Types of e-commerce and their benefits for restaurants
While most people consider e-commerce to be a business-to-consumer (B2C) business, there are many others types of e-commerce. These include online auction sites, online banking, online tickets and reservations, or business-to-business (B2B) transactions.
And the thing is that the electronic commerce is a very important part of our daily lives. The benefits it brings to restaurants are multiple.
With an ecommerce for your restaurant, you can speed up numerous procedures, giving you the opportunity to spend more time on other aspects of your business.
Learn in this article about the different types of electronic business and which one is the best fit for your restaurant.
Types of E-Commerce
The types of e-commerce can be segmented based on a variety of criteria. Among them we have:
Types of e-commerce according to business actors
Depending on the type of people involved in e-commerce transactions, we can find the following types of e-commerce:
B2B: Business to Business
In it, business-to-business transactions are carried out. That is, a company sells its products or services to another company.
B2C: Business to Consumer
It is trade between companies and consumers. It includes consumers who purchase products or services from online stores through electronic means.
C2B: Consumer-to-Business
The consumer will offer services or products to companies and companies will pay for consumer offers. We can find these types of C2B transactions on blogs, forums, etc. where the administrator directs the reader to their website to make purchases.
C2C: Consumer-to-Consumer
In these transactions, a sale is made between customer and customer. Usually, these types of sales are facilitated by a third party's website that generates transaction data. This type of transaction benefits both the seller and the buyer, because there is no middleman. This is a private transaction between two people.
Types of e-commerce depending on your business model
The types of electronic commerce according to this criterion refer to the way in which the transaction is carried out, among which we can mention:
E-commerce or ecommerce platforms
An e-commerce platform is a way to build and create a Experience online that allows you to make sales and complete orders, no matter where your customers are or where they like to shop.
It's a complete commercial command center where you control everything from inventory to marketing. In other words, it's an ecosystem of tools that integrate seamlessly, giving you total control over every aspect of your business and the ability to scale as you grow.
Marketplace
It is a business model that includes many establishments, in one place on the web, characterized by its practicality and agility.
These platforms allow entrepreneurs to make their products available on a single website or application. It's like a virtual mall where consumers can find different product and service options in one place.
Affiliate
It's a form of pay-for-performance e-commerce where an affiliate sells items on behalf of a merchant for an agreed fee or percentage of the sale.
This type of e-commerce is an excellent advertising mode for e-commerce stores, since funds are only exchanged after a sale is completed.
Subscription
In this type of e-commerce, customers subscribe to receive the company's products. Subscribers encourage others to subscribe and receive their income for each subscription.
Types of e-commerce depending on your platform
Choosing the type of e-commerce, depending on the platform that best suits the business, is one of the most important decisions a restaurant must make.
Among the best platforms for ecommerce we can find the following:
WordPress with its WooCommerce plugin for online stores
WordPress is a content management system that allows you to create and manage websites without needing to know about programming.
On average, more than 40% of the world's websites are made with WordPress, and this is largely due to the fact that it is a simple and intuitive tool that makes it easy to manage the most relevant aspects of a website.
And WooCommerce? WooCommerce is a plugin or add-on that allows you to provide ecommerce functionalities and tools to blogs and WordPress websites.
Woocommerce is a plugin as powerful as the best of the specialized platforms, with a modern and functional style, suitable for creating an online store for any type of product or service.
Both Wordpress and Woocommerce are in theory “free”, although the free WordPress plan doesn't allow you to install plugins, so you'll need to be on a paid plan to install it.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular CMS or content managers for setting up an online store thanks to its simplicity and ability to handle large sales.
With Shopify, you can get access to pre-designed templates, discount codes, unlimited file storage and product uploads, and much more.
However, this service has a monthly cost starting from their most basic plan and they also charge transaction fees.
Benefits of e-commerce platforms for restaurants
The way customers interact with restaurants and service staff has evolved. With an e-commerce platform, restaurants can move from pen and paper orders to digital tools.
These tools automatically send orders to the kitchen and allow customers to scan QR codes for menus and payments. Therefore, restaurant customers benefit from a more efficient workflow.
In addition, they can provide the following benefits:
Increase sales:
By branding your digital presence, new customers could be what you needed to increase your revenue. In addition to continuing to serve consumers who go to restaurants, there is a special demand for promoting and selling to people who prefer to consume in the comfort of their home.
Manage a personalized loyalty policy:
Online sales are easier to track. When the customer places an order, they register their contact details.
This information is very valuable for you to use in your digital marketing strategies, whether via email or social media. You can send newsletters with updates to your menu or other options that match what they have already consumed.
With this, you will have customers who will buy more frequently at your establishment and with great chances of loyalty.
Increased operational business planning:
By using a specialized e-commerce platform, there is no need to spend time developing specific applications. The system automates processes and makes it easier to manage operations.
Streamline reservation or delivery processes:
It's not easy to coordinate orders between multiple sources, but being as visible as possible, and therefore appearing at multiple delivery sites, expands a restaurant's reach. An e-commerce platform solves this problem by connecting everything into a single system that allows you to manage reservations at your restaurant and home deliveries.
How can Picker boost your ecommerce?
With Picker you can connect our API to your ecommerce, app or other type of system. This way you optimize and enhance your site, providing your customers with a comfortable and satisfying experience.
You also offer safe and reliable delivery, with a reduction in logistics costs and a shorter delivery time.
By integrating your site with Picker, your customers will receive a notification via SMS/email/WhatsApp and in this way they can track orders.
Conclusion
E-commerce is a crucial tool for expanding your restaurant. With it, you have an excellent opportunity to build your loyal fan base and thus increase your sales.
While it is true that there are different types of e-commerce, you should consider when choosing one, what you need for your restaurant and how to put it into operation once you decide on one.
Always remember that your ecommerce is as important as your restaurant and the dishes you provide. Therefore, invest the time to decide which one can offer you the most benefits.
