In this article, we’ll show you why increased foot traffic and bookings over the December holidays can be one of the crucial moments of the year and set you up for future success.

Why data collection matters 

Every time guests checkout out at a venue, they leave behind data that tells you more about who they are, their preferences and their habits. Collecting this data is the best way to discover how to bring these customers back into your venue in the future through marketing (more on this later). 

According to a Bain & Company study, return visits mean more consistent annual revenue. A 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profit.

So, in short, if you don’t collect data, you’re letting future customer retention opportunities slip through your fingers. 

Making use of data collection over Christmas 

Order and pay platforms drastically increase the amount of data you can collect. As a result, any transactions happening without this tech (e.g. a customer ordering directly over the bar) reduce actionable takeaways for your business. 

Your first port of call should be to either start using order and pay tech, or if you already have one, encourage your guests to order through it during holiday service. The higher the uptake on your platform, the more value you’ll get out of it in the long term. Not to mention, average order values are typically 25-30% higher through pay-at-table solutions like Mr Yum! 

Putting that data to good use 

Now that you have all this data coming in, you’ll need a platform that allows you to use it effectively. This is where marketing tools known as CRMs come into play. A hospitality CRM will integrate with your tech stack (pay-at-table, POS, etc.) and give you an aggregated view of every iota of data coming your way. 

This data can then be used to build customer profiles and segments that match your objectives. For instance, you can create segments of customers who spent over £100 on cocktails at Christmas and send them special offers for upcoming cocktail happy hours that will resonate with them.

Sending these communications is easy through platforms like Connect. Email and SMS sends are fully automated from start to finish. You simply select the audience that matches your objective and then automatically produce the comms within the same platform. It’s a campaign-mas miracle!

How better communication makes a difference

‍Communication and return visits go together like turkey and gravy or pineapple and pizza (salty-sweet is good). If you don’t want to take our word for it, we have some stats in our stockings for you.

Connect customers like Vapiano have generated £18,000 over one weekend through an SMS campaign targeting customers who had purchased in the last three months. (This cost them just £600 – resulting in an ROI of 2900%!) You can read that case study right here. 

And a survey* we conducted shows that less than 1 in 10 people say communication from a venue after their visit would not encourage them to return. Even an automated “thank you for visiting” message would make 1 in 4 people likely to return, with the majority (52%) saying a points-based loyalty scheme would make them more likely to return and 7 in 10 say a promo code for a percentage discount on their next visit would get them back in the door.

If all that sounds good, you can book a Connect demo today. 

*The survey was conducted by Pollfish for Mr Yum of a statistically representative sample of 500 people aged 18-54 from London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. Survey conducted between Feb 16-21, 2022.