Strategic Experiences For Restaurant Websites or Mobile App – Part 4 – Visualizing the Product
No detail is too small to consider when you are launching and promoting your product or service. However, the overall visual experience is increasingly important as customers are used to smoothing sophisticated user experiences. So whether its product images or text, be strategic about your visual choices!
Content
People are drawn to attractive fonts and easy to read text. Put the most important information at the top and bottom of your page. People read those first, and typically only skim the middle. Draw attention with hand-drawn arrows, underlines and asterisks, however be careful to not overuse these as it can become distracting.
Homepage
Homepage is not the only important page. Consider landing and product pages equally important. Give your customer an incentive to fill out additional form information by placing it on the “Thank You” page and offering a freebie for their participation. Use a P.S. to throw in an enticing bonus or a reward for taking action within the specific timeframe. People often read headlines first, then read postscripts second. Answer the question that’s foremost on your customer’s mind,“Why should I buy from you instead of a competitor?”
Product Views
Shoppers like to zoom in close to get an accurate sense of the product on display. So in addition to having multiple pictures, also Allow visitors to zoom in on a product to see its detail, as well as the possibility to see the product from different angles. Let users easily sort, filter and view columns of products or items per page to improve their overall browsing experience.
Images that Draw You In
Putting up content that clearly explains what you are selling is not enough, on the contrary, you must post tantalizing images of your dishes to sell the maximum amount. Customers first taste your food through their eyes. Hence, images are especially important for a restaurant website. High-resolution pictures of your food items can do wonders. High-resolution and a close-up image of your mouth-watering dishes will compel the customers to convert the traffic from your site into actual customers at your restaurant. Use real professional quality photos, of your best dishes, instead of stock pictures. That is what draws people in.
The Value of Videos
Photos are almost a secondary visual, today video is key. A video of the dishes, video of how it’s made, a video of the owners sharing their passion for food. All of these are part of the selling experience that builds a connection for the visitor on your site.
So be sure to include videos of all your key products. Can you include a demonstration of how you source your food, health-conscious diners love the natural or organic journey of food from farm to table. And these can make for some beautiful videos. Feel free to use an excerpt of the transcript or a brief description to demonstrate what information the users will learn if they watch your video or listen to your podcast.
Reflecting your Brand
In simple words, videos humanize your brand. Include a simple video on landing pages to show there’s a real person behind your brand.” Videos are an excellent way for restaurants to promote their brand to an online audience. For instance, a recent HubSpot survey shows that 72% of people prefer explainer videos to text when learning about a new product. What’s more, 76% of the surveyed restaurants report that embedded videos have increased their website traffic.
Telling the Story
Creating a storytelling video series is an exciting way to address any holiday slumps in traffic. Ideas for a video series include:
- founding stories centered around holiday-themed recipes
- customer and employee interviews discussing holiday-themed restaurant menus
- special holiday events, performances, or guest appearances at restaurants
- clips of restaurant chefs sharing tips for hosting large crowds during the holiday season
- clips of celebrities discussing holiday-themed restaurant dishes
A note here, let the user choose whether he wants to watch a video – don’t auto start, that’s a turn-off. Try to make videos short clips, easy to watch and skippable if needed, so the visitor can quickly move on as desired. On average, thirty seconds to a minute is the maximum length for a restaurant site.
Overall when you are thinking about the visual elements of your site, don’t stop at any single one. This is a holistic approach where the site, the images, the look and feel of graphics, the pictures of food and videos posted all make a difference. The more professional the experience, the more excited your customers will be to visit and share! Social media shares are a huge win for your restaurant and brand, so push beautiful visuals through email marketing, campaign, or even business blogs.
If you have any questions on how to make your site more beautiful, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Smartly Built, it’s kinda what we do!
Step 1 – Building TrustWin your customers trust, you will win their business. How will you do this online?Read MoreStep 2 – Provide Undeniable ValueWorld lives and buys by wanting promotions. Find out what really works.Read NowStep 3 – Simple CheckoutRead how the last leg of the buying process is the most critical to manage.Read Now
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