Dwell time is the term used for the amount of time that a customer spends in a store. Whether it is a retail store or a restaurant, you will typically want customers to spend more time at the establishment because it can increase the amount the sales. Dwell time is one of the key performance indicators for a business and is related not only to the sales from the current visit, but also the customer's overall satisfaction. If they are satisfied with the experience at the restaurant, they are more likely to return and to tell their friends and family. This provides word of mouth marketing, which can lead to more people coming to your eatery.
It cannot be overstated just how important it is to measure dwell time. It can provide you with more insight into your restaurant's performance than using sales numbers alone. Also, it can help you to find areas in the restaurant that can be improved. Of course, the sales volume is essential to all restaurant owners and managers.
How Does Dwell Time Increase Sales?
The longer a person or group is in a restaurant, the more they are likely to spend in many cases. Not only are they ordering their meal and perhaps appetizers, but when they spend more time, they are more likely to order other items from the menu. This includes more drinks, coffee, dessert, etc. Simply put, the longer the dwell time, the greater the likelihood that customers are going to spend more money. In a restaurant, it can sometimes be challenging to increase dwell time during certain times of the week, such as lunchtime. This is because people tend to have only an hour for lunch, so they are on a schedule. For the rest of the time, though, there are ways to help increase the dwell time.
Tips for Increasing Restaurant Dwell Time
To increase dwell time, you need to make sure that your customers are happy and comfortable in your restaurant. For example, the music that's being played in the restaurant should not be too loud. People who are dining want to be able to speak with one another and music that's too loud is going to hamper that. Also, the genre of music should be suited to the restaurant. Most people out for fine Italian dining will not want to have heavy metal playing in the background.
People also tend not to like restaurants that have too much advertising or décor that gets in their way. The décor should be tasteful and in line with the mood and theme that the restaurant is trying to create. Of course, some eclectic restaurants like to have off the wall décor. As long as it doesn't interfere with the ability of the visitors to get around the restaurant, and fits with the mood, it shouldn't be an issue.
Of course, having a clean restaurant is important, as well. People want to be sure that the place they are dining is clean, and this means that there needs to be constant upkeep to make sure that the space is kept in order. This includes not only the kitchen and the dining area but also the bathrooms. Few things are going to make a customer turn away and not come back than a dirty restaurant. You can be sure they will tell people about this in person and on social media, as well.
You will also want to pay attention to the items on the menu. If certain items are simply not selling, you want to remove them from the menu and replace them with options that will sell better. In addition to the types of items on the menu, the price is also an important factor. It doesn't mean that you should lower the prices on all of the items on your menu. However, you will want to make sure that your offerings are competitive compared with other restaurants of the same quality and style in the area.
The service that is offered at the restaurant is just as important to the dwell time. If the customers feel as though they are not being treated well, or they are ignored, they might get up and leave before their food even arrives. If they have to wait a long time for their check, this isn't increasing their dwell time. It's just going to serve to make them upset. Always put a lot of effort into providing the best quality service from the moment a customer enters until they leave.
How FastSensor Can Help your Restaurant
How do you know what your dwell time is and whether making changes to your restaurant is making improvements? Using FastSensor is one of the best options you will find. This platform is capable of taking non-personal data from devices the customers have, such as their smartphone, which allows for customer count and flow, as well as the visit time to each area of the restaurant. For example, you will be able to find out how long people are waiting before they are seated, how long they are spending at the bar, etc.
The system also helps to track customer loyalty passively. Learn more about repeat customers and how long they are taking between visitors. Since this is done passively, it means that the customers do not have to sign-up or opt-in. Understanding the flow of customers and when different areas are busier also means that it will be possible for you to schedule employees during the busiest times and for the busiest areas.
When you have this information available, it allows you to make adjustments in the restaurant to offer the customers a better experience. Find what's working and what isn't and make the necessary adjustments. This increases their likelihood of returning and recommending the restaurant to their friends and family.
FastSensor is the ideal way to learn more about your customer's behavior, the traffic and conversion rate, performance areas, and more. It will help your restaurant to become more successful.