Give Guests the Perk of an App without Asking for a Download

Regardless of your industry, your business needs an online presence. It may have been a simpler time when all you needed was a website, but today’s service industry environment is anything but simple. Many businesses, especially those in the restaurant industry, are now looking to web applications to help drive customer engagement, which in turn helps to boost their bottom line.

What are web applications?

First things first, what is a web application? It’s pretty simple. Web applications, or web apps, are similar to an app that you have on your phone or tablet (think Yelp or Facebook), except they run through an individual’s web browser, so no downloading is required.

You may be thinking that a web app is just a website and you already have one of those. Well, it’s close but not quite the same. Web apps are specifically designed so that they can be fluidly viewed on multiple device types, especially smartphones. So with their responsiveness, these web apps function more like a downloaded app than a standard website.

What’s the difference between a mobile app and a web app?

It can often be difficult to distinguish between technologies that sound so similar; however, there are a few key differences between these two kinds of apps.

A mobile app is built for a specific platform, like iOS for your iPhone or Android for your Samsung device. They are downloaded from an app store directly onto your smartphone.

Conversely, web apps are run directly off your Internet browser, so they adapt to whatever system your phone happens to run on. Also, and this is a key difference, they don’t require any download. Because of this, many restaurant customers prefer web apps, as they allow convenient interaction with their restaurant of choice without using precious storage or data.

Why are web apps important for your restaurant?

More and more customers are looking to engage with your restaurant online. This can be through ordering, check-ins, or feedback, just to name a few. But for your online presence to be effective, you need to understand the different ways in which customers are interacting with your site—and chances are it’s via a smartphone.

Currently more than half of all U.S. online traffic comes through smartphones and tablets. Because of this, it’s imperative that when a customer pulls up your website, they are able to effectively and efficiently interact with your restaurant. By using a web app you can ensure that your customers are receiving a highly customizable user experience.

The last thing you’d want is for a customer to try to place an order online only to abandon it halfway through because your user interface is clunky and unintuitive. Through a web app, customers can get the best experience possible when engaging with your restaurant online—a well-designed app that encourages them to return time and again. When a customer enters your restaurant, you want them to receive five-star service, and it only makes sense that you extend this standard to your online presence as well.