaurant marketing

December 16, 2016

Research from Winterberry Group found that guest data plays a key role in the way restaurants handle challenges, including increased competition, declining guest loyalty, and gauging the overall effectiveness of marketing efforts, according to a news release from study co-sponsor, Fishbowl. More than 200 restaurant brands took part in the study, which was also sponsored by the The Coca-Cola Company.

"Actionable data insights continue to emerge as the real trade secret to success in almost every service-oriented market, and the restaurant industry is no exception," Fishbowl CEO Dev Ganesan, said in a news release. "Being able to make informed, data-driven decisions and engage guests with a high degree of certainty and minimal amount of risk is an absolute must for our clients.This report
underscores that requirement by demonstrating the results a data-driven approach delivers to brands that have made it an integral part of their businesses."

Among the reports key findings are: 

• 87.3 percent of marketers surveyed agreed that restaurants benefit by collecting and studying guest data.
• Progressive marketers go beyond basic demographics and email data, to include customer preferences, attitudes, lifestyles, buying patterns, and other behavior insights to increase customer engagement. 
• Responsiveness data on offers, redemption information, and mobile engagement are increasingly important to gauge campaign success in real time. 
• Many marketers are also using geographic market, date range, and individual store performance data to gauge campaign success.

The report also included other data relative to marketing trends, such as shifting media budgets, mobile and app development, social media participation and performance metrics. In fact, Fishbowl said more than half of the respondents reported that notable changes have occurred in the overall digital media approach in foodservice. 

"Data insights enable companies to be more nimble and adept in responding to challenges and changing trends and empower them to rise above competition," Winterberry Group Managing Director Jonathan Margulies, said in a news release. "Understanding and embracing the shifts currently underway in the restaurant industry from the marketers' perspective can have monumental impacts on the future of any brand."